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Solanums

Tomato growing guide

The world's most popular home garden vegetable. Warm-season fruiting plant that thrives in full sun. Indeterminate varieties keep growing all season; determinate types produce one main crop.

Photo reference

Use this real-world photo as the main plant reference, then compare it with the botanical drawings below for leaf, flower and harvest details.

Tomato real-world photo reference (Solanum lycopersicum)
Wikimedia Commons · Roula30 · CC BY-SA 3.0
6-14 daysGermination
60-85 daysHarvest
60 cmSpacing
0.5 cmSow depth
FullSun
TenderFrost
2.5 cm/weekWater
6-6.8pH

Planting calendar by climate

Use these windows as a public guide. Plotera can personalise tasks around your saved garden, location and planting dates.

ClimateSowTransplant / PlantHarvest
TropicalJan - DecJan - DecJan - Dec
SubtropicalJul - OctSep - NovNov - Mar
MediterraneanAug - OctOct - NovDec - Mar
TemperateAug - OctOct - DecDec - Mar
CoolSep - OctNov - DecJan - Feb
AridJul - SepSep - OctNov - Feb

Botanical reference

Compare the whole plant first, then check the leaf, flower and harvest detail to identify what Tomato should look like as it grows.

Tomato whole plant

Whole plant

Overall shape, height, branching and growth habit.

Tomato leaf detail

Leaf detail

Leaf shape, edges, colour and vein pattern.

Tomato flower detail

Flower detail

Flower colour, structure and where blooms appear.

Tomato harvest / detail

Harvest / detail

Fruit, root, seed, pod or the strongest identifying feature.

Cooking and eating ideas

A quick garden-to-table guide for using Tomato after harvest.

Raw / fresh

Use ripe fruit fresh in salads, salsas, sandwiches, dips, mezze, or quick garden snacks where suitable.

Cooked

Roast, grill, saute, stew, stuff, bake, simmer into sauces, or add to curries and casseroles.

Store / preserve

Freeze, dry, pickle, ferment, relish, sauce, or preserve using crop-safe methods.

Try: Fresh salsa, Roasted tray, Garden sauce, Stuffed or grilled.

Good companions

Basil, Carrot, Marigold, Nasturtium, Parsley, Chives

Avoid near

Fennel, Potato, Kale

Growing note

Stake or cage indeterminate varieties. Pinch out suckers for larger fruit.

Turn garden notes into a living plan.

Create a free account to save your garden layout, personal planting calendar, water and fertiliser schedules, seed inventory and harvest logs.

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