Tomato

Botanical name: Lycopersicon esculentum
Tomatoes are a warm season, frost tender annual. Seeds require a warm soil of between 18 – 28°C to germinate. Sowing at too low a temperature will cause delayed or failed germination.

In the hot, humid areas larger tomatoes such as Beefsteak, Oxheart and Grosse Lisse are unlikely to do well. On extremely hot days tomatoes can literally ‘cook’ on the vine and turn to mush. Tomatoes also can suffer sunburn; a white shadecloth cover can help reduce heat stress on the plants. The hardiest tomatoes for hot and humid conditions are cherry and roma types. For a round tomato Tropic is a good choice as it is disease resistant.