Tomatoes in Texas

[bluebonnets]

Originally Posted by b54red

Big Cheef is a black tomato and open pollinated while Big Beef is a F1 hybrid red tomato.

Yup!

[b54red]

Of the open pollinated varieties the black tomatoes as a rule seem to do the best year in and year out during the hottest times of the year. They also taste the best during very hot weather. My favorite blacks during hot weather are Indian Stripe, Cherokee Purple, JD's Special C Tex, Dana's Dusky Rose, Black Krim, and Gary O' Sena.

Others that have done well in the heat for me are Stump of the World, Terhune, Lumpy Red, Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red, Druzba, Eva Purple Ball, Kosovo, Linnie's Oxheart, Olyer's German, Milka's Red Bulgarian, Cowlick's Brandywine, Zogolo, Dr. Wyches Yellow and KBX.

Of the disease resistant hybrids Big Beef is the top producer during the hottest weather. I was once a Celebrity fan until I tasted Big Beef and now it is my insurance tomato.

[Dewayne mater]

You've received great advice from some outstanding hot weather growers! I would only chip in the following advice...when people say early, you need to plant out early enough that you have to cover a few nights or lose them to frost. In the DFW area, that means plant out by March 15, in my opinion, so it may be even earlier for you. This goes against the traditional advice often given of wait until date of last average frost. If you do that, you lose productivity when the heat hits....we almost always have some mid 90s by May and that is hot enough to slow production. Second, I'll add a variety not mentioned by others yet called black and brown boar from Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms. It is early, highly productive, has some disease resistance and continues producing through frost with little degradation in taste in the cold nights. Good luck!

Dewayne Mater

[Algyros]

Thanks to all for the incredible replies. You obviously have a supportive, not to mention knowledgeable, community here. I wish you all a great 2013.
Alex

[Keger]

OK Guys.....

This is Texas... We go big or dont go at all! I am starting Floridade, Creole, Atkinson, BHN 444, and others, some I started at Thanksgiving. ITS TIME TO GET AFTER IT !!!

10,000 plants for market and 300 in the ground March 1.

Come on Texans !!

Let's saddle up and ride!

[checkerkitty]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

You've received great advice from some outstanding hot weather growers! I would only chip in the following advice...when people say early, you need to plant out early enough that you have to cover a few nights or lose them to frost. In the DFW area, that means plant out by March 15, in my opinion, so it may be even earlier for you. This goes against the traditional advice often given of wait until date of last average frost. If you do that, you lose productivity when the heat hits....we almost always have some mid 90s by May and that is hot enough to slow production. Second, I'll add a variety not mentioned by others yet called black and brown boar from Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms. It is early, highly productive, has some disease resistance and continues producing through frost with little degradation in taste in the cold nights. Good luck!

Dewayne Mater

I'm glad you posted this, Dewayne. I've got some B & B Boar seeds going. I had seen info on their production, taste and hardiness before, but I'm glad to see another vote in favor of that variety!

Christy

[checkerkitty]

Originally Posted by Keger

OK Guys.....

This is Texas... We go big or dont go at all! I am starting Floridade, Creole, Atkinson, BHN 444, and others, some I started at Thanksgiving. ITS TIME TO GET AFTER IT !!!

10,000 plants for market and 300 in the ground March 1.

Come on Texans !!

Let's saddle up and ride!

Yeehaw, Keger! I'm not going nearly as big as you, but I will be pushing my suburban "farm" to the max. I'm trying to make my farmer-ancestors proud! Now, if I can just rustle up a few more buckets......

Christy

[Keger]

Originally Posted by checkerkitty

Yeehaw, Keger! I'm not going nearly as big as you, but I will be pushing my suburban "farm" to the max. I'm trying to make my farmer-ancestors proud! Now, if I can just rustle up a few more buckets......

Christy

Cool! Check Craigslist. I have been finding used 5 gallon buckets for a buck.

[checkerkitty]

Originally Posted by Keger

Cool! Check Craigslist. I have been finding used 5 gallon buckets for a buck.

Check your local grocery store bakeries. HEB is our major chain here. All of the frosting comes in 1, 2, or 5 gallon buckets. They have been happily giving them to me for free. I've been thinking of trying Costco as well. I'll bet your local grocery stores would donate to you as well. They usually pitch them in the dumpster.

Christy

[vintagepatch]

Algyros, I live in Austin. If you are new to gardening in Texas then full sun means usually part shade or filtered. If your not new-- then you know. I had decent results in buckets last year.
The batch was planted the beginning of March and the second is around the middle of May.
The "Hot" batch/varieties gets late day sun and morning shade. The other half of the buckets gets early morning sun and as you already know--plant plenty of cherry varieties. I concur with everybody else on the varieties. Also, I don't know if you know about Sunshine Gardens Community Plant sale. It takes place the beginning of March and the have Gabriel Valley Farm grows their transplants for the sale. Here is the link from last years sale with the plant list. http://www.sunshinecommunitygardens....hp?p=plantsale

There are many helpful and knowledgeable people on TV. Most days--I'm not one of them.

[Keiththibodeaux]

In the spring in Austin, with proper irrigation I would think you could grow just about any tomato you wanted. Some will last better into the heat of the summer, but why not grow for taste, rather than heat longevity.

[sawood]

In San Antonio; Indian Stripe, Black Krim and Black Cherry were hardy and yielded well. Pink Berkeley TD and JD's C-Tex were not super producers, but the PBTD was very tasty. For overall production and vitality, though, Bulgarian Triumph blew everything else away. I just wish I liked the taste better, because it just won't quit producing.

[OldHondaNut]

I am in the Dallas area and have had the best luck with Better Boy. When it gets hot, the little Porters did well. In addition to adding new transplants in July, I have found that some started late have the best chance of being strong when the first heat wipes out most of the setting. One year I started a Bush Big Boy real late and it was the last big one before the July heat and it was also the first to set in the following September. But I think it has less to do with the variety than when I planted.

For much of the drought, Porters have done quite well for me. And that is what they were designed to do. I do love the Amish Paste and Rutgers but I do NOT plant any of the really huge tomatoes like Beefsteak or any of the Brandywines. It gets too hot too quick.

I hate Romas. They give tomatoes a bad name.

Try the Campbells and Heinz OP varieties. They are like Rutgers (the determinate) but produce a little earlier and a little more. But Better Boy has always produced the most pounds of tomatoes for me, almost 2 to 1.

OldHondaNut,

I agree that Better Boy is a super tomato. I spent a lot of years searching for the "perfect" tomato for the Texas heat. I finally settled on Better Boy. They always produce the same size, same color, same taste fruit in the heat and then they do it again in the fall. I grew nothing but Better Boy. It got kinda boring. I started planting a few heirloom varieties with the Better Boys and discovered a few of them also do well in the heat and provide some variety in size, taste, and durability. I haven't grown a Better Boy in five years now. I guess I prefer a little variety in my tomatoes sitting on the kitchen counter.

I also enjoy folks asking for more of those orange, or striped, or dark brown (black) tomatoes. When I only grew Better Boy, folks only asked if I had any more tomatoes to give away. Many folks seem to enjoy receiving a small container or sack of mixed cherry tomatoes. They look and taste like a container of mixed candies.

Ted

[OldHondaNut]

I too used to get a 6 pack or two of Better Boys and do them 100% for all but cherry tomatoes. But that was the years that I relied on the local nursery and did not grow my own seed. I agree, the variety and the taste of a Rutgers or Amish Paste is special and I would never go a year without trying to grow my heirlooms. But I still plant BB just for the guarantee of 20 to 40 pounds of fruit. I consider my Heinz a success is it produces 10 pounds. The Texas A&M field tests taught me that 10 is a pretty good standard for most.

Having had terrible droughts in the state the last two or three years, Porter really has helped. It is small but can be used like a big tomato. The drought gets us two ways, lack of mositure and early heat. We can compensate for the lack of water, the early heat is more difficult.

I have started a couple Sunmaster for the droughts, I had tested this and moved on in better years. The seeds are going good and I remember that the Texas A&M bunch had recommended them for years. If we have extra early heat, maybe these too can help. Problem is that I think they have OK taste and that is not good enough, plus they are hybrid and the seeds are getting harder to find.

If anything BB is a good tomato to start with and use as a benchmark.