Discussion forum for the various methods and structures used for getting an early start on your growing season, extending it for several weeks or even year 'round.
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December 5, 2007 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: 5a - NE Iowa
Posts: 416
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Fall tomato recommendation
I want to try to grow a few tomatoes in my 6 by 8 greenhouse in the fall.
The fall is when most of my other tomatoes have slowed production because temps have dropped and they have been producing for two months and are tired. My temps are as follows: [code] Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Avg. High 81° 74° 61° 45° 28° Avg. Low 58° 50° 38° 26° 11° Mean 70° 62° 50° 36° 20° [/code]I am hoping to extend my season another month or so, through end of October. I am looking for OP, and smaller plants that produce well in a GH. Any ideas? thanks, Dean |
December 6, 2007 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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Aurora stays fairly small (at least mine did, in
kind of a low-light row last year). Yet they are indeterminate, and they just keep right on truckin'. I rooted a cutting to cross something later with, and 6 weeks later it had several flowers. I moved the rooted cuttings around to get the light they are under up higher, and a few days later the Aurora plant had a few pea sized fruit forming. I cut them off, because they were self-pollinated, and that wasn't the point of growing those plants in winter, but it just goes to show you, that plant wants to fruit, and with the slightest encouragement it will keep producing tomatoes until you finally pull it.
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December 17, 2007 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MO z6a near St. Louis
Posts: 1,349
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When are you planning to start your fall plants? I wouldn't think you could wait too late--slowed production for fall tomatoes is both temperature and sunlight. The intensity of the sun is reduced both in total hours and angle, so stuff just grows slower even if the temperature is reasonable.
In Iowa you would want to go with short season, cold season tomatoes such as Kimberly, Stupice, Gregori's Altai, Bloody Buthcer, many Russian or Siberian types (see Tania's and Andrey's posts), or a dwarf. I would start these in pots in mid summer and drag them into the greenhouse when the temps started dropping. That way they would have put on most of their growth and set fruits in the warmer, sunnier part of the season and you could let them finish off in the greenhouse.
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--Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be. |
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