Record Heat Endangering My Fall Tomatoes, You?

[b54red]

I do staggered plantings all season long starting in March and usually finishing in early September. Any time after mid July and it can be hit or miss as to whether they will produce ripe fruits before the first couple of light freezes.

[Keiththibodeaux]

Originally Posted by b54red

I do staggered plantings all season long starting in March and usually finishing in early September. Any time after mid July and it can be hit or miss as to whether they will produce ripe fruits before the first couple of light freezes.

In what part of Alabama do you reside?

Most years, I can do successive planting of everything including tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash right through the summer heat. Most years, the average high temperatures are in the mid nineties. This year from mid July until today, we have only had two days below 100 degrees with multiple days at 110 degrees. We have sixty three days over 100 degrees this year. Nothing would grow after germinating. The seedlings just popped out of the ground, looked around for a few minutes; and died from the heat. Starting next week, our average temps should be in the high eighties with nightime lows in the sixties. Things should grow great in those temps. I just hope the first frost doesn't arrive until late November. I'm just sitting back waiting for the first cool front of fall to arrive.

Ted

[huntsman]

Good info, thank you!

b54red - what gaps between plantings? A month or so?
Do you start the seeds indoors once Spring has sprung?
If not, at what temps are you starting outside?
In seed trays or direct?

Pardon the barrage......I sound like an interrogator....sorry!

[b54red]

Keith, I live in the southeast corner of the state.

Huntsman, I usually have around a 3 to 5 week gap between major plantings; but I will set them out whenever I have a plant that has died or is doing poorly. Sometimes I have larger gaps if I don't have available seedlings. I start all my tomato seed in a small greenhouse which is partially shaded in the summer months once the trees get leafed out. I move the seedlings outside as quickly as possible to a fairly shady location and to nearly full sun as soon as I can. As soon as they are large enough I pot up into coffee cups and put them in the greenhouse again for a few days to make sure they recover before moving them back outside again. Usually the seedlings grow at different rates and much slower in the heat so they are available for use for a couple of months before they get too big if you can keep them watered. Every few weeks I give them a mild dose of Miracle Grow and keep them sprayed because they are susceptible to many of the same things that hit the plants in the garden. They are also susceptible to spider mites in the heat of summer so they have to be treated for that also.

[huntsman]

Thanks, b54red -

That sounds great and I will follow your lead this year.

I have access to a Farmer's Market here, so no good seed goes unsold!

Addendum: I despise spider mites! What do you do to clear them? All I have done is spray the leaves, but a local lab has apparently developed a biological defence...might try that this season.....

[b54red]

If it works on the spider mites please let me know. They are one of the hardest pests to control. I tried a growth regulator a week ago and am waiting to see if it is effective on them. So far they don't seem as bad as they were but I also used some soapy water and pyrethrem which may be why they are thinned out. They usually make a quick comeback from any pesticide that is mild enough to use on food crops. I'm hoping the growth regulator will reduce their population growth.

It hit 104 today after 103 yesterday and still no rain in sight. Looks like the plants will need another watering again today. It is very hard to keep plants hydrated in this weather especially with the wind we are having which only intensifies the drying.

[Keiththibodeaux]

T-minus 3 days till rains and cool front. Highs will be down in the mid 80s with low 70s at night. Many of my tomatoes are small, but flowering. Maybe we'll get a growth spurt and some fruit set. Yoohoo.

[b54red]

They are predicting some cooling after today which is supposed to be near 100 and forecasting lower 90s and upper 80s for the rest of the week and into next week. It will seem like fall if it happens.

[antichevarieta]

Originally Posted by Keiththibodeaux

It is HOT out there. Mercury says 102 and I am guessing we broke another all time record, like we did yesterday. Many of my fall plantings, including some tomatoes are failing. Replanting tomatoes this late is a real dice shoot.

Anyone else facing fall crop failure?

i have about 1000 plants here in parma, italy and we just had a two week heatwave.
these made it through...
green zebra, dagma perfection, black krim, flamme, eva purple ball, aunt ginny
good luck ( in boca al lupo)

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Keiththibodeaux

It is HOT out there. Mercury says 102 and I am guessing we broke another all time record, like we did yesterday. Many of my fall plantings, including some tomatoes are failing. Replanting tomatoes this late is a real dice shoot.

Anyone else facing fall crop failure?

111 out there today. We've had the hottest August on record and no end in sight. The worst of it is the nighttime lows have been record high-lows, running in the low nineties and high eighties. We've hit 110 to 114 everyday for the past ten days and the ten day forecast looks the same.
My tomatoes were looking ok, except the ones I lost to Southern Blight. They're starting to look a little ragged. If they can just stay alive until this heat breaks, I think I may get some fall fruit.
I've lost some other garden plants in the past two weeks that had survived the whole summer, even hardy herbs like bee balm, oregano, thyme, and Mexican marigold ( tarragon).

[Keiththibodeaux]

Tropical storm has turned the tide. No rain yet, to speak of, but temp in the mid 80s sure were welcome.

[mysidx]

I've hardened my plants for weeks and have been trying to keep them alive. They are wilting, and being attacked by leaf miners. I haven't had new growth in several weeks - not a good sign.