How to grow Tomato (Sungold)

Solanum lycopersicum

🥕 Vegetable 🌱 Grown each year

The sweetest cherry tomato: long trusses of golden-orange fruit from July. A cordon type for a greenhouse or sunny wall.

At a glance: Sow mid February to mid March, harvest from early July.

When to sow, plant and harvest

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Sow indoors

Plant

Flowers

Harvest

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Tomato (Sungold): what it needs

Light: Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering: Water regularly in dry weather
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil
Spacing: 45 cm
In pots: Grows well in containers
Feeding: A general feed before sowing or planting
Harvest: About 110 days from sowing
Hardiness: USDA zones 3–11
Difficulty: Easy

Step by step

Mid February – mid March · 8 weeks before the last spring frost
Sow Seeds Indoors
Sow in modules or small pots of seed compost under cover. Sow 0.5 cm deep and keep at 20°C.
6–12 days after “Sow Seeds Indoors” · Late February – early March
Check Germination
Seedlings should appear in 6–12 days. If sown outdoors, thin to 45 cm apart when big enough to handle.
14–21 days after “Check Germination” · Early March – mid March
Pot On Seedlings
Move seedlings into 9 cm pots (or keep in modules) when they have their first true leaves.
Mid April · 3 days before the last spring frost
Harden Off
Stand plants outside by day for 7–10 days before planting out.
Late April – late May · 7 days after the last spring frost
Plant Out
Plant out 45 cm apart and water in well.
7–21 days after “Plant Out” · Late April – mid May
Add Support
Tie the main stem to a cane or string as it grows.
7–14 days after “Add Support” · Early May – mid May
Remove Side Shoots
Pinch out the shoots that grow between the main stem and leaf branches every week.
30–45 days after “Remove Side Shoots” · Early June – mid June
Start Feeding
Feed every 7–10 days with tomato feed once the first flowers appear.
70–91 days after “Plant Out” · Early July – late July
Start Harvesting
Pick trusses as fruits turn deep golden-orange.
75–105 days after “Start Harvesting” · Mid September – mid October
Finish and Clear
Pick any green fruit to ripen indoors before the first frost, then clear plants.