Best tomato conditions- where to live?

mepoozer · February 26, 2006

I live in Littleton, CO. It snows too much, its cold too much, I'm tired of scraping car windows, but I want to grow tomatoes. What area of the US gives great conditions for a long season, and relatively disease-free. Oh yeah, and no scraping ice off of frozen car windows!

Karen

Mantis · February 26, 2006

Come down to OZ. The more the merrier

Rena · February 26, 2006

Just an opinion I am going to say Zone 7. Here in 8 the heat and humidity starts cooking up and you start losing them. Just a guess. I am from Colorado and when I left I did miss it. I recently went back as my Grandma passed and BRRRRRRRRRRRR I would never live there again!!!! My little boy (3) kept yelling as we were at the plane in Denver boarding for Grand ★★★★★★★★, "I want to go to FLorida"!

He had never seen the snow or been in the cold.

But he knows that Florida is warm :wink: .

Dunkel · February 26, 2006

Zone 6 where I live is pretty good. Last season it was still rather cold at night until Memorial Day weekend, but that's rare. Normally plants can go in on May 15th unprotected and do fine. All my plants were healthy and productive up until October 22nd when we got a rare early snow fall. We got snow before a frost! LOL So we had a solid 5 months frost free and only 2 weeks during the summer were so brutal that blossoms dropped.

TomatoDon · February 26, 2006

mepoozer ,

Best tomato conditions, where to live?

I would suggest living next door to Mischka , Craig, Carolyn, Bully, Grub, JJ61, Suze, NC Tomato, jtcm05, kctomato, angelstiger, PapaVic, catntree, spufleafwillie, Patrina_Pepperina, IMissColo, and many others here.

That covers all climates, many states, several nations, and at least two continents. But no matter what, they all know how to grow tomatoes, despite the climate!

Smile....

Don

There was an auction once and an old violin came up for bid. It was ragged and worn, and all out of tune. No one bid. The auctioneer kept pleading for offers, lowering and lowering the opening bid, but still no bids came. Then an old man humbly walked from the back of the crowd, went to the auctioneer, took the violin, tuned it, and began to play the classics beautifully. Hands went up, and the bids went higher and higher, until the old violin sold for a top price.

It's just in how you know to do it, and that is the hard part I'm trying to learn. I am totally new to Heirlooms. That's why I keep watching, learning, and asking questions here. Thanks to M, this is the best tomato site in the world to do that.

I'll shut up now.

Smiling again...

D

Plantersville · February 27, 2006

Best tomato conditions, where to live?

HEAVEN!!!!

Suze · February 27, 2006

Best tomato conditions, where to live?

Most of West Virginia (truly Almost Heaven *sigh*), except maybe the Panhandle, and even that wouldn't be too bad.

Northern Virginia, some parts of Kentucky, Southern Ohio.

Much of MO.

giardiniere · February 27, 2006

There's generally pretty good growing conditions in the part of Kansas that I live. I'm about 5 miles from Missouri and 30 miles from Oklahoma. I have forgotten what my snow shovel looks like this winter. We've had about 1" total accumulation, but we could really use the moisture. It's supposed to be 78° on Wednesday.

jerseyjohn61 · February 27, 2006

Don,
Thanks for the acclaim, but my name should not be
mentioned with that TALL list of folks above.
Not even an honorable mention....JJ61

Suze · February 27, 2006

Thanks for the acclaim, but my name should not be mentioned with that TALL list of folks above.

I don't feel like I belong on that list either.

*blush* There's plenty of folks here that weren't mentioned on the list that have certainly grown a whole lot more tomatoes than I have. For starters, Earl should certainly be on any "tall" list way before me, and others too...

spyfferoni · February 27, 2006

I live in Utah where we get plenty of snow in the winter---probably not as much as you, but the climates are similar. I think you just have to plant a few early varieties along with everything else, and try to find a way to get them out a little bit early so the plants have time to establish themselves before it gets too hot. I didn't get my toms planted out until June last year, but I still got a decent crop because of the warm fall---Hoping to get my toms planted out earlier this spring. My sister-in-law is from Loveland and says the soil there is awful, so you might need to get a soil test done and amend it to get good results, or try growing some toms in containers. Good luck!!! There is nothing like homegrown tomatoes!!!

Tyffanie

sliphorn · February 27, 2006

I'm in Zone 5B, Chicago, and never have trouble getting a really good crop of tomatoes.

garnetmoth · February 28, 2006

it was super hot this summer, new garden beds, not enough organic matter. Will probably do drip irrigation this summer, and hopefully get a good crop. Its much hotter here than in Cincinnati where Im from.

Tomstrees · February 28, 2006

New Jersey !
As long as you can stand sitting in traffic
for hours at a time to and from work ;
afford a huge housing bubble ,
and be lead by corrupt politian’s !

Come on down - we're not call the Garden State
for nothing ! lol ~ Tom

ps. I'm laughing , but really I'm not ...

MsCowpea · February 28, 2006

Not South Florida--even though we are growing all those wonderful winter tomatoes you are eating from the grocery store!

February 26, 2006	#1
mepoozer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Littleton, CO Posts: 2	Best tomato conditions- where to live? I live in Littleton, CO. It snows too much, its cold too much, I'm tired of scraping car windows, but I want to grow tomatoes. What area of the US gives great conditions for a long season, and relatively disease-free. Oh yeah, and no scraping ice off of frozen car windows! Karen

February 26, 2006	#4
Dunkel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West By God Virginia Posts: 245	Zone 6 where I live is pretty good. Last season it was still rather cold at night until Memorial Day weekend, but that's rare. Normally plants can go in on May 15th unprotected and do fine. All my plants were healthy and productive up until October 22nd when we got a rare early snow fall. We got snow before a frost! LOL So we had a solid 5 months frost free and only 2 weeks during the summer were so brutal that blossoms dropped. __________________ I plant... Therefore I am. - Dunkel What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds. - Will Rogers

February 26, 2006	#5
TomatoDon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MS Posts: 1,523	mepoozer , Best tomato conditions, where to live? I would suggest living next door to Mischka , Craig, Carolyn, Bully, Grub, JJ61, Suze, NC Tomato, jtcm05, kctomato, angelstiger, PapaVic, catntree, spufleafwillie, Patrina_Pepperina, IMissColo, and many others here. That covers all climates, many states, several nations, and at least two continents. But no matter what, they all know how to grow tomatoes, despite the climate! Smile.... Don There was an auction once and an old violin came up for bid. It was ragged and worn, and all out of tune. No one bid. The auctioneer kept pleading for offers, lowering and lowering the opening bid, but still no bids came. Then an old man humbly walked from the back of the crowd, went to the auctioneer, took the violin, tuned it, and began to play the classics beautifully. Hands went up, and the bids went higher and higher, until the old violin sold for a top price. It's just in how you know to do it, and that is the hard part I'm trying to learn. I am totally new to Heirlooms. That's why I keep watching, learning, and asking questions here. Thanks to M, this is the best tomato site in the world to do that. I'll shut up now. Smiling again... D __________________ Zone 7B, N. MS

February 27, 2006	#8
giardiniere Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Zone 6, Southeast Kansas Posts: 364	There's generally pretty good growing conditions in the part of Kansas that I live. I'm about 5 miles from Missouri and 30 miles from Oklahoma. I have forgotten what my snow shovel looks like this winter. We've had about 1" total accumulation, but we could really use the moisture. It's supposed to be 78° on Wednesday. __________________ Dave

February 28, 2006	#14
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	New Jersey ! As long as you can stand sitting in traffic for hours at a time to and from work ; afford a huge housing bubble , and be lead by corrupt politian’s ! Come on down - we're not call the Garden State for nothing ! lol ~ Tom ps. I'm laughing , but really I'm not ... __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

February 26, 2006	#2
Mantis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 1,241	Come down to OZ. The more the merrier

February 26, 2006	#3
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	Just an opinion I am going to say Zone 7. Here in 8 the heat and humidity starts cooking up and you start losing them. Just a guess. I am from Colorado and when I left I did miss it. I recently went back as my Grandma passed and BRRRRRRRRRRRR I would never live there again!!!! My little boy (3) kept yelling as we were at the plane in Denver boarding for Grand ★★★★★★★★, "I want to go to FLorida"! He had never seen the snow or been in the cold. But he knows that Florida is warm :wink: .

February 27, 2006	#6
Plantersville Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Plantersville, Texas Zone 8 Posts: 138	Best tomato conditions, where to live? HEAVEN!!!!

February 27, 2006	#7
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	Best tomato conditions, where to live? Most of West Virginia (truly Almost Heaven sigh), except maybe the Panhandle, and even that wouldn't be too bad. Northern Virginia, some parts of Kentucky, Southern Ohio. Much of MO.

February 27, 2006	#9
jerseyjohn61 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central New Jersey Z/6 Posts: 554	Don, Thanks for the acclaim, but my name should not be mentioned with that TALL list of folks above. Not even an honorable mention....JJ61

February 27, 2006	#11
spyfferoni Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 675	I live in Utah where we get plenty of snow in the winter---probably not as much as you, but the climates are similar. I think you just have to plant a few early varieties along with everything else, and try to find a way to get them out a little bit early so the plants have time to establish themselves before it gets too hot. I didn't get my toms planted out until June last year, but I still got a decent crop because of the warm fall---Hoping to get my toms planted out earlier this spring. My sister-in-law is from Loveland and says the soil there is awful, so you might need to get a soil test done and amend it to get good results, or try growing some toms in containers. Good luck!!! There is nothing like homegrown tomatoes!!! Tyffanie

February 27, 2006	#12
sliphorn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 91	I'm in Zone 5B, Chicago, and never have trouble getting a really good crop of tomatoes.

February 28, 2006	#13
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	it was super hot this summer, new garden beds, not enough organic matter. Will probably do drip irrigation this summer, and hopefully get a good crop. Its much hotter here than in Cincinnati where Im from.

February 28, 2006	#15
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	Not South Florida--even though we are growing all those wonderful winter tomatoes you are eating from the grocery store! __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker