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Tomaat

How to sow and grow yellomato

Our yellow bush tomato produces tons of tomatoes: fresh, sweet, and very juicy.

The plants don't get very big - only 30-45 cm tall - so yellomatoes are perfect for growing in a garden box or grow bag.
Gele struiktomaat Makkelijke Moestuin
Yellomato

What is a yellomato?

Most tomato plants grow big and tall and need to be tied to a trellis or rack so they don't fall over.

This yellow bush tomato stays small and compact. It has a shorter stem, so it grows great without a trellis. It may need a little support when the plant is full of tomatoes, but a stick of bamboo will do the trick.

The yellomato plant produces beautiful, yellow cherry tomatoes with a sweet juicy taste.

Tomato and your health

Tomatoes contain vitamin C, A, B1, B2, B6, and B11 (folic acid), as well as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

They're also packed with lycopene. That's what gives them their beautiful color. It also helps reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Studies show that your body absorbs lycopene better if the tomatoes are cooked first. But when you cook them, they lose a lot of their vitamin C.

So, enjoy your yellomatoes both raw and cooked to get all the benefits.
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More about our yellomato

This yellomato produces sweet yellow cherry tomatoes - and lots of them. The plant stays small and compact.

Tomatoes are true summer vegetables that need lots of warm weather. So pick a sunny spot for your plant, either in the middle of your garden box or in an MM-Mini.

  • Species name: cherry tomato Gourmandise Yellow
  • Family: nightshade
  • Plants per square patch: 1
  • Height: 30 - 45 cm
  • Sowing time: mid-March until end of April. Plant outside mid-May.
  • Position: 2nd and 3rd row of your garden box. Also ideal for the MM-Mini grow bag.
  • Time to harvest: After 16 weeks
    Germination: 20°C in 6 - 10 days
  • Sunlight: Needs a sunny spot protected from the wind

Want to buy yellomato seeds? We sell seed bags separately or as part of a seed pack:

What do you need to grow your own yellomato?

All you need is:
  • a 30x30 cm patch with airy, nutritious soil mix
  • yellomato seeds
  • a place with at least 8 hours of sunlight a day

In other words: an MM-Mini, or a square patch in one of our garden boxes, filled with MM-Mix.

Growing your own tomatoes is super easy with the MM-Mix. If you grow in low-quality (potting) soil, disappointment is pretty much guaranteed. So, don't skimp on soil mix: go for the best.
Gele struiktomaat in Mini Makkelijke Moestuin of Planty
Yellomato in an MM-Mini grow bag

How do you sow and grow yellomato?

Our yellomato is included in the free Planty Gardening app. Use it, and you'll get step-by-step guidance from seed to harvest.

Each plant goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next.

So you don't need to know how to grow yellomatoes before you start: the app takes you through every step.

But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the process looks like:
Klein plantje van Makkelijke Moestuin struiktomaat
Klein struiktomaat plantje

Level 1: Pre-sowing your yellomato seeds

Tomatoes are real summer vegetables and take a long time to grow from a seed into a plant with ripe tomatoes. Too long for our climate here in the Netherlands. The seeds only germinate around 21°C.

So, you pre-sow them indoors at the end of March. Once you have a strong, young plant around the end of May, you can move it outside to your garden box.

Pre-sow 2 tomato plants so you'll have a backup, just in case.

This is how you pre-sow:
  • fill 2 air pots with equal parts vermiculite and MM-Mix*
  • put 1 seed in each pot in the mix: 1 cm deep
  • put the pots in a warm place in the living room
  • keep the mix moist for the next few days

*This half-half mixture is ideal because seedlings don't need as many nutrients when they're young. Too many nutrients can make them grow too fast: the plants become limp instead of sturdy. Also, vermiculite helps retain moisture.

Level 2 and 3: Yellomato seedlings

As soon as you see the seedlings come up, you know it's going well. They won't both come up at the same time, but after a week you should see 1 seedling in each pot.

Then put the pots in an area that gets a lot of light but somewhere that won't get too warm.

Keep the mix moist and give the pots a quarter turn every day. This will prevent the seedlings from growing crooked.

After another 10 days or so it's time for the next level.
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Yellomato seedling

Level 4 and 5: Taking care of your plants on the windowsill

Keeping plants in good shape on the windowsill can be tricky.

Make sure they get plenty of light but don't get too warm: full sun, but not warmer than 20°C.

And keep giving them a quarter turn every day so they don't grow crooked. Keep the soil mix moist.

After another 10 days or so transfer the plants to a larger pot with MM-Mix only. This will help the plants create extra roots and they'll grow even better.
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Yellomato plant on the windowsill

Level 6-10: Getting used to the outdoors

This level starts around the second half of May. Then it's time to let your plants get used to being outside. A little longer every day.

At level 10, your plants will stay outside all day. You only bring them inside at night.

Level 11: Plant the most beautiful tomato plant

Once they've gotten used to the outdoors, choose the best-looking tomato plant and move it into your garden box or MM-Mini.

Make a hole and sprinkle some extra nutrients in it. Then put your tomato plant in the hole. That's it.

Of course, water your yellomato regularly. Always water the base of the plant, never the leaves.
Begin juni Makkelijke Moestuin: struiktomaat buiten uitgeplant
Early June: transplant your yellomato to its permanent home

Level 12 to 14: Caring for your tomato plant

These levels include tending to your tomato plant and discovering the first flowers.

Every 4-5 weeks, add some extra nutrients to the soil mix. In July, the first tomatoes will start to ripen. As soon as fruits appear, check if your plant needs some extra support. A bamboo stick propped up against the main stem should do the trick. 

Water regularly, remove weeds and ugly leaves, and watch your tomatoes start to grow.
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Level 15: Harvest the first tomatoes

After about 16 weeks, the first tomatoes are ready. They stay white-green for a long time and then slowly turn bright yellow. Then you can pick them.

In warm sunny weather, it happens fast. They ripen more slowly in cooler temperatures.

These tomatoes are best when they're bright yellow but still firm. If you leave them hanging too long they become soft and mealy.

Ripe tomatoes can be picked by hand: the stems break easily. Or use scissors and cut them off.
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What do you use bush tomatoes for?

You can eat yellomatoes just like red tomatoes: enjoy them raw or cooked.

They're delicious on their own or added to salads, sauces, soups, and stir fries.
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The last levels

Around the end of August, the days get shorter and the tomatoes take longer to ripen.

To encourage them, cut away any leaves hanging in front of the tomatoes so that the sun can reach them. Cut off new flower clusters: if they turn into tomatoes, they'll just stay green and won't ripen. Remove them so all the plant's energy can focus on the tomatoes that are already there.

You can keep harvesting until it gets colder. Tomato plants can't handle cold weather so then it's time to remove them from your garden box or MM-Mini.
Overschot aan tomatenblad wegknippen in de Makkelijke Moestuin
Cut away leaves so your tomatoes ripen faster

So: what's stopping you from sowing and growing your own bush tomato?

They're super tasty tomatoes and easy to grow. The bushy plants look beautiful in your Planty Garden too.

Plus: with our app and materials, it's practically impossible to fail 😉

Buy your yellomato seeds here or get started with a complete starter kit:
Enjoy!
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