The old Hobart adage is never plant tomato plants before the Royal Hobart Show. But is that is fact or fiction? Well the team at the City of Hobart's Still Gardening program have the answer.
Best time to sow seeds
Sow in a warm area between July – end of September
Best time to plant into the garden
Plant after Show Day! That's right, it's a fact. This avoids those nasty October winds and last chances of frost. Soil temperatures should ideally be between 16°C and 20°C.
Soil preparation
Tomatoes need well manured friable, moist, well-draining soil. When the soil starts to warm up you need to give them a good layer of straw mulch.
Where to plant
Tomatoes prefer an open sunny area out of strong winds.
Planting
Tomatoes can be planted deep in the soil as they will aerial root from the stem, this will give them extra strength. Plant them at 1m to 1.5m in spacing to avoid competing root systems and disease.
To stake or not to stake
Determinant varieties are bush compact varieties. They yield quickly but need less support, so no staking.
In determinant varieties are the ones that need staking. They take longer to grow but will go for longer in the season.
Watering
Once every couple of days but avoid foliage watering, water the soil only to prevent mildew and other disease.