Growing Tomatoes In Brisbane
I keep growing tomatoes in Brisbane because they are waaaaay more delicious homegrown
I recently wrote an article called When To Grow Tomatoes In Brisbane because as soon as I nailed the best time to grow tomatoes (from March and across autumn) the quality of the tomatoes that I grew went up so much. And so did the ease!
When I was growing tomatoes in a Brisbane spring or summer, the plants always looked very unhappy and that’s because the weather is just too challenging for them here. Boiling hot Brisbane temperatures meant they needed to be watered twice daily and were always on the brink of dying from heatstroke.
I haven’t bought a tomato from a supermarket in over a decade. And the key reason for that is the many of the tomatoes available are GMO/genetically modified and absolutely tasteless. Homegrown may take more effort, but they taste way more delicious. I’ve included 4 useful tips about successfully growing tomatoes in Brisbane below.
I started growing tomatoes in Brisbane a couple of years ago and this is some of my very large haul (above)!
Growing Tomatoes In Brisbane | 4 Tips
Plant in autumn: Tomatoes are synonymous with summer the world over, but not in Brisbane. I plant my tomatoes seeds in autumn and have the very best results from that.
Provide support: Many tomato varieties can grow super tall (see my 2 metre high ones below) so they need support with either a garden stake or cage or similar.
Stick to heirloom varieties: I avoid GMO tomatoes like the plague and only buy heirloom tomato seeds including classic cherry tomato varieties and the larger heirlooms like Beefsteak tomatoes or Italian favourites like San Marzano.
Don’t refrigerate: I harvested a lot of my tomatoes when they are partially ripe and then leave them in a bowl on my counter to ripen. If you refrigerate them it stops the ripening process and is apparently a big no-no with tomatoes!
I did not expect to need a step ladder to reach the height of my backyard tomatoes!
Looking for more information? Check out my free What Veggies To Plant Now (2024 Edition) or my take on When To Grow Carrots In Brisbane.