Tomato — Vegetables

Solanum lycopersicum

Full sun, moderate watering — indoors or out in high summer.

Photograph of Tomato — iNaturalist / GBIF

Sow: Feb
Plant out: Apr–May
Harvest: Aug
In flower: Jul, Aug, Sep

Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Hardiness: H1c
Season: summer
Height: 150–250 cm
Spacing: 100 cm
Pets: Toxic to pets

Grows well with

Nasturtium — Nasturtium is one of the plants whitefly will not breed on, and mixing it in with tomatoes brought whitefly numbers on the tomatoes down.Chives — Chives are listed as a good neighbour for tomatoes, and a clump at the end of the row flowers early for bees.Parsley — Parsley is listed as a good neighbour for tomatoes. Let a few plants run up and flower and they feed predatory wasps, which work on caterpillars.Basil — Basil grown alongside tomatoes has cut thrips numbers in trials, both outdoors and under glass.Calendula (Pot Marigold) — Pot marigolds beside tomatoes are a long-standing habit. The open flowers bring in insects that prey on pests, though the pairing has not been put to a trial.French Marigold — Plant French marigolds among your tomatoes and whitefly numbers build up more slowly. The marigolds give off limonene in the air, and whitefly move away from it.Walnut — Keep tomatoes away from a walnut tree. The walnut releases chemicals into the soil that hold other plants back, and tomatoes are said to suffer particularly.

Growing notes

Grows to 1.5-2.5 metres. Space about 50-100cm apart. In flower Jul-Sep.

Toxic to pets

The leaves, stems and unripe green fruit contain solanine and can make people as well as pets sick if eaten; ripe tomatoes are safe. Keep the foliage and green fruit away from children and pets. If a person eats any, get medical advice; if a pet does, contact a vet.

→ NHS 111 for a person; your vet or the Animal PoisonLine for an animal