¿Fall Crop of Tomatoes?

[Mjdtexan]

I am wanting to plant a fall crop of tomatoes. I want to start from seed. I've been advised once that late July early August is a good time for my area. Seeing as this seems to be the "Tomato Site", I figured that I would make sure here.

I am wanting to plant some other colors besides the red ones too. Some blacks, whites, and some of those yellow cherry looking ones.

Any suggestions to a newbie?

Mjd

[creister]

Mjd,

I've had the best luck with cherries in the fall. They are not as sensitive to the heat. Some good cherries that will cover your color wants

Black Cherry - excellent
Sungold - excellent
Snow White - haven't grown, but hear it is good

I'm sure others here will have some other suggestions. Stay away from late maturing varieties for the fall. Mainly because the amount and intensity of sunlight decreases, which tends to affect taste and time to maturity.

[aninocentangel]

I believe that the late July or early August is the date for planting the seedlings out in the garden, check with your county extension office to be sure. You should start the seeds about 6 weeks before the transplant date. I garden in zone 8A and July 25th is my plant out target date, I've already started a few toms and am starting the rest this weekend.
You might look at some of the colored salad or paste type tomatoes, I have had better luck getting the smaller tomatoes to produce in the fall than the big beefsteaks, and I also have better luck with hybrids over heirlooms in the fall. I think it's because the fungus, wilts etc have had the chance to build up all summer and they just tear up the heirlooms I have planted.
I have tried and liked:

-Hillbilly (yellow/red bicolor slicer, better for spring but will toss out a few toms in the fall if started early)
-Japanese Black Trifele (pear shaped black, did well for me last fall under very adverse conditions, ie a newspaper pot set in my bird bath LOL time got away from me last year but it grew two good sized toms)
-Cherokee Chocolate (brick colored slicer, does okay for fall here)
-Sungold (orange cherry)
-Roman Candle (yellow paste)
-Striped Roman (paste, red with a gold striped skin)
I don't have any experience with whites yet, sorry, but I'm trying cream sausage (pale yellow/white paste type) this year.

I'm interested in seeing what everyone else has to say

[Suze]

Hi there - I posted a response to you on the SSE forum but will also put it here as well.

You'll plant your transplants late July - early Aug. I've gone as late as mid Aug before, and early as mid July, but first week of Aug seems to work well. Sometimes it is hard to decide - if you set them out too early, they are just sitting out there getting stressed by the heat and can't set fruit anyway. Too late, and the season can get cut short or the fruit takes forever to ripen in the shorter Oct and Nov days (and cool nights).

Start seed now. If also taking cuttings to root (from healthy plants) start doing that here in a couple weeks or so.

I started seed today (inside under lights), and am aiming for a plant out date of Aug 1 or thereabouts. I usually like large, well grown transplants with a good root structure for our area, and especially in the fall. That way you can strip off many of the bottom leaves and sink the transplants very deep. That will help to keep the root ball cooler and moister, which will make it easier for the transplants to lock in when planting out in hot weather. Plus, more roots will form all along that buried stem. And be sure to mulch - helps keep the roots cool and moisture levels even.

Planting calendar for Harris County

[Suze]

I prefer to stick with cherry types, smaller fruited/saladette, early to mid season, and/or varieties I know have a good chance of setting something in Sept and early Oct, when it is frequently still pretty hot.

Some varieties I like to grow for fall crop might include:
Sun Gold, Black Cherry (or any cherry type you like the taste of) Edit, since you mentioned white, I like Snow White
Break O'Day, Moskvich, Sioux, Mountain Princess - med reds - either early to mid, or at least set okay in some heat
Jaune Flamme, Bloody Butcher, Black and Brown Boar - saladette size, productive

Momotaro did very well for me (and feldon) last fall. Great taste even when the nights start to get cold, keeps very well on the counter too. Bradley or Arkansas Traveler might also be good choices for med pinks. Edit - I just remembered that I grew Traveler for fall crop several years ago, and it did just fine.

Jet Star might be a good choice for a med red to try because it can usually set in some heat, if it's not too bad. Flavor is very good. I'll be trying Jetsonic this fall, which is similar.

[Mjdtexan]

Thank You all. I guess I need to order seeds today. I also need help understanding how one takes cuttings. Anybody?

Mjd

[Wi-sunflower]

I don't actually "take cuttings" but often a big plant will have a nice branch break off. What I've done the last 2 years is simply stick the branch in a decent sized pot of potting soil and then set that pot in a container that can have water up about 2 inches on the bottom of the pot. Let it sit like that for a week to 10 days and you should see nice roots coming out of the bottom of the pot.

That's my version of "water rooting".

Carol

[Mjdtexan]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

I don't actually "take cuttings" but often a big plant will have a nice branch break off. What I've done the last 2 years is simply stick the branch in a decent sized pot of potting soil and then set that pot in a container that can have water up about 2 inches on the bottom of the pot. Let it sit like that for a week to 10 days and you should see nice roots coming out of the bottom of the pot.

That's my version of "water rooting".

Carol

Thats funny. A friend of mine down the street is growing tomatoes. He went outside and one of his branches was broke off. He picked it up, stuck it in the ground, and it is now growing right beside the plant that it fell off of. Now, keep in mind that I did not actually see this happen. I do go down there every day (to either drink his beer or share my homemade wine) and there is an extra plant in the garden. I believe him.

¿Tall tale? ¿Que?

[Wi-sunflower]

Probably true.

I know I had a cousin in Florida that had a friend with a nursery. For lots of things that are "house plants" up here, all she had to do was take a branch and stick it in the ground and it would root. All the heat and humidity there was what did it.

Up here I would have to use rooting hormones and baby the same stuff and still lose more than 1/2 the cuttings.

For doing cuttings without waiting for a branch to break off, I think finding a "sucker" that is at least a nice size with several pairs of leaves would be the way to go. Not too small but not huge.

Carol