How to Grow Purple Tomatoes: Purple Bliss Growing Guide

Purple Bliss™ is Australia's first purple-fleshed tomato. It's a large-fruited cherry tomato with vigorous growth and a strong main stem, and if you've grown tomatoes before, you already know most of what you need. Here's how to grow purple tomatoes and get the best harvest.

Purple Bliss at a glance

Type	Indeterminate (keeps growing and fruiting all season)
Fruit	Large cherry-sized, deep purple skin and flesh, borne in double trusses of 16–20 fruit
Plant height	Tall and vigorous. Can grow up to 3.5–4.5 m when pruned to a single stem
Position	Full sun, 6+ hours a day
Plant	Spring, after frost
First harvest	Around 40–50 days after planting out
Yield	As a guide, can produce around 250 g per plant per week through the season
Supplied as	Young plant in an 8 cm biodegradable jiffy pot

When to plant tomatoes in Australia

Tomatoes love warmth. Plant once the risk of frost has passed and the soil has started to warm up.

Cool and temperate areas (Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, inland NSW): mid-spring to early summer. Tradition says Melbourne Cup Day (3 November) is tomato-planting day.
Warm temperate and subtropical areas (Sydney, Brisbane, coastal NSW and Qld): spring through summer.
Tropical areas: the cooler, drier months suit tomatoes best.

Choosing a spot

Sun: full sun, at least 6 hours a day. More sun means more fruit.
Soil: rich, well-drained soil. Dig in compost or well-rotted manure before planting.
Space: allow 50–60 cm between plants so air can move around them.
Height: Purple Bliss is a tall grower, so choose a spot where a tall trellis or stake won't shade other plants.
Rotation: avoid beds where tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums or eggplants grew last season.

Growing purple tomatoes in pots

Purple Bliss can be grown in a large pot on a sunny balcony or patio. Use a pot at least 40 cm wide and deep, filled with a quality potting mix, and add a sturdy stake or cage at planting. Pruning to two or three main stems keeps potted plants shorter and bushier (see pruning below). Pots dry out quickly in summer, so check daily and water when the top few centimetres are dry.

How to plant a jiffy pot

Purple Bliss tomato plant in an 8 cm biodegradable jiffy pot

Your plant arrives in an 8 cm biodegradable jiffy pot. Don't remove it. Plant it pot and all. The roots grow straight through it, so the plant doesn't suffer transplant shock.

Water the plant well before planting.
Dig a hole deeper than the pot.
Plant deep. Roots grow from any part of the main stem that's buried, so set the plant lower than it sat in the pot. Make sure the top rim of the jiffy pot is fully covered, as an exposed rim can draw moisture out of the root ball.
Firm the soil gently and water in well.

Staking and pruning

Purple Bliss tomato plants trained up tall supports in a glasshouse

Purple Bliss is an indeterminate tomato with very vigorous growth, so it needs serious support. Put in a tall stake, cage or trellis at planting time so you don't disturb the roots later, and tie the stem loosely with soft ties as it grows.

Single stem: pruning to one main stem (removing the side shoots) gives the tallest plants, up to 3.5–4.5 m. This is how commercial growers train them in glasshouses, as in the photo above.
Multiple stems: letting two or three main stems develop gives a shorter, wider plant that's easier to manage in a backyard or pot.

Watering tomatoes

Water deeply and regularly, especially once fruit starts to form. Consistent watering is the key to healthy tomatoes. Letting the soil dry out and then soaking it can cause fruit to split. A layer of mulch, such as sugar cane or pea straw, keeps moisture in and roots cool through summer.

Feeding tomatoes

Once flowers appear, feed every 2–3 weeks with a tomato or fruit-and-flower fertiliser. Avoid fertilisers high in nitrogen, which give lots of leaves and fewer tomatoes.

Common tomato pests and problems

Purple Bliss was bred for colour, not pest resistance, so give it the same care as any tomato:

Caterpillars and aphids: check under leaves regularly and remove pests early.
Fungal diseases: water the soil, not the leaves, and give plants space for airflow.
Blossom end rot (dark, sunken patches on the base of the fruit): usually caused by uneven watering. Keep moisture steady.
Fruit splitting: also caused by irregular watering, especially heavy watering after a dry spell.
Birds and possums: net plants once fruit starts to colour.

When to pick purple tomatoes

Ripe, glossy Purple Bliss cherry tomatoes

Purple Bliss fruit forms green, then turns purple in both the skin and flesh. Be patient: the purple colour develops before the fruit is fully ripe, so colour alone isn't the signal. Pick when the fruit starts to feel slightly soft and comes away easily from the stem.

Expect your first fruit around 40–50 days after planting out. Once it starts, a healthy plant can produce around 250 g a week through the season. Results will vary with sunlight, watering and temperature. Pick regularly to keep the plant producing.

Good companion plants for tomatoes

Basil, parsley, chives and marigolds are all classic tomato companions, and they make the most of the space around your plants. Or grow a rainbow: our Tomato Trio includes Purple Bliss, Sugar Snack (red) and Orange Cherry, for a three-colour salad bowl all summer.