Pull the tomato plants or wait?

Bulldog · August 26, 2016

Usually I give up on the tomato plants due to squirrels, disease etc, and pull them. It will start getting cooler <90 here in GA soon. Do you think any of my plants that still look decent will set more fruit as the temps go below 90 enough to justify not pulling them? Will they be able to ripen? Several of the plants have new growth. I haven't gotten any tomatoes over the last month except a few matts wild cherry and a rare sungold. Squirrels get them all green before even a blush.

I do need to make room for fall planting sometime.

Thanks

b54red · August 26, 2016

You should have plenty of time to make more fruit but the plants need to be fertilized and kept watered and sprayed with fungicide. I also would prune them some so there aren't too many stems as that will cause too many blooms and few set fruit. I have a bunch of plants just like you describe and started feeding them every 5 to 7 days with Texas Tomato food and keeping most of the suckers removed. This time of the year the plants will send out a ton of suckers all along the stems and if you let them all grow you will get next to nothing in the end. I have allowed some of my single stem plants to develop a second stem since I now have more room in my beds due to removal of dead plants over the past few months from one thing or another. Some of my older vines are now in excess of 20 feet long but still they are blooming and hopefully will set a few fruits as the nights get a bit cooler. Usually we don't get a killing frost or freeze until November or even December but occasionally I get caught with a lot of green fruit waiting to ripen in late October with an early freeze.

Bill

Gardeneer · August 26, 2016

Agree with Bill. You should have plenty of time left as far as tomato growing season is concerned.
I have gardened for several years in GA ( North Atlanta area) and my tomatoes were kept alive and productive well into early November.

imp · August 26, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Agree with Bill. You should have plenty of time left as far as tomato growing season is concerned.
I have gardened for several years in GA ( North Atlanta area) and my tomatoes were kept alive and productive well into early November.

?

Bulldog · August 27, 2016

Thank you both. I will get out there in the morning and trim them up. I did feed them TTF last weekend, and water every 2-3 d in the containers.

Gardeneer · August 27, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulldog

Thank you both. I will get out there in the morning and trim them up. I did feed them TTF last weekend, and water every 2-3 d in the containers.

How big the containers are ?
If your highs are running in high 80 s and 90s, I would water every other day. You can of course check the soil. I would also fertilize them more often with reduced strength ( 1/3 to 1/2 ) once a weeks.
Good luck !

Bulldog · August 27, 2016

I have self watering containers for most of the cherries, and some Earthboxes, and we have been getting almost daily thunderstorms.

August 26, 2016	#1
Bulldog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 126	Pull the tomato plants or wait? Usually I give up on the tomato plants due to squirrels, disease etc, and pull them. It will start getting cooler <90 here in GA soon. Do you think any of my plants that still look decent will set more fruit as the temps go below 90 enough to justify not pulling them? Will they be able to ripen? Several of the plants have new growth. I haven't gotten any tomatoes over the last month except a few matts wild cherry and a rare sungold. Squirrels get them all green before even a blush. I do need to make room for fall planting sometime. Thanks

August 26, 2016	#3
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	Agree with Bill. You should have plenty of time left as far as tomato growing season is concerned. I have gardened for several years in GA ( North Atlanta area) and my tomatoes were kept alive and productive well into early November. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

August 26, 2016	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	You should have plenty of time to make more fruit but the plants need to be fertilized and kept watered and sprayed with fungicide. I also would prune them some so there aren't too many stems as that will cause too many blooms and few set fruit. I have a bunch of plants just like you describe and started feeding them every 5 to 7 days with Texas Tomato food and keeping most of the suckers removed. This time of the year the plants will send out a ton of suckers all along the stems and if you let them all grow you will get next to nothing in the end. I have allowed some of my single stem plants to develop a second stem since I now have more room in my beds due to removal of dead plants over the past few months from one thing or another. Some of my older vines are now in excess of 20 feet long but still they are blooming and hopefully will set a few fruits as the nights get a bit cooler. Usually we don't get a killing frost or freeze until November or even December but occasionally I get caught with a lot of green fruit waiting to ripen in late October with an early freeze. Bill

August 27, 2016	#5
Bulldog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 126	Thank you both. I will get out there in the morning and trim them up. I did feed them TTF last weekend, and water every 2-3 d in the containers.