Fall tomatoes

[Lilypon]

1a3cache1.JPG

Showing heat and humidity combined
46 degree Celsius = 114.8 degree Fahrenheit (Saskatchewan/Manitoba, July 2005)

This is what my Saskatchewan location was under in July of 2005 (the dark red had just moved into Manitoba,just above North Dakota, when the picture was screen captured). Now, from reading the below, I'm thinking that we are pretty lucky we don't get the nasty viruses and bugs that y'all do (our winters usually take care of those). The heat/humidity, when it comes up here with a vengeance, certainly slows down my plants pollination but boy they really jump (especially last year when we had temps, heat and humidity combined that put us well over 100F both during the day and night (the whole month of July, 2007, was a killer for man and beast here and the blob, if it had been screen captured, was a whole lot bigger). Now I'm very thankful for the June days that manage to stay in the normal range and allow pollination to occur (cause lately it seems Saskatchewan and Manitoba have moved down beside Texas).

Praying here that my tomato plants will get cooler temps this summer....BTW that red blob that was over us in 2005 was only matched, in North America, by temperatures recorded in Savannah Georgia.

[TomatoDon]

I think I may just add a 12X24 full sun room, including a clear roof, to have sun just like outside all the time, but the convenience of climate control so I can just grow them all year. To heck with the heat, frost, hail, wind, and bugs!

Don

[feldon30]

When I mentioned above re: unproductive plants in mid-May, June, July, I was referring to the fact that the plants will not set any more fruit because evening temps are not dipping into the preferred 60's and humidity is also very high, causing pollen clumping. So yes, we have tomatoes ripening into June and July, but what's on the plant is all you get. And by late July, fruit quality starts to suffer with what is called "weather checking" which is striation marks on the shoulders and a poorer texture and flavor.

[Leroy]

In Oklahoma They start fall tomatoes in July.
A few people have told me that I would have to put the seeds in the ground. Because the plants would die from transplant shock.

If they were hardened off would they make it?

I want to start some long keepers about then and if I have something I don’t like I may replace it with something different.

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by Leroy

In Oklahoma They start fall tomatoes in July.
A few people have told me that I would have to put the seeds in the ground. Because the plants would die from transplant shock.

If they were hardened off would they make it?

Nonsense. I start seeds June 1st and once they are at the third true leaf stage, they start spending all day in full shade. Hardening off in July IS a lot harder than hardening off in February, but it follows the same basic principles. Here's an example of a daily schedule:

#1 Full Shade
#2 10 minutes of morning sun.
#3 15 minutes of morning sun. 10 minutes of afternoon sun.
#4 45 minutes of morning sun. 30 minutes of afternoon sun.
#5 1 1/2 hour of morning sun. 1 hour of afternoon sun.
#6 3 hours of morning sun. 2 hours of afternoon sun.
#7 4 hours of morning sun. 3 hours of afternoon sun.
Then plant out.

The hottest part of the day (11-2pm) is what damages transplants the quickest. Also high winds.

In updating the SETTFest website, we came up with a bunch of ideas of 'unattended hardening off'. This includes putting the plants under a laundry basket with holes in the sides and a solid bottom. Or laying boards across bricks or paving stones and putting the plants under that. You can also buy 50% shade cloth. Another possibility if you use Surround (kaolin clay) in your garden, you can mix up a batch of that and hit the plants with it. Surround reduces the sunlight for 3-4 days (as long as it doesn't rain and wash the Surround off).

We realize that most folks cannot do the type of babying described above, but putting the plants in dappled shade (being aware of the movement of the sun throughout the day) will go a long way.

If you do see some smooth tan spots on the leaves, then you have experienced some hardening off failure and need to move the plants back into the shade for a day or two. Tomato plants bounce back just fine from a little sunburn.

[Leroy]

Thanks Feldon.

That sounds easy enough. I could stick them ander a shade tree. Then move them a few feet east every day untill they are in full sun.

[creister]

Leroy,

It is possible to harden them off. I also have to plant in mid-July for the fall crop. I have found that fresh plants do better than the old. Some people will prune their spring plants back to around 2 ft. tall in July, and let them grow until frost.

[violet0996]

I live right on the edge of hill country in central Texas and have tried several times to get my spring plants to produce again in the fall.

Last year was a cool summer comparitively speaking since the 100+ degree weather started several weeks later than usual and I was able to nurse my plants through summer. I was very hopeful due to the lower than normal temps but alas, the spring plants just don't produce well in the fall. Even after pruning them back, feeding them, and watching them regrow I got only a few tomatoes that set. This is what I had experienced in previous years when trying to regrow my spring plants. I have concluded that they aren't worth the time and water when I can get much better results from new starts.

I stay away from late season tomatoes for fall since we don't get temps low enough for fruit set until the end of september and the first frost usually occurs around thanksgiving. You may have a bigger window for maturing the tomatoes since you're further south and may be able to grow till christmas.

dawn

[bryanccfshr]

Thanks for the experienced tip Dawn . I think I may just plan on a fresh batch of plants. Mostly 2-6 oz med and early's for the fall season.

[duajones]

That is exactly why I started this thread. While I got a few tomatoes from some of the ones I grew last fall, I just think smaller fruited earlier types will fit my situation better. I believe Suze has mentioned something similiar. Black Cherry is a given this fall, the others are still undecided and I still need to get seeds for whatever I decide to grow.

[bryanccfshr]

You got me shopping for seeds again..

[Suze]

Agreed with some earlier comments in the thread -- mid-late to late season ones can at times be iffy for a fall crop. Doesn't hurt to try them in addition to the cherry/smaller fruited/early types, just don't put any emotional investment in it.

Sungold and Sweet Quartz both have the potential to set in the late summer/early fall heat and produce until frost if you take care of the plants, just to name a couple.

Other stars in my fall garden last year were Marizol Korney and SunPlum PL (both from Mark Korney). SunPlum PL is a lg cherry type (a little smaller than Jaune Flammee sized). Marizol Korney is about tennis ball sized or a bit larger, but it set fruit fairly well, and the flavor held up extremely well for me when I had several (close to freezing) cold nights.

It goes from hot to cold awfully fast, one day your plants are baking and not settting fruit, then a week or two later they aren't getting enough sun during the day or warmth at night -- because the UV index and angle of the sun has drastically changed.

While we can grow a fall crop here, I still feel that the spring crop is really the main one for mid/late season types. If you ever fancied having a growout of several cherry types, just for fun, fall would be a great time to do it.

As for cutting back plants, I have found cherry types seem to respond best to this sort of treatment. There used to be a blurb about this on the TAMU site, but it is no longer there.

Med/larger fruited types seem to do better if you just start fresh with new seedlings, in my experience. Hardening off can be a bit more complicated than it is in spring, but I have found Surround to be a real big help with that. Surround is a finely milled kaolin clay powder that is mixed with water and sprayed on the plants. Provides a sunscreen, and also helps to keep some bugs off of the plants.

Gardens Alive sells it -- do not pay full price for it as it is a bit pricey. Do a google search for a Gardens Alive coupon, or use one they have sent you if you're on their mailing list and get the catalog.

[violet0996]

Yes, cherries are great for fall.

It's also a good time to try anything that claims to tolerate heat. If I remember correctly from my garden, Super Sioux is the only one I've tried that sets above 95F which usually puts it at least one flowering cycle ahead of the others in the fall.

[Deer Park]

Duane,

I recommend you give Improved Summertime for your fall garden. It was developed by Texas A&M specifically for the valley. I can send you some seed to try if you like.

Michael

[duajones]

Michael,

I couldnt find any info on Improved Summertime, could you tell me more about it?

Duane