How to grow tasty Tomatoes

Types of Tomatoes

Tomatoes fall into two main types: determinate or ‘bush’ tomatoes and indeterminate or ‘vining’ tomatoes.

Indeterminate Tomatoes (tall)

Indeterminate Tomatoes can grow to between 1.8–3 m tall. They continue to produce fruit throughout their growing season and finish up in autumn. With luck, you may find cherry tomatoes will continue to produce until it becomes too cold. Popular indeterminate varieties include Big Beef, Moneymaker, Sweet 100 and Grosse Lisse.

A feature of indeterminate tomatoes is that they produce ‘lateral’ side shoots which sprout from where the leaves join with the main stem. It’s best to pinch these laterals out before they become monstrous unsupported branches, so the plant can put all its energy into growing delicious trusses of fruit. You’ll need to check for laterals often, they can grow huge very quickly. If you snip off laterals neatly with secateurs, you can also plant them as cuttings!

All indeterminate tomatoes require tall stakes, tripods, or tomato cages for support. You can also suspend them from hanging plant tie or string, by spiral wrapping it around the tomato stem as it grows. Soft, stretchy cotton plant tie is excellent for this as it copes with the weight of a vine fully laden with fruit.

If you'd like to give heirloom tomatoes a go, we have a great new (actually very old) variety to try. Yates^® Heirloom Tomato 'Yellow Pear' is an absolute classic variety with bite-sized, bright yellow pear-shaped fruit. it's vigorous and productive, with sweet tasting fruit.

If you appreciate a bit of variety, we also have Yates^® Tomato 'Heirloom Favourites'. It's a special lucky dip selection of heritage tomatoes, in a range of vibrant colours and mouth-watering flavours. These time honoured favourites taste the way tomatoes should!

Determinate Tomatoes (dwarf)

Determinate Tomatoes generally grow to about 0.5-0.6 m tall (a few varieties get above 1 m tall). They produce fruit that mature all around the same time (generally over a 2-3-week period). Once they’ve finished fruiting, the plant won’t continue to produce and will slowly decline in vigour, so it’s best to remove them once they’re done. On the plus side, you won’t need to remove any laterals from determinate tomatoes.

Due to their height, they don’t require staking, but you can still prop them up with stakes or a cage made from sturdy chicken wire. This is a good safeguard on windy sites or if the plant is heavily laden with fruit. Yates varieties include Small Fry, Patio, and Roma (Roma is a fantastic variety for saucing).

Tomato Growing Conditions

Climate

Tomatoes happily grow in all climate zones of New Zealand. In subtropical and temperate climates, sow from early spring. In the cold winter zone, sow from late spring. To get a head start on the season, you can sow seeds indoors in late winter and transplant them into pots or garden beds once the last chance of frost has passed. Wait until seedlings are at least 5 cm tall before transplanting.

Location

Choose a spot in full sun – at least 6-8 hours a day. Ideally the position will be sheltered from strong winds. Practice crop rotation; don’t plant tomatoes in the same place as last year - leave the spot to rest for 3 years before you plant tomatoes there again. For crop rotation, group tomatoes with potatoes, capsicums, eggplants and chillies – they are all related members of the Solanaceae family, so don’t plant any of the family in last year’s position either. This makes certain there won’t be any diseases still lurking in the soil from last year’s crop.

Soil

Tomatoes grow best in rich, well-drained soil. Improve the soil with plenty of organic matter, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food. Dig in Yates Thrive Natural Garden Lime, which provides calcium for good fruiting and 'sweetens' the soil. If growing in pots, choose a generous pot at least 40 cm wide and deep, to prevent them from drying out too quickly. Fill with Yates Thrive Premium Potting Mix to keep tomatoes happy through the whole season.

Fertiliser

Feed tomatoes regularly throughout the growing season with Yates Thrive Tomato Liquid Plant Food. This potassium-rich fertiliser will help promote healthy leaf growth and encourage lots of flowers that will turn into delicious, juicy tomatoes. Alternatively, you can use Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser – this product is very economical and delivers a great boost to plant growth and fruit.

Choosing the right tomato plant food

Thrive Tomato Granular Plant Food

Incorporate into the planting hole when planting your tomato seedlings or plants into the garden, greenhouse or pots. Set yourself up for success early by incorporating this granular format early.

Thrive Tomato Liquid Plant Food

If you forgot to feed your tomatoes earlier in the season or your tomato has started flowering then your tomatoes need this fast feeding concentrate. When your tomato is flowering it needs more potassium which promotes fruit set, which in turn leads to more tomatoes! This liquid plant food delivers fast dual-action feeding, through both the soil and leaves.

Thrive Natural Tomato & Vegie Plant Food Concentrate

Fast feeding concentrate. Contains both Cold composed Fish and Seaweed: A gentle extraction method that preserves more of the delicate growth boosting compounds and oils in seaweed and fish, that naturally feeds plants while boosting soil microbe and earthworm activity.

Water

Water regularly throughout the growing season. Add a layer of organic mulch, like pea straw, to help retain soil moisture and suppress weeds too.

Maintenance

As mentioned above, indeterminate tomatoes produce ‘laterals’ that you’ll need to remove by pinching them off with your thumb and index finger. If these laterals have already developed into thick shoots, use secateurs or a sharp blade to remove.

Pruning laterals prevents plants from growing unruly swathes of vigorous branches. It also increases air flow between leaves and stems, reducing the likelihood of diseases like Powdery Mildew.

How to grow tomatoes in a garden

Choose a sunny spot in the garden with well drained soil and enrich with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone and Yates Thrive Natural Garden Lime.
Sow seeds, lightly cover with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and water well. If growing from seedlings, they can be planted a little deeper, so that the bottom few centimetres of the tomato stems are covered with soil. Water in well.
Tall growing tomatoes will require stakes for support, so it’s best to put these in now to avoid damaging plant roots later.
As seedlings emerge and grow, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Tomato Vegie Plant Food Concentrate. Mulch around the base with organic mulch like pea or lucerne straw, keeping it away from the main stem.
As larger staked tomatoes grow, gently tie the main stems to the stakes with a plant tie or old piece of hosiery.
Harvest tomatoes when the fruit is plump and red (or yellow, depending on the variety).

How to grow tomatoes in a pot

If you don’t have room in your garden to grow tomatoes, grow them in pots! Choose smaller varieties.

Choose a pot at least 400mm wide and deep and position in full sun. Fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.
Sow seeds, lightly cover with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and water well. If growing from seedlings, they can be planted a little deeper, so that the bottom few centimetres of the tomato stems are covered with soil. Water in well.
Tall growing tomatoes will require stakes for support, so it’s best to put these in now to avoid damaging plant roots later.
Potted plants dry out quicker than in-ground plants, so it’s important to water potted plants regularly.
As seedlings grow, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Tomato Vegie Plant Food Concentrate to encourage growth.
As larger staked tomatoes grow, gently tie the main stems to the stakes with a plant tie or old piece of hosiery.
Harvest tomatoes when the fruit is plump and red (or yellow, depending on the variety).

Yates Tomato Seed varieties

Tomato 'Moneymaker' Heirloom

Famed as a reliable choice for setting fruit in all conditions, Great yields of firm, bright red medium-sized fruit.

Tomato 'Roma'

Italian heirloom producing deep red, pear-shaped fruit. Famous for hearty sauces, rich tomato paste and soups.

Tomato 'Big Beef' Hybrid

An award winning hybrid, Big Beef produces large, juicy tomatoes with old-fashioned beefsteak flavour. Long fruiting season, heavy yields and superior disease resistance.

Tomato 'Black Krim' (Organic)

This heirloom-type tomato has flattened, dark red-purple fruit with green shoulders. Flesh is very juicy, with a green tinge.

Tomato 'Grosse Lisse' Heirloom

An old favourite that does well in humid areas, Grosse Lisse produces medium to large fruit, full of juicy flavour. A tasty all-rounder.

Tomato 'Heirloom Favourites'

A lucky dip selection of heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of extravagant colours, shapes and flavours.

Tomato 'Small Fry' Hybrid

Masses of sweet, bite-sized fruit on every plant. Spectacular in summer salads & antipasto, grilled, chopped into salsa, skewered on kebabs or as juicy treats for kids.

Heirloom Tomato 'Yellow Pear'

A sweet, mild tasting heirloom tomato with bite-sized, bright yellow pear-shaped fruit. A tall, vigorous and productive variety which requires staking.

Tomato 'Sweet 100'

This prolific cherry tomato can produce amazing yields of 100 or more delicious fruit on each plant.

Tomato 'Patio Mini'

Patio Mini is a compact dwarf hybrid, tailor-made for pots on the deck or tiny gardens. A vigorous cropper, produces glossy red medium-sized fruit.

Growing tips

To really boost fruit quality, try Yates Liquid Potash alongside your usual fertiliser. It's rich in Potassium, to help flowering and fruiting plants really deliver! It also helps plants resist disease or environmental stress. Easy to apply as either a foliar feed or soil drench, it's our special 'secret sauce' for tomatoes, eggplants or capsicums.
If you'd prefer to harvest fruit right through the season, choose 'indeterminate' (Tall) tomatoes. This type keeps on growing taller until the cold weather arrives. If you keep picking, they will keep producing fruit. 'Determinate' (Dwarf) tomato bushes stop growing taller after they flower; the fruit tends to ripen within a short timeframe, which makes them fantastic for preserving or making sauce.
In cool climates, you can get a start on your tomatoes early by raising seeds in trays of Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix. They can be transplanted to the garden or pot when the weather is warmer.
A layer of mulch will help retain moisture in the soil.
To help prevent blossom end rot (when the bottom of the fruit looks sunken and rotten), apply fast acting Yates Hydrangea Pinking Liquid Lime & Dolomite at planting time, which will help ensure a sufficient supply of calcium. If blossom end rot does strike, the affected tomatoes are still perfectly fine to eat, simply slice off and discard the bad parts.
If you didn’t apply lime at planting time, it’s not too late to do it during the growing season.
Certain tomato diseases are carried in the soil, so choose a different spot each year (avoid planting in the same part of the garden for at least three years).
When buying tomato plants or seeds, look for varieties that mention disease resistance.