Your comments and tips

08 Aug 14, Don (Australia - temperate climate)

I live on the lower north shore in sydney and every year I plant my tomatoes and they start to flower in abundance as there a no bees here I go around with a small paint brush and try and pollinate them going from flower to flower but being as careful as I can doing this exercise ,I disturb them and they fall off and only a few make it to a tomato stage where am I going wrong a frustrated tomato grower.

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23 Jul 14, Sagala (Australia - temperate climate)

Watch out for bugs and pests as they can leave little holes in the tomatoes so be careful when picking

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12 Aug 11, Coogee (Australia - temperate climate)

To be honest, our water supply is polluted with high concentrations of fluoride. also, persistent con trails being sprayed over the city and coast are detrimental to the the health of the plants. Try using filtered water and keeping them out of the rain.

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15 Apr 11, leon (Australia - arid climate)

Hi i have been trying to find out earlyest date i can plant tomatoe seeds in perth western australia would it be after the shortest day of the year? I can bring them up on a window sill if its to cold just wondering about the sun longth.

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11 Mar 10, Simi (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I had that same problem from a few weeks all that rain we had.. sorted itself out now just make sure good drainage and have a look at how much you are watering. To much and they will split.

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08 Mar 10, Sim (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Marion, it's due to either too much watering or irregular watering. Tomatoes will split when they absorbed too much water than the skin can expand. Try reducing amount of watering but keep the frequency of watering. Can't do much about the tomatoes already split.

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07 Mar 10, Marion (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have planted some yellow pear tomatoes the bush is huge and has plenty of tomates on however they are splitting, can anyone tell me why?

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15 Jun 10, Michele -- Tassy (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Hiya Marion ... Had the same problem, pretty much lost the "final" harvest theis year from splitting. When you water do so at soil level therefore watering the roots keeping the fruit and foliage dry. Fruits split when they get wet and are then exposed to the sun. Cheers

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04 Mar 10, Steve (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

This year I grew four sorts, Black cherry, marmande, Kotlas and one other I forget. All from the Lost Seed Company. For the first time ever I applied monsterous neglect and I've had my best ever crops. At least 20 kilos so far and still growing strong. Other than an automatic watering over three weeks in December I have done almost nothing. No shoot removal, bad supports, they have sprawled into one huge mess of about 6 square metres which cover the ground so much that weeds have no chance at all. (I haven't weeded since I planted them). I just stick an arm into the pile and pick beautiful toms. I've even left chewed one to drop and rot as it's too hard. I think I've finally discovered the secret to tomato growing.

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27 Feb 10, Lyn (Australia - temperate climate)

My tomatoes have been disappointing this year as well . The Black Russian and Cherry's producing hardly any fruit .The pot grown Romas which i let bush out and basically ignored did the best.So maybe a little neglect is the way to go. Marissa if you live in Adelaide there has been a fruit fly outbreak so maybe that's the cause of the maggots. Apparently you need to tell the local council if that's the case .

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