Grow Guide: Growing Tomatoes in Your Urban Garden

Tomatoes are the ultimate summer crop for Australian gardens. They love warmth, sunshine, and reward you with sweet, juicy harvests that taste worlds apart from the supermarket version. While they do need a bit of support and care, the payoff is worth it – whether you’re slicing them into a salad, slow-roasting them, or enjoying them straight from the vine with a sprinkle of salt.

🕰️Best Time to Plant

• Spring to early summer: Plant after the last frost – late September to November is ideal in most Australian urban climates.
• Warm soil is key: Tomatoes won’t thrive until soil temperatures are consistently above 15 °C.

📍Where to Plant

• Full sun: At least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
• Rich, free-draining soil: Add compost and organic matter before planting.
• Crop rotation: Avoid planting in the same spot as last year’s tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants or capsicums to reduce disease risk.
• (Bonus for planting where you’ve just finished growing peas, for a free hit of nitrogen rich soil!)

🧑‍🌾How to Grow

1. Seeds or seedlings: Start seeds indoors in late winter, or buy seedlings in spring for a quicker start.
2. Spacing: Allow 50–70 cm between plants for airflow and growth.
3. Support: Use stakes, cages, or trellises to keep plants upright and fruit off the soil.

💧Watering & Feeding

• Consistent watering: Deeply water 2–3 times per week; irregular watering can cause fruit splitting or blossom end rot.
• Mulch generously: Straw or sugar cane mulch keeps roots cool and moisture in.
• Feeding: Start with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser for leafy growth, then switch to a potassium-rich feed once flowers appear to boost fruiting.

🍽️Harvesting

• When to harvest: Tomatoes are ready when fully coloured and slightly soft to the touch.
• How to harvest: Snip or twist fruit gently off the vine to avoid damaging the plant.
• Ongoing harvest: Pick regularly to encourage more fruiting.

😱Common Problems (and Fixes)

• Blossom end rot: Caused by calcium deficiency and inconsistent watering. Mulch well and water evenly.
• Tomato leaf curl & wilts: Rotate crops yearly and remove diseased plants quickly.
• Pests: Watch for aphids, caterpillars, and fruit fly. Netting and organic sprays help.

👋Best Companion Plants:

• Basil → Pest control + flavour boost.
• Marigolds → Great for deterring nematodes and whiteflies.
• Carrots → Loosen soil for tomato roots (but may compete if too close).
• Onions, garlic, chives → Repel aphids and other pests.
• Lettuce & spinach → Grow happily in the shade of taller tomato plants.
• (Avoid: fennel, corn, potatoes — they attract pests or compete heavily.)

💡My Urban Patch Take

In Brunswick, tomatoes are the real summer show-off. I plant mine after my pea bed has finished (perfect rotation), give them a sturdy trellis, and let Odie patrol underneath for fallen fruit. Nothing says summer quite like walking outside, plucking a sun-warmed tomato, and eating it straight off the vine.

(Need a little refresher before getting started on your tomato journey? Check out my Urban Garden Beginner’s Guide: 4 Essentials to Get Growing Fast)