How to grow tomatoes

Are you yearning to grow your own tasty juicy tomatoes? It is easy to grow with some guidelines, and amazing to harvest and eat. Luckily you can grow your own tomato plants anywhere. With sufficient sunlight, water and patience tomato plants go a long way and you'll get your expectations. That is all you have to do to get your tomato plant growing.

Step 1. Planting and harvesting season

Northern North Island
Plant from early September.
Harvest until end of March.

Southern North Island
Plant from late September.
Harvest until end of March.

Northern South Island
Plant from mid-October.
Harvest until end of November.

Southern South Island
Plant from late October.
Harvest until the end of March.

Note: Planting should be delayed if the spring season is unusually cold or wet

Step 2. Successful growing tips

Planting

The ideal position for tomato plants is in full sun, protected from strong winds. Prepare the soil before planting by digging in some organic matter then water in thoroughly using a liquid fertiliser. Ease the seedlings out of the container and plant them at the same soil level as they were in the punnet. Water in the seedlings immediately after planting. Plants requiring staking should be planted at least 1 metre apart. Bush type tomatoes should be planted 50cm apart.

Staking

Most tomato plants benefit from staking to encourage fruiting. It is best to stake early while the plant is young and to ensure a nice straight stem. The best plant ties are made from a soft material as they won’t cut into the stems as the plants grow. Any type of support structure may be used.

Feeding

Tomatoes require regular feeding. Apply granule fertiliser, supplemented with a soluable or liquid fertiliser regulary at recommended rates.

Watering

Regular watering is more effective than frequent light sprinkles. To prevent disease occurring avoid watering the foliage. Early morning around the base of the plant is the most beneficial method.

Growing in pots

Nearly all tomatoes may be grown successfully in pots although the larger varieties need large deep tubs (50-60cm) with good staking or support. Compact varieties such as San Marzano and Tasty Slice are ideal for smaller pots and great for small areas. Don’t forget to water and fertilise your potted tomatoes as pots dry out more quickly, as per above.

Types of tomatoes

Information intended as a guide only. Performance may vary according to local conditions.

Simple Foods

Simple Foods tomatoes are specially selected varieties chosen for their superior Garden performance. Our master growers use the best quality seed to bring you the strongest and healthiest tomatoes.

Available Varieties: Simple Foods

VARIETY	FRUIT TYPE	FEATURE	PLANT HEIGHT
Big Beef	Superb flavoured, large round fruit	Large fruit	Tall
Cocktail	Produces masses of small, sweet tomatoes	Great in salads	Tall
Money Maker	Medium sized fruit	High yielding	Tall
Tasty Slice	Medium sized, tasty tomatoes	Great taste	Dwarf
Combo	Low acid, large and cherry tomatoes	Great mix	Tall

Maxitom

Maxitom tomatoes are specially selected varieties chosen for their superior Garden performance. These tomatoes are grafted to maximise vigour, disease resistance and yield so the home gardener gets the best possible growing experience, whilst producing the tastiest tomatoes possible.

Available Varieties: Maxitom

VARIETY	FRUIT TYPE	FEATURE	PLANT HEIGHT
Beefsteak	Superb flavoured, large round fruit	Large fruit	Tall
Sweet 100	Produces masses of small, sweet tomatoes	Great in salads	Tall
Money Maker	Medium sized fruit	High yielding	Tall
Dr Walter	Large, low acid fruit	Low acid	Tall
Early Girl	Medium sized, tasty fruit	Early fruiting	Tall
Grosse Lisse	Large, flavoursome fruit	Great flavour	Tall
Hamlet	Medium sized fruit	Prolific yields	Tall
Potentate	Medium sized fruit	Early fruiting	Tall
Roma Acid Free	Pear shaped fruit	Acid free	Tall
Russian Red	Medium sized fruit	Cool tolerant	Tall

Patio Garden

Varieties ideally chosen for their performance in containers, tubs and troughs. More suited for smaller garden plots.

Available Varieties:Patio Garden

VARIETY	FRUIT TYPE	FEATURE	PLANT HEIGHT
Sweet & Neat	Cherry type fruit	Incredibly prolific,ultra compact	Small
Totem Red	Regular size, 5-6cm diameter, red fruit	Long lasting, compact	Bush Habit
Totem Yellow	Regular size, 5-6cm diameter, yellow fruit	Long lasting, compact	Bush Habit
Tumbling Tom Red	Small-medium fruit, red	High yielding, sweet delicious flavour	Cascading

Supa Vege

Top hybrid performing varieties with great disease resistance.

Available Varieties: Supa Vege

VARIETY	FRUIT TYPE	FEATURE	PLANT HEIGHT
Container Choice	150-200g, red fruit	Ideal container and space saver gardens	Bush Habit
Grape Cherry	Grape shape, red fruit	High sugar content, prolific	Tall
Pick-A-Truss	110g fruit, red fruit	Can be truss picked,cluster harvested	Tall
Red Gauntlet	110g fruit, red fruit	Can be truss picked,whole truss ripens at once	Tall
Red Robin	Bright red, small fruit	Good branching habit	Small
Tasty Crimson	110-130g round, beautiful red fruit	Heavy cropping, disease resistant	Tall

Heirloom Tomatoes

A selection of Heirloom and Old-Fashioned Varieties. Many different colours, shapes and sizes but ultimately chosen for their taste. Productivity may vary depending on weather conditions.

Available Varieties: Heirloom

VARIETY	FRUIT TYPE	FEATURE	PLANT HEIGHT
Albenga Oxheart	230g, red, pear shaped fruit	Meaty flesh, superb flavour, late maturing	Tall
Aunt Rubies German Green	Beefsteak type, lime green fruit	Tender texture, delicious flavour	Tall
Baxters Early Bush	Red cherry, sweet and firm fruit	Productive, hardy to adverse temperatures	Bush Habit
Best Boy Bush	200g, deep globe, red fruit	Early producing, heavy cropping, delicious flavour	Bush Habit
Better Boy	Large, reddish-pink fruit up to 500g	Long season cropping, solid flesh	Tall
Big Beef	250-300g ribbed type red fruit	Tasty, multi-disease resistant, high yielding	Tall
Big Boy	Huge 450g red fruit	A real man's tomato	Tall
Big Rainbow	450-900g yellow with red blush,beefsteak shaped fruit	Very productive and prolific grower	Tall
Black Cherry	Purple-black cherry size fruit	Irresistibly sweet, yet rich.Produces in abundance	Tall
Black Krim	8cm diameter blackish-reddish fruit	Produces heavily and continuously	Tall
Bloody Butcher	100g dark red fruit	Full,rich, mouth-watering flavour	Tall
Boy'o'Boy	Large 500g red fruit	Long season cropping, beefsteak style tomato	Tall
Brandywine Pink	350-700g pinkish fruit	Most famous heirloom for sheer flavour, fruit slices solid and meaty	Tall
Delicious	Huge red fruit, 450g +	Smooth skinned, solid flesh, excellent for slicing	Tall
Early Girl	110-130g round, beautiful fruit	Heavy cropping, disease resistant	Tall
Enterprise Dwarf	270g red globe shaped fruit	Disease resistant, excellent flavour	Bushy Habit
Mortgage Lifter	Extremely large up to 1kg, red, irregular shaped fruit	Productive, disease resistant	Tall
Orange Roma	Elongated, 50g fruit, orange	Great all round tomato (salads,sauces, sandwiches), low acidity	Tall
Oxheart	Large pear shape, 230g red fruit	Flesh is meaty, superb flavour, disease resistant	Tall
Patio Prize	Round red fruit, 100g	Ideal for small gardens or container growing	Bushy Habit
Red Robin	Bright red, small fruit	Good branching habit	Compact, suitable for pots
Russian Red	Scarlet red fruit, medium size	Tolerates low night temperatures, productive	Semi-Dwarf
San Marzano	7cm long fruit, bright red	Great for canning, puree, pastes, fresh eating	Tall
Saxon Truss	110g fruit, red fruit	Can be truss picked, cluster harvested	Tall
Sun Cherry	Cherry 3cm, deep red fruit	High sugar content, 10% sweeter than other cherry varieties, prolific	Tall
Sun Gold	Apricot in colour, cherry sized fruit, red	Trusses of 10+ tomatoes, heavy cropping, suitable indoors and outdoors	Tall
Supersteak	250-300g large, red fruit	Disease resistant, very productive, very tasty fruit	Tall
Sweet 100	Cherry sized fruit, red	Abundant producer, vigorous plant habit	Tall
Sweet Cherry	Small cherry size fruit, red	Prolific producer, vigorous plant habit,	Tall
Tasty Crimson	110-130g round, beautiful, red fruit	Heavy cropping, disease resistant	Tall
Tigerella	5cm round, reddish to orange fruit	Rich, tangy flavour, yellow/orange stripes on fruit	Tall
Yellow Pear	Waxy yellow, pear shaped fruit	Mild, sweet flavour, firm texture	Tall

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