ways to prevent in sun scald in very hot and sunny regions.

[markferon]

What methods do you use to prevent sun scald in your tomatoes. If you don't have this problem maybe you can come up with ideas to help those people who do.

[grungy]

Can think only two things. A shade cloth cap arrangement over the tops of your tomato plants, or grow varieties of tomatoes such as Guido that have a heavy leaf canopy that covers most of the tomatoes so that they aren't exposed to the high-hot sunlight.

[Raymondo]

I grow tall, bushy flowers among the tomatoes - tall marigolds and cosmos seem to work well.

[Rena]

Ditto on the extra plants.. I grow basil which is supposed to attract some bug that kills Tomato worms. Maybe it would be helpful to plant on the side of the house that does not get afternoon sun. I also think some people actually build a shade cloth to go over the plants. I have an extra shade cloth if you want it Mark. (It came from a pop up greenhouse)-Rena

[coronabarb]

Definitely cage your plants; don't let them sprawl.

I especially like grub's Bird Hat Trick method.

[markferon]

IMISSCOLO i don't get sunscald but I thought it was good idea to start a thread it since I have heard several posts in this new forum about already from other that do..

[Grub]

Hi Corona-Barb,

I had a real problem with birds last year and then the blighters came back. At the same time, some of my determinates such as Sophie's Choice were getting blasted by the afternoon sun.

So I killed two birds with one stone, or hat as it were, and now I'm finding that I can put two baseball caps together in opposing fashion, attaching them to the tomato stems with their fitted velcro tabs, and they create a nice little pocket in which to hide a truss of tomatoes from birds and Ol' Sol.

It really does work and only one tomato - one I tell you - has been pecked when a cap shifted. And I prevented sunscald on the determinates and earlies.

If you have a managable backyard plot try the hat trick Grub

[TomatoDon]

Use two layers of 60% shade cloth. This will give you 120% shade.

Sorry, an old joke a nurseryman told me once when I asked the same question.

Don

[Suze]

Don, I laughed.

(how bad is that?)

[smallfarmer]

I have a lot of sunscald and temps so high fruiting is impaired, some varieties are worse than others. Last year I quit pruning any of my tomatoes and that seemed to help. I do about an acre of toms so shade cloth is out. I have heard of people using Surround, a bentonite clay which is sprayed on the fruit and wiped off at harvest. It's too much work for me and leaves a tiny bit of residue which makes my customers uncomfortable but is a good option for a gardener. I would love to hear from others varieties that take the dry heat and taste great.

[TomatoDon]

I was once in the nursery business (trees/shrubs) and had four greenhouses, 24 X 100 with 4 foot high sides before the arch started. I wish I had one now, maybe not that big, but just for tomatoes. But it's just not cost effective. But if I did, even a small one, I could start about a month earlier, take the cover off in mid-late April, and then when the weather got hot, could add shadeclothe and fans and manage the sun and temps much better. I'm always tempted to try it, and I know you can make a pretty good greenhouse with PVC and such.

But does anyone really know why greenhouse tomatoes in the cold months really don't have the reputation for good taste? It is just something about Mother Nature, I guess. A tomato just does what it's supposed to do, in the weather it's supposed to do it in.

I've had friends who started tomatoes early, and claimed there wasn't much difference in those and the ones planted when the weather was right. In less than 30 days they were all the same size. I've noticed that, too. I have a cotton farmer friends who plants a little later than most. I asked why and he said, "I want it jumping out of the ground growing. You only get that when the weather is warm enough.

I really haven't added much here, only a theory of how I would like to try a small greenhouse for tomatoes, and how that might apply to heat and sunscald. It might be fun to just make one on paper and see what it would cost. And if it would be worth it. A greenhouse can be a very fun thing. Do any of you have a greenhouse for these very reasons?

Don

[mdvpc]

Don-I have a hobby greenhouse that I use during the fall and winter. I can tell you that tomatoes dont taste the same in the winter, but they are still very good. I have grown the same variety in the greenhouse in the winter and in the spring/summer outside, and the spring/summer fruit tastes better. I have done this with Kimberly and Russian Red and Mountain Princess. I dont know why that is, but my suspicion is that the night temps are lower during the winter. My greenhouse in the winter will sometimes get down to 50 degrees, while my summer toms never get anywhere close to that. The winter toms get plenty of sunlight, about 9 hours a day or so.

[TomatoDon]

Thanks Michael,

I've always heard that greenhouse tomatoes in the cool months just don't have the taste. I really can't figure it out, other than they do what they do best when Mother Nature cues them. Night temps might be it, as you said. But you know how it is. I have a Cabin, and when I turn on the central heat it just doesn't feel the same as when I crank up the wood burning heater. The temps can be the same, but there is just a difference, and the firewood's heat always feels better. I've also heard the old timers say that in the old days food cooked on a wood stove tasted better than now in a modern stove. Many, including me, still think certain things cooked in a seasoned cast iron skillet taste better than the same things cooked in non-stick or aluminum. Lots of things that many people notice distinctly, but that science has not proven or explained yet.

I've also wondered, in a climate like Mexico or South America where it's warm all the time, does a tomato just keep growing and living? Under ideal conditions just how long can a tomato live?

And have you seen the book, written by a man in Alabama, who has pictures of his tomatoes, grown in kudzu compost, that grow twenty and thirty feet tall, producing hundreds of pounds of tomatoes each, and he has to use scaffolds to reach the top to keep them growing taller? I forgot how many world records he has set. Some people just seem to have a natural talent for things and get outstanding results when others can't. Just like in fishing. The one not catching fish always thinks they are doing the exact same thing, the exact same way, in the exact place, but are not catching fish when their buddy is. But when you really know the game and analyze it, you can always find the difference. I'm not that far along with tomatoes yet.

Oh, well...enough rambling.

Don