second tomatoes

[delaware]

My average first frost date is mid October. I was thinking of doing a second planting of seedlings for new to me tomato varieties and planting them in mid-July.

Have any of you done it near my zone of 7A and how did the seedlings fare in the heat. I could always provide them with a beach umbrella. Sun screen. Iced Tea.

[rnewste]

delaware,

I don't think in your Zone that you will get two tomato crop cycles from the same container. You can certainly "delay start" a second round of tomatoes later in the Summer in different containers - but I don't think that was your question.

I would recommend that you try as a second Season crop something like Snow Peas, which tolerate cool weather into the Fall far better than tomatoes.

Raybo

[John3]

Originally Posted by delaware

My average first frost date is mid October. I was thinking of doing a second planting of seedlings for new to me tomato varieties and planting them in mid-July.

Have any of you done it near my zone of 7A and how did the seedlings fare in the heat. I could always provide them with a beach umbrella. Sun screen. Iced Tea.

My zone here is 7b to 8 but more to the 8 and we do two plantings of tomatoes. July Fourth seems to be the regular start date and we plant (mostly) inground and do not plant Indeterminate (could but most want the tomatoes to can or freeze) but plant Determinate varieties.
Around here that would be rutgers, homestead,Celebrity, Marglobe and others these usually have a shorter growing season to fruit set.

But you are in zone 7A that should a tad bit cooler than we get here. Frost date seems ok as most of the tomatoes are picked in Sept. We plant the Indeterminate early season here and let grow until frost - they don't produce the flowers during the heat but seem to spring back with flowers when it cools down.

So growing in containers it only makes sense to do a second planting if you are doing determinate types. One early then plant out second around mid July

[OneDahlia]

I'm from Delaware but left before getting into tomatoes. Still, I think that in Delaware, and even here in northern VA, the fall is too cool to be good tomato growing weather. The Brandywines I had last year that tried to ripen in the cool fall weather tasted like bad supermarket tomatoes. Could you squeeze in a few pots and plant your additional seeds now?

That said, I might be willing to be a summer seedling in your garden for the umbrella, sunscreen and iced tea.

[rockhound]

Here in middle TN which is now z7 I usually root some cutting in early July for a late crop. Of course they'd be the same variety as the earlier plants, but don't take long to bloom, not as long as those grown from seed.

[delaware]

Thanks so much for your wonderfully helpful comments.

The four varieties I want to use for the second planting in early July are Black Truffle Hybrid Ind. 75 days; Jaune Flamme Ind. 70-80 days; Black Krim Ind. 80 days; Bush Big Boy Det. 71 days.

I would also be doing cuttings of my favorites of the 16 varieties that will be set out at the end of April.

John3--
Great suggestions. Somehow I just assumed Alabama would be a hotter zone ..... even a 9.

OneDahlia--
Well then it's a darn good thing I have already have sturdy little Brandywine seedlings going ouside in April. Since it will be my first year growing Brandywine, I'd hate to have a late crop tasteless batch.

You are welcome to the umbrella and tea and I just added a lovely canopied swing that is right next to my container garden.