UK plant library · vegetable

Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum · Solanaceae

One of the most popular crops, with a huge choice of varieties for pots, greenhouse or outdoors

Photo: Luigi Chiesa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sun: Full sun
Soil: Rich, free-draining, moisture-retentive
Soil pH: Slightly acid to neutral, about pH 5.5-7.5
Water: Steady, regular watering. Irregular watering causes splitting and blossom end rot
Hardiness: Tender (frost-tender). Needs frost protection: grow under cover or plant out after frosts
Height and spread: Cordons commonly 1.5-2m or more; bush and tumbling types are compact. Overall range 0.3-3m tall

Guv's tipWater your tomatoes steady and regular, mind. Irregular watering is what causes splitting and blossom end rot. Trust me on this one.

Through the year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sow or plant

Harvest

Timings are for the UK as a whole. Northern and exposed gardens often run a couple of weeks later.

When to plant

Sow indoors late Feb-mid Mar (greenhouse crops) or late Mar-early Apr (outdoor crops). Plant out late May-early Jun once reliably above 16°C

Harvest or flowering

Harvest Jul-Oct

Pruning

Cordons: remove side shoots and stop the main stem after 4-7 trusses outdoors. Bush types need no side-shooting

Making more plants

Seed

Watch out for

Pest

Glasshouse whitefly

Look for: Tiny white flying insects under leaves, honeydew and sooty mould

What to do: Yellow sticky traps, biological control Encarsia formosa under glass

Disease

Tomato blight

Phytophthora infestans

Look for: Brown patches on leaves and stems, fruit rots, rapid collapse in wet summers

What to do: Remove affected plants, grow under cover or use blight-resistant cultivars

Disease

Grey mould

Botrytis cinerea

Look for: Fuzzy grey mould on flowers, fruit or stems, rotting

What to do: Remove affected parts, improve ventilation, avoid overcrowding

Disease

Blossom end rot

Physiological (calcium deficiency from irregular watering)

Look for: Dark sunken patch at fruit base

What to do: Water consistently

Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.

Safety and spread

Pets and people: Leaves and stems are toxic to dogs, cats and horses (solanine); ripe fruit is non-toxic, according to the ASPCA. Leaves and stems are poisonous to humans, medium severity

Weed risk: None known

Checked against two or more reputable gardening sources. How we check our facts

Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the USA and Australia.

Keep it by the back door

The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book

Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 UK plants in one book.

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