Tomato
New Zealand's most-grown home garden crop; needs a warm, sheltered, full-sun spot and staking as it fruits.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 50cm
- Harvest
- Ready in 70-85 days
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Expected yield
- 3-5kg per plant over the season
- Cost to grow
- ~$25 NZD
- Grocery value
- ~$90 NZD
- Companion plants
- Basil, Carrots, Celery, Parsley, Chives, Onions, Marigold, Asparagus
- Plants to avoid nearby
- Brassicas, Fennel, Potatoes, Sweetcorn
- Common diseases
- Early/late blight, Blossom end rot, Verticillium wilt
- Common pests
- Aphids, Whitefly, Tomato-potato psyllid, Caterpillars
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: September-December. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast and Christchurch / Canterbury: October-December. In Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: November-December.
Growing stages
Germination & sowing5-10 days in warm soil
- Needs consistently warm soil to germinate reliably, so sow indoors or under cover if starting early
- Don't plant out until frost risk has passed, as tomatoes are frost-tender
Seedling & establishmentFirst 2-3 weeks after transplanting
- Harden off gradually before moving into the warm, sheltered, full-sun spot this crop needs
- Whitefly and aphids can colonise soft young growth on new transplants
Vegetative growth
- Stake or cage plants as they bulk up, tying in the leading stem regularly
- Check leaf undersides for aphids, whitefly and tomato-potato psyllid
- Remove lower leaves touching the soil to reduce splash-borne blight
Flowering & fruiting
- Keep watering even; irregular watering is the main cause of blossom end rot on developing fruit
- Early and late blight can appear on foliage in humid weather; remove affected leaves and avoid overhead watering
- Caterpillars can target ripening fruit as well as foliage
- Sudden wilting may signal verticillium wilt, which has no cure; remove affected plants
Harvest70-85 days from sowing
- Pick as fruit ripens; regular picking encourages the plant to keep setting more
- Keep monitoring for blight in humid conditions right through to season's end