Extending FL's Growing Season

[FreyaFL]

I'm pretty new to gardening in Florida and definitely new this year to planting MANY tomatoes. I was recently reading that our growing season will be running down in mid spring (March?) But, meanwhile, I get this planting guide that updates every couple weeks that tells me if I plant seeds now, I'll be harvesting in April. Basically it's been telling me every month to plant seeds now and harvest so many months out. As I've been sowing seeds and planting out a couple plants every month (started some seeds at the end of August, for instance, that are producing somewhat now) I was wondering if this would keep me in plenty of tomatoes all through the spring and into the summer if I keep it up. Or, is the SW FL heat and humidity going to put a stop to everything no matter when I plant.

I'm also starting to think about what seeds I should plant for the coming summer (or if I should even bother...) A very generous person has already offered Homestead seeds to me. I've purchased a one variety from Baker Creek that say do well in high heat and humidity (Marglobe Supreme, a determinate). I've even got two everglades going (and, honestly, these are like weeds. I took several cuttings from a friends wild plant and as soon as they rooted they started growing FAST, flowering and ripening almost overnight.) I also have Tropic growing now (tasty but tend to crack for me.) Tried Solar Fire (really like the taste of this one, but the plants didn't produce much before finishing.)

I guess I just need any info on growing tomatoes here in our spring/summer season so I don't miss out by being late. What should I do, what shouldn't I do. What I can expect or not. When to sow, when to not bother, that kind of thing.

Thank you!
FreyaFL

[kurt]

For me in South Dade we can get maters till April May at most.For me the round tomatoes(determinates) will not go past March and get good results(heat warms up water in the mater and kills them)but the cherrys will go on and on.In Everglades City on the west coast I have friends that pick the Everglade Cherrys all year long.I can get two to three "crops"per season.Usually first sow mid August then one month intervals after.I have seen cherry tomatoe at the stores for at least 1 1/2 months coming out of Immokalee and Bell Glade farms.Good Luck.One of our members in Boca Raton reports sowing seeds Dec for summer harvest.Have fun and good luck.

[FreyaFL]

Thank you, Kurt! I think my area is pretty similar to yours (I'm in Lee County). So, my planting several cherry types soon might be the way to go. Good to know about the determinates, too. I'll plant some soon (the Marglobe Supreme) and hope they get a chance produce before too late. Such a learning adventure!

Oh, and what about keeping the plants alive over the summer? Are these usually cherries or like the everglades? (My everglades are TINY, currant sized, rather than cherry.) Does it speed things up in the fall to do this?

[kurt]

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...herry+tomatoes For me I usually time the end of the cherrys (by variety) by watching the top growth of new berrys coming out versus the ripening of the bottom berrys as they come ripe from the bottom up.As long as you see new flowers and fruit set and no disease/fungas sets in cherrys grow a long time.After 6 ft I trellis them to go horizontal and make some nice picking arbors for the wife(she is only 5 ft 5in tall) Above is some info on the Everglades cherry/currant(whoever you talk seems to have different opinion).Two years ago during our cooler winter I had some sweet millions grow from Aug-March.Have fun.

[Garf]

Growing in containers in Suburban Miami, in summer, is not as easy. The plants get weakened then the insects finish them off.

[FreyaFL]

I'm growing mostly in containers, too, Garf. (I have several sub-irrigation gutter systems and many self-watering pots.) Once most things won't grow, I'll turn my attention away from tomatoes and onto heat/humidity friendly veggies. (Still working on this list. ) I do have one everglades in a container, the other I'm planting out and hoping it takes over a good portion of the yard. LOL

I like the arbor idea. Better than topping, maybe. As for the link, very interesting! The fruit of mine are red (would I even recognize a pink? Hmm...) Well, I'm sure I'll have lots of seeds to trade in the future if anyone is interested. As for eating them, one of the things that can be done with these is that whenever you pick them (and not eat them), wash them, then throw into a container in the freezer. Use like one would diced tomatoes. (I haven't done this yet, but plan to.)

[FreyaFL]

Would other varieties of current tomatoes also grow in our summers? It would be kind of cool to have a hedge of various colored currant tomatoes.

[JamesAllen33909]

It's May 31st. I'm still growing Solar Fire's, Parks Whoppers, Big Beef Hybrid along with Everglades and Yellow Cherry varieties. No splitting as of yet. Not much rain yet in S.W. Florida (Cape Coral). Deep watering once a week and shallow surface water on days with no rain showers.

[b54red]

I know I'm a bit north of you but we deal with the heat and humidity all summer too. I have been planting and growing tomatoes for years in the summer heat but don't expect them to set nearly as many fruit nor for them to be as large. Plants grown in the summer require even more attention. They need constant watering and fertilizing to lessen the stress of the high heat. The plants need to be sprayed with fungicide regularly and kept pruned so that they get good air flow and sunlight or the diseases will get to them too badly. Whiteflies and spider mites are usually a threat during the hottest weather also. I put down a heavy layer of cypress mulch to keep the soil cool and to keep the moisture level more even. I will also put up some shade the first of June when the plants can use a bit of partial shade. I do much better with the plants grown in the ground than those in containers during the heat of summer.

I usually only grow indeterminate varieties that are more amenable to pruning and have found a few varieties of full sized tomatoes that do quite well during the worst that summer can throw at them. My favorites are Indian Stripe, Cherokee Purple, Eva Purple Ball, Big Beef, Druzba, Dana's Dusky Rose, Spudakee, Gary O' Sena, JD's Special C Tex, Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red, Dr. Wyches Yellow, Lumpy Red, Kosovo and Zogola. The large pink beefsteaks have a hard time down here in the heat of summer but I have had some success with Terhune, Stump of the World, and Limbaugh's Legacy.

I have a lot of seedlings about 3 inches tall of many of the ones listed above growing now for set out in June.

Bill

[mikej]

Hello all! This old thread has been resurrected.

I still have some Cherokee Purple, German Giant, Better Boy, Tasti- Lee, and some Grape tomatoes going. Still many green tomatoes on all of them. A few are turning each day. Many fruits are also showing sun burn. Especially the ones that are not covered by thick foliage The Cherokee Purple's taste is changing to be not as good. Probably because of the rains which are also causing many tomatoes to split. I stopped spraying fungicides about 3 weeks ago because I was planning to pull the plants. Starting to show some signs of disease. I will probably let them go for another month and see what happens.

[mikej]

I was told that the temperatures and humidity is only part of the problem in South Florida. The intensity of the sun at this latitude is the biggest problem down here. I don't know, but it makes sense to me because other places get just as hot and high humidity as us.

[tlintx]

My tomato plants are about done. Even the hybrid paste is showing some BER. Not a flower has set since the weather turned, and only a few greens left.

I also have seedlings to set out. Even though it's at least six weeks early for our "Fall" crop!

Going to start some seeds for August 1st.


Tl

[JamesAllen33909]

FreyaFL, I too live in S.W. Florida. Although it's June 3rd already, my tomato plants are bearing fruit just fine. They are in a above ground box and I just pay attention to the watering schedule vs. rainfall. Feel free to contact me about any questions that you may have for our area.

[tlintx]

JamesAllen, do you mean the fruit is still ripening, or that fruit is still setting? I'm not in Florida, but I battle heat and humidity as well. Any advice on how to get the lowers to set fruit would be much appreciated!


Tl

[b54red]

Originally Posted by tlintx

JamesAllen, do you mean the fruit is still ripening, or that fruit is still setting? I'm not in Florida, but I battle heat and humidity as well. Any advice on how to get the lowers to set fruit would be much appreciated!


Tl

I'm not in Florida either but have the same heat and humidity problems and my tomatoes are still setting really good right now despite the heat. You really have to keep them well watered if you want the blooms to set instead of fall off. I have been giving mine a weekly dose of Texas Tomato Food with plenty of water plus watering them every two to three days and they are setting better than I have ever seen. I am also keeping them sprayed with fungicide to slow down the development of diseases and pruning them to a few stems so they don't expend all their energy making multiple growth tips and countless blossoms. Later in the summer when the heat and spider mites take their toll the fruit setting will slow considerably. One way to beat this is to constantly be adding new plants to the garden. It seems that a young plant being watered well in the heat will set better than an older plant. I also mulch my plants very heavily and will put up some shade soon.

Bill