With spring approaching, now is the perfect time to plan for your crop of tomatoes, so you’ll be ready to start planting your tomatoes between August and December.
As tomatoes come in various shapes and sizes – from tiny cherry to big beefsteak varieties – you’ll find they have different ripening times. When growing tomatoes, you can extend your harvest by planting a few different types.
When to plant tomatoes?
They’re easy to grow and are happy dwelling in the smallest of gardens or in pots or containrs on a balcony, so you could be enjoying fresh toms in just a few months.
Warm regions
Tomatoes are warm-season, frost-susceptible plants that need a growing season of at least three months, so they’ll grow in all climate zones of Australia.
In warm, frost-free regions, tomatoes can be grown throughout the year; in temperate and cooler climes, the best time to plant is from the end of winter right through spring.
Cooler regions
However, to give tomatoes in cooler climates a head start in life, the seeds can be germinated in small pots under glass or in a mini propagator.
Simply sow your seeds six to eight weeks before you intend to plant them out and keep them in a warm, sunny spot.
Plants with at least three leaves can be planted in the ground outside.
How late can you plant tomatoes?
Generally speaking, it will take between 10-14 weeks for tomatoes to mature (11-13 weeks for cherry tomatoes). So as long as you have enough warmer days ahead of you for your tomatoes to mature, then it’s okay to plant.
What is the best time to plant tomatoes according to the moon cycles?
Milton Black is Australia’s Leading Astrologist. He says the best times for planting tomatoes for the rest of this year are the fertile signs of the zodiac.
The following dates are ideal for planting tomatoes:
September: 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 28, 29.
October: 2, 6, 7, 8, 26, 27.
November: 3, 4, 7, 26, 27, 30.
December: 4, 5, 6, 24, 27, 28.
For all your monthly Moon Planting Cycles information, purchase a copy of this month’s Better Homes and Gardens from all good supermarkets and newsagents.
You might also like:
How to start a vegetable garden
17 expert landscaping tips for any garden
How to plan a vegetable garden
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