Recomendations for Fall Tomatoes in Houston

[MikeInCypress]

I'm trying to limit my fall garden to 24 tomatoes. Any ideas for great fall tomatoes here in th e Houston Area? Brandy Boy and Brandywine OTV for sure. Azoychka and New Big Dwarf as well. Can't forget SunGold and Heidi. Any suggestions for the other 18 slots?? Thanks.

Michael

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by MikeInCypress

I'm trying to limit my fall garden to 24 tomatoes. Any ideas for great fall tomatoes here in th e Houston Area? Brandy Boy and Brandywine OTV for sure. Azoychka and New Big Dwarf as well. Can't forget SunGold and Heidi. Any suggestions for the other 18 slots?? Thanks.

Michael

I've heard from many sources that fall tomato varieties should be selected for small and medium-sized fruit. Eva Purple Ball, Opalka, etc. That's not going to stop me from trying a few large fruited varieties though.

I am gambling on Brandy Boy and Azoychka. Of course I've got a Sungold. I may try Brandywine OTV. I've heard about Heidi (plum). I should try that as well. 24 slots -- nice! I 'only' have 16 slots.

My "Houston" list which changes almost daily:
* Anna Russian (sm. pink early)
* Arkansas Traveler (med. red beefsteak H)
* 1884 (lg. red beefsteak H)
* Black Krim (med. purple)
* Cherokee Purple (lg. purple)
* Cuostralee (lg. red beefsteak H)
* Dona (early med. red)
* Druzba (reliable med. red)
* Eva Purple Ball (sm. pink H)
* Homestead (reliable red)
* Jet Star F1 (early red)
* Juane Flamme (sm. orange H)
* Matt's Wild Cherry (prolific grape H)
* Porter's Pride (sm. prolific H)
* Sioux (sm. red H)
* Sweet Chelsea (lg. cherry)
* JD's Special C-Tex (early black)
* C-Tex Southern heat set (resist V,F2,TSWV)

I'm not actually growing all of those, especially this fall. That's a good idea of what my spring garden will look like in 2007. H is for heat tolerance.

Others in consideration:
Aker's West Virginia, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Earl's Faux, Ernesto, Gregori's Altai, Kimberly, Marmande, Momotaro, Neves Azorean Red, Old Brooks, Picardy, Ramapo F1, and Rinaldo.

[MikeInCypress]

Feldon,

Thanks for your list. Iyt has given me some ideas. Do you have seed for C-Tex Southern heat set? If so PM Me for my trade list or just ask for something as I have a bout 120 varieties.

My problem is getting the plants through August so that they don't have spider mites. I will blast them with Kelthane if the temp is below 90 though and that helps. Plus the watering. I am going to have a drip line for the 12 in Pots and Buckets and use my self watering containers for the rest and I think I will only plant one plant per self watering container instead of two. Will be starting seed this week.

Michael

[feldon30]

So far everything I've heard is to just pull the plants at the end of June or early July. No point in nursing them along through 3 unproductive months of June, July, and August and even if they come out of the tunnel at the other end, apparently the fruit they produce isn't very good.

I can tell the end is almost here because even my Celebrity* tomatoes are starting to get deformed and various diseases and pests are causing damage to each tomato. My Beefy Boy are ripening way too early.

I've got seed started for 17 varieties of tomatoes and 4 peppers.

Seeds for the two C-Tex varieties, which I am VERY anxious to try, are NOT available for sale from any vendor that I am aware of. Transplants have been discovered at Cornelius nurseries on 1960 2mi W. of I-45 in Houston. I intend to buy transplants of both these varieties as soon as possible and try to save seed and make it available to get these 2 varieties out into the wild. The C-Tex special black is supposed taste like Cherokee Purple but do even better in the heat (CP sets fairly well here). Most notably, the C-Tex southern set (Red) is TSWV tolerant!

*I didn't think I'd find a use for the insipid Celebrity tomatoes, but if you check out the "Best paste varieties" topic on GW, you'll find that I roasted them skin-on with sliced garlic, fresh basil, fresh oregano, salt, pepper, and really good olive oil in the oven for 90 minutes at 350 and the result was incredibly rich tomato flavor. I used it as a spaghetti sauce (I cut up 3-4 ripe tomatoes and threw them in at the end to loosen up the sauce a bit). I might have to grow one or two of these buggers next year just to bulk up my tomato sauces.

[Rena]

I am really starting to Love this tomato. Great Yield, does well in heat,prolific and taste is good!
Victory Seeds:
Golden Dwarf Champion, Burpee's
90 days, tree-type — Very attractive plants with rugose leaves. The fruits are a nice bright lemon-yellow with firm, lighter yellow flesh. They weigh from two to five ounces and are globe-shaped. Very productive. The 1899 W. Atlee Burpee Seed Annual described that the original seed was sent to them by a customer in about 1896. It was released in about 1898.
Qty: Packet - $1.95
Item 3400891

[Suze]

Last fall, Silvery Fir Tree and Jaune Flammee started setting plenty of fruit for me in early/mid Sept when nothing else would because of the higher than normal temps (except for cherry types).

[MikeInCypress]

Golden Dwarf Champion has always done well for me and it is definately under consideration as is Silvery Fir Tree and Lime Green Salad. And of course Kimberly.

Those slots are filling fast.

Michael

[Suze]

Mountain Princess might be another one you'd want to look into -- Tony (in FL) had good things to say about its heat setting abilities last year. It is *not* small fruited (med size), semi det (4+ ft tall). Good taste.

I grew it this spring, but unfortunately had to pull plant early because of disease issues. The couple of fruits I did get off of it were pretty good.

[feldon30]

Seems like I am rewriting the book on what to grow tomato-wise. I've got a fairly well established list of what to put in in Spring/Summer.

Now it's the Fall/Winter tomato list that I'm working on.

Something tells me very few tomatoes will be in common between the two.

[MikeInCypress]

Suze,

Thanks for the reminder on Mountain Princess. I got seed last year based on Tony K Orlando's recommendation and almost forgot about it. And I remember that Black Cherry did great for me in October. Plus I hope to have some seeds for Big Set op - If they are like the old All Texas Variety I will have plenty of slicers. Maybe Big Beef as well.

Well, I can always give some of my surplus plants to my brother's BIL. I think I need an Orange or Yellow - maybe Lemon Boy.

MIchael

[montanamato]

Michael...for a yellow you might try Dakota Gold. I have grown it and Lemon Boy and find Dakota Gold is great in high heat and cool nights. It is a small determinate and prolific...about 10-14 oz mostly. The taste is a little better than Lemon Boy for me. If you want seed I have a few spare.

Jeanne

[FlipTX]

I'm trying to stick to smaller, early maturing plants for Fall. I can put them in containers or cover them easily if we should get an early frost. My hat's off to Feldon for giving the bigguns a go, though!

Has anyone grown Siletz down here? How about Silvery Fir Tree? I think Stupice is ind. but how big of a plant are we talking about?

[Suze]

FlipTX, SFT does very well here (sets well in heat).

Stupice (and also Kimberly and Matina) set well in the heat -- all three varieties are compact indeterminates, and have a rather open habit. 4-5 ft max, will all work well in a 5-10 gal pot with a large box store cage.

[FlipTX]

Suze- Thanks for the feedback about those! They sound like a manageable size.

Has anyone grown Chico III? It's a paste tomato listed with Sand Hill. I'm considering it for a fall sauce crop purely because of its reported earliness and plant size, but I have no idea what the fruit is like.

[nmasi]

im tryin a whole new batch this fall. im not sure how they will do, but im gonna give it a try. This will be the first season in raised beds for me, I was a container person before. I have four beds that are 3x12 and 20 inches deep with the soil beneath ammended with compost. Here's the list for the fall:
Anna Russian
Black Krim
Bonny Best
Box Car Willie
Costoluto Genovese
German Red Strawberry
Kellog's Breakfast
Orange Strawberry
Prudens Purple
Riesentraube
Soldaki
Sunmaster
Sun Sugar
Yellow Pear

plus these were just added by the son and wife

Brandywine Sudduth's
Ceylon
Matina
Paul Robeson
Polish
Sioux

If anyone has experience with these in the south, please let me know how they did.

thanks, nathan