Tomatoes

Types of Tomatoes

Tomatoes fall into two main types: tall or short. The tall type is called an indeterminate or ‘vining’ tomato, and the short type is a determinate or ‘bush’ tomato.

Indeterminate

(Tall Growing, 'Vine' Type Tomatoes)

Growing from 1.8–3m tall, they develop a main stem that keeps on getting taller, even when the plant is fruiting. They continue to produce fruit right through their growing season, up until autumn.

Indeterminate tomatoes grow ‘lateral’ side shoots, that sprout from where the leaves join with the main stem. It’s best to pinch these laterals out, so the plant can put all its energy into growing fruit. Check for laterals often, or they can quickly take over.

All indeterminate tomatoes require tall stakes, tripods, or cages for support. You can also suspend them from stretchy cotton plant tie or string, by gradually spiral wrapping it around the tomato stem as it grows taller.

Determinate

('Bush' or Dwarf Tomatoes)

Determinate types grow to about 0.5-0.6m tall (only a few varieties exceed 1m tall). The plant stem will stop growing when it begins to develop fruit, which all matures at around the same time (generally over a 2-3-week period). Once they’ve finished fruiting, the plant won’t continue to produce, so it’s best to remove plants once they’ve finished fruiting.

On the plus side, you won’t need to remove any laterals from determinate tomatoes; you can just leave them on and let them sprawl.

Due to their low height, they don’t require staking, but you can still prop them up with stakes or a cage made from sturdy chicken wire. It's a good safeguard on windy sites, or if the plant becomes heavily laden with fruit.

How to Keep Your Tomatoes Happy

Climate

You can grow tomatoes in all climate zones of New Zealand.

• In subtropical and temperate climates, sow seed from early spring
• In the cold winter zone, sow seed from late spring

To get a head start on the season, you can sow seeds indoors in late winter, then transplant them into pots or the garden after the last chance of frost has passed. Wait until seedlings are at least 5cm 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 efficient crop rotation, consider tomatoes to be in the same group with potatoes, capsicums, eggplants and chillies – they're all related members of the Solanaceae family, so don’t plant any of the family where you had your tomatoes last season (or vice-versa). This avoids any diseases that might be 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 tomatoes in pots or polybags, choose a generous sized container to prevent them from drying out too quickly. Fill pots with Yates Thrive Premium Potting Mix to keep tomatoes healthy through the whole season.

Watering

Water regularly and deeply throughout the growing season. Inconsistent watering can lead to fruit splitting. Water the soil at the base of the plant, avoid watering the foliage - this reduces the risk of disease pathogens infecting the plant though wet leaves.

Add a layer of organic mulch, like pea straw, to help retain soil moisture and suppress weeds.

Day-to-day 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 them.

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.

Pinching out a lateral

• 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).

Tomato 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.
• If you snip off laterals neatly with secateurs, you can plant them as cuttings, for free bonus plants.
• 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 garden 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, giving preference to 'disease resistant' varieties is a wise precaution.

Old favourite indeterminate varieties from Yates include Big Beef, Moneymaker, Sweet 100 and Grosse Lisse.

If you'd like to give heirloom tomatoes a go, 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!

Our most popular shorter-growing determinate varieties include Small Fry, Patio, and Roma (Roma is a fantastic variety for making sauce).