When To Sow: January-March (indoor cultivation); March-April (outdoor cultivation) Harvest: July-September
Germination: 7-14 days Full Sun
For best yields, tomatoes are best grown in the greenhouse, as it’s prone to splitting in wetter weather. Since tomatoes need a long growing season, start seeds indoors as early as January or February for greenhouse crops, or March and April for outdoor crops.
Starting Indoors: Start by sowing seeds in trays of good compost 2cm apart, in modules with 2 seeds per cell, or in peat pots. Cover with glass or plastic to make sure soil after gently watering to ensure soil stays evenly moist. Keep soil temperature to about 18C. Germination takes about 7-14 days with heat and up to two weeks without.
Remove the glass/plastic cover once seedlings appear. Transplant into small pots as soon as 2-4 true leaves have formed. Thin module seedlings to one per cell. When the first truss of flowers appear, transplant to a permanent growing site. If planting outdoors, make sure to harden plants off gradually before transplanting.
When growing tomatoes outdoors, wait until all risk of frost has passed before transplanting. Also, make sure to harden the plants off, gradually acclimatizing them to outdoor conditions over a period of 7-10 days before planting out. Plants should be set 24-36″ apart in rows 3-4′ apart in full sun. The Golden Sunrise is a cordon (vine) tomato and needs some sort of staking or other support.
Direct Seeding: Although not ideal in our shorter, cooler growing seasons, it is possible to get a crop of tomatoes direct-seeded. Simply sow seeds in rich soil in late June. Once seedlings arise, thin to 24-36″ apart with 3-4′ between rows
Maintenance
Stake the plants by tying the stem loosely to a cane or other support. Golden Sunrise does best when there’s good airflow around the foliage. To prune, remove the side shoots above the leaf joint when they reach 2cm in length. Take out the growing point when the plants reach the greenhouse eaves or the top of the cane outdoors.
Water regularly, but be careful not to overdo it with this variety. A good amount of regular watering will make a juicier fruit, but overwatering is sure to make them crack.
Companion Planting
Tomatoes enjoy the company of basil, the onion family, nasturtiums, marigolds, asparagus, carrots, parsley, cucumber, and mint. Avoid potato and fennel.