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Fruiting vegetables
Tomato
The most-grown vegetable garden crop in Australia, and the one most gardeners judge a season by.
Get your planting dates
This guide covers how to grow, harvest and keep tomato, deliberately without sowing dates,
because the right date depends entirely on your climate zone. GardenBuddy's planting calendar
covers all seven Australian climate zones and will tell you exactly when to sow where you live.
Growing
Full sun, at least six hours a day. Rich, well-drained soil with steady moisture, uneven watering splits the skins and brings on blossom end rot. Stake or cage early, tomatoes get heavy fast.
Common problems
- Blossom end rot (calcium/water inconsistency, not a soil deficiency in most cases)
- Fruit fly, especially in Queensland and NSW coastal areas, bag or net fruit as it colours
- Powdery mildew and early blight in humid stretches, improve airflow and avoid wetting leaves
Harvest
Pick when the colour has fully developed and the fruit gives slightly to gentle pressure. For the best flavour, don't refrigerate, it dulls the taste.
Preserving this crop
Best suited to:
Canning & BottlingFreezingDrying & Dehydrating
Seed saving
Difficulty: Easy. Self-pollinating, so seed usually comes true. Ferment the seed and pulp for 2-3 days to remove the germination inhibitor before drying.