Miami?

[Rena]

Any tips for a friend who lives in Miami? When should I start plants for her?

[remy]

Hi,
My father lives in Key Largo. When I go to visit him in the winter, any time from the end of January through February, the farmer's market in Homestead, which is just south of Miami, has tomatoes. He gets fresh tomatoes there most of our cold months. He grows a lot of edibles but only once in awhile does he grow tomatoes, because he can get them for so long and so cheap.
So I don't think you can make much of a mistake on timing because of the extended harvest time.
Remy

[MargeH]

Miami is a bit warmer than I am and very rarely get temps cold enough to kill the plants. I still can in Sarasota. So I don't know, for sure, if seed-starting times would be the same there.

This is my first full year starting seeds. I started them the end of December and put plants out mid-February. I plan to start seeds mid-July to put plants out early in Sept. I tried some of the "heatset" varieties last year and planted them outside the second week in Aug. The plants grew great, but I didn't get fruitset until mid-Sept. Some of the plants were approaching 5 ft. by that time.

Because I have such a bad time with TYLC, I decided to wait until later this year. I am pulling the plants that I have left by the end of next week. I want to be tomato free for at least 6 weeks to hopefully cut down on the chance of getting the virus in young plants.

________
Marjorie

[annecros]

Hello from paradise!

I am in Broward County, but the Miami-Dade County Line is in the lot behind me.

It is literally a year around growing season. There is a slow down in production and more disease in the Summer months, but many people are surprised to know that ambient temps here are often lower than more northern latitudes due to sea breeze and an abundance of rain. We rarely see 100 degrees, even in August. Right now we are running 97 for a high, 77 for the low. I am picking Sungolds, setting Cherokee Purple, Opalka, Kellog's Breakfast, and Heinz. I let things lag for a bit there in my timing. I have prepped a bed for corn to be sown next month. I am picking southern peas and beans now, and have been since March. Turnips and Mustard are going in late August.

Prime time starts in September, so start seeds for your friend now. The Christmas through about June tomatoes are better tasting, and the plants are more productive. Fewer stinkbugs, as well. Make him FedEx you some vine ripe toms over the winter!

I start seeds, or cultivate cuttings, about every three months, and rotate them through my beds.

[Rena]

Thank you! Thank you! I look forward to converting them to tomato fanatics!

[Grub]

"Any tips for a friend who lives in Miami?"

Hi Rena,
I have not tips at all. I have only been to Miami once. My best mate and I had a deal: every new American city meant a convertible hirecar. Opening of doors banned. All run and jump stuff. We lobbed, choked on the thick air, got the car, put the bags in the back like two dummies, ran and jumped in and drove off. Soon we were among the doof-doofers on the beachside strip. All pastel-coloured art-deco facades on the hotels, among which we found ours.

It was late, got to the lobby, scored a key and dumped the bags. Headed off to a diner where we had a chicken dish with that orange american cheese over it, and a side of slaw or something. Bang bang! Someone got shot outside. It was on the news. As was a car jacking or two.

Slept on a matress covered in thick plastic... I had a nightmare I can still remember... something to do with electric shocks... then we hightailed it to Islamorada and Key West and partied hard... so my advice would be keep ya head down. Lol.

As for tomatoes, surely, it would have to be a late summer sowing. No?
Pier 66 was great.

Sorry to digress.

Continue...

[annecros]

Grub, you would be what we would refer to as an idiot tourist.

Very entertaining.

[OmahaJB]

I lived there for 3 years (in Hialeah actually), and think the main problem tomato growers down there would probably have is the humidity. From what I've read humidity clumps the pollen and makes it tough to get pollination. Someone can correct me on that if it's not correct. (On the 'clumping' not the 'humidity').

The only relief I ever felt from the heat was from approximately late November through early-mid February. The rest of the year was VERY uncomfortable for me. And I lived there after having been in Puerto Rico for 17 months where the heat did not bother me at all. It was really the humidity & lack of wind that bothered me in Miami. In Puerto Rico the wind helped make the 90+ temps comfortable.

I would think in Miami you'd want tomatoes finishing in May or early June at the very latest.

Jeff

[Grub]

annecros,

I couldn't agree more

[annecros]

I honestly grow them year around here. Production does go down in the Summer months, but some 'maters are better than no 'maters at all.

I've heard the theories concerning heat and humidity, but honestly I get pollenation on even the big, nice, tempermental slicers. I guess I should post a couple of pictures.

He wants his plants in the ground by September. January tomatoes are great!

[OmahaJB]

annecross wrote: "He wants his plants in the ground by September. January tomatoes are great!"

There's certainly no harm in trying. Planting some in September then again in February might be a good plan of action, and an interesting experiment to see what works best for them. When I lived in Miami I grew mostly Arabica coffee plants on my patio, but did buy a few tomato seedlings at HD in the spring. The tomato plants really struggled for me and did not produce. However, they were in containers and when it really started to get hot is when they decided to 'check out'. The coffee plants did great in containers.

One thing to think about also, is that in late December to early January it can get slightly below freezing. It's rare but in the three years I lived in Miami it did happen once, and one of the other two years the temps got pretty cool also (although not below freezing). So be prepared to possibly have to deal with protecting them from the cold.

Just curious annecross, do you remember having to deal with the cold temps down there during either the 2001-2002 or 2002-2003 winter? One of those two winters got pretty cold and I'm wondering how you protected your tomato plants if you did. I do remember bringing in my potted coffee plants.

Jeff

[annecros]

I was in Palm Beach county that winter, and just threw a sheet over them. We do have some nights in the 40s in the winter, but certainly don't have the concerns folks up North have with the cold. We actually had a snow flurry that year. Cucumbers do especially well down here in the winter as well, and basil and peppers go nuts. I have fruit set and ripening right now, am setting out new seedlings in another bed right now for Fall, and will start seed late this month to replace those plants fruiting now. Root knot nematodes are the biggest issue, I've found, and the plants just give up, but with proper rotation and lots of manure I usually can get two major flushes of fruit, sometimes three.

I always get some production at all times, but do have to stay on top of the daconil and sevin. Snail and slug problems as well.

The only years I got completely wiped out were the Frances/Jeanne Hurricane season, and then Wilma a year later. Frances even took out a Honeybelle tree and sent it over an 8 foot privacy fence. Then Wilma took the roof of the garage, so my toms didn't stand a chance.

[OmahaJB]

annecross, Nice to hear you're able to take advantage of all that sunshine down there in southern Florida. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to grow in ground and my back patio had a fairy large overhang which prevented sun from hitting the plants directly for a good portion of the day.

Almost everyone I worked with in Miami did not have a garden, with the exception of one lady who only grew tropical plants/trees. I never like dates until oneday she brought one into work for me, and it was so delicious I couldn't believe it. I did not expect it to taste so good.

I always wondered if people were able to have much success growing things like tomatoes and peppers in that region, so I'm glad you posted. The mystery is solved.

Have to admit I miss being able to grow tropical plants. There were some palm trees I wanted to grow from seed. My first attempt failed and I moved before I had time to try again. My coffee plants were a couple of years old when I left, so if my landlord kept them alive they should be producing beans for her by now. I would like to have grown banana trees as well if I had stayed there or moved back to Puerto Rico.

Jeff

[MargeH]

In Sarasota, I planted out this year on Feb. 8-15. I have not had fruitset for more than a month now, except on Eva Purple Ball and the cherries. I have pulled most of my plants except those and a couple that have tomatoes about ready to turn.

Last summer, I planted out a few mid-August that I already talked about. I started more seed the last of July and set those out mid-September. I went to my parents for Christmas and took enough tomatoes with me that we ate them every day for the week that I was there and my parents still had enough for almost another week. I pulled those plants the end of Jan.

We can have temps below freezing a few days each year, but it has been about 3 year since that has happened. We do get into the high 30s, though.

Our temps right now are running mid-90s during the day but the problem is evening temps. We are running 75-78 for our lows now. Miami is a little warmer, and I expect that tomato plants can be grown all year round. I would worry about fruitset June-Aug. except on cherries and a few like Eva that don't seem to be bothered by humidity.

______
Marjorie

[annecros]

The only things I really, really miss down here are the stone fruits. We just can't do it, not enough chill days. I grow quite a bit of southern peas and beans (they go great with a sliced tom!), and in September I'll be putting in turnips and mustard. Corn will be going in at the end of the month as well, to exhaust the nitrogen in my bean bed. It's nice to be able to germinate seed on the patio table.

I've gotten to the point that I don't bother with early season tomatoes anymore, with the exception of Silvery Fir Tree. I have to really limit the cherry types as well, because I end up with volunteers all over the place due to the birds, and I think they are plotting to take over the world! Never been able to get a Brandywine to live long enough to set out, and I am sure it is the climate. Will be trialing Earl's Faux this Fall, and hopefully that will do the trick.

Fruit set does slow down in the Summer, but we have had a nice rainy season and I have actually been pleasantly surprised by the fruit set I am getting. I must have hundreds of Sungolds - Cherokee Purple and Kelloggs Breakfast each have better than a dozen set - Opalka is a blooming machine but went in a little later than the others so I have only one fruit on five plants, but I think that will change soon. Heinz has a dozen or so.