Location of a tomato plant

AZGardener · April 14, 2015

Hi guys- I'm in Phx, AZ where our temps can reach 120 in July/Aug. Usually our season ends in June/July for tomatoes. With all that in mind, I haven't grown a full year in this house and the house has a north facing bed that is shaded by the house and might get an hour of sunlight in June. Do you think a tomato plant would survive with indirect light and those high temps? Soon I will be covering my garden with shade cloth so it will be getting mostly indirect sunlight. I haven't tried planting a plant in the shade yet? Just curious what everyone thinks... I'm thinking about risking a plant or two and trying it....

Thanks in advance! Kelly

OzoneNY · April 15, 2015

Doesnt get that hot here north of Dallas, we hit 105 regularly but I found my roma tomato plants did ok with only 3 to 4 hrs of direct sun last july/aug. The others that got more than 5 could not take the intensity and went under. Those that survived did make a few more fruit by end of November. I also have several in the ground now that get a range of full sun vs a majority of indirect sun and the indirect plants are doing better for some reason. Not a scientific poll here but maybe it will help you decide.

Gardeneer · April 15, 2015

As I understand it tomato plants need certain amount of lumen for their photosynthesis function. The lumen can come from defused, filtered and in direct sun as well as direct.
In the past 10 years I have been growing tomatoes that get 5 to 7 hours of direct sun and have done fine. Maybe early in the season when temperatures are on cool side and the sun intensity/ altitude is low, plants can benefit from more direct sun but when it gets warmer, days get longer and solar altitude increases , then less direct sun is better ESPECIALLY in the south..

Having said that, I am not sure just one hour of direct sun is enough.
Another thing is that when the temperatures are in triple digits it is actually what it is in the shade. Still it is hot.

Gardeneer

AZGardener · April 15, 2015

That's exactly what I was thinking Gardeneer and Ozone. Maybe I will get more of those whiskey barrels and put them on the east side of my house so they just get morning sun...? Hmmm.... I hate to not do anything with the big 25 garden bed out front? Any veggies that can grow in the shade??

bughunter99 · April 15, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZGardener

That's exactly what I was thinking Gardeneer and Ozone. Maybe I will get more of those whiskey barrels and put them on the east side of my house so they just get morning sun...? Hmmm.... I hate to not do anything with the big 25 garden bed out front? Any veggies that can grow in the shade??

Tons can do well in some shade. Lettuce, Chard, radishes, mint (invasive beware), beets, parsley, brocoli, cauliflower, beets and pea have all produced for me under the shade of a large maple. No that productivity does suffer some in shaded areas, but with stuff like lettuce and herbs it is irrelevant. I select cut and come again varieties so they just keep on chugging.

AZGardener · April 15, 2015

Bughunter- All of those cool weather plants will not grow here from May until Sept. It's just too hot in the shade, let alone in the sun. Our night time lows are in the 80's with highs in the 110-120. Crazy huh!? That's the problem for me. The HEAT! Argh! I cant get away from it.

bughunter99 · April 15, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZGardener

Bughunter- All of those cool weather plants will not grow here from May until Sept. It's just too hot in the shade, let alone in the sun. Our night time lows are in the 80's with highs in the 110-120. Crazy huh!? That's the problem for me. The HEAT! Argh! I cant get away from it.

Ugh. Yeah that makes sense. I forgot about the heat stuff. I would do some experimentation this year. Plant a bunch of different stuff in that area and see who does well. As annoying as our blizzards can be, I would so much rather have those than dealing with the heat and drought you guys have.

joseph · April 15, 2015

I grow a few tomatoes in nearly full shade each year. I do it only to appease a bossy family member... They grow poorly compared to the tomatoes in the field, but they always produce something.

AZGardener · April 15, 2015

Thanks Joseph! I hate to waste a plant but it might be worth it?!

Tracydr · April 15, 2015

I had no luck with tomatoes,peppers and eggplants on the north.
Chard,armenian cucumbers, trombocino and parsley did well.

AZGardener · April 15, 2015

Thanks Tracy. You grew chard here in the summer? Same with cucs? Interesting.

UFXEFU · April 16, 2015

Tomatoes like sun, but with those high temps you'll have problems with fruit setting. Plant early in full sun when temps are cooler. Choose heat tolerant varieties.

April 14, 2015	#1
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Location of a tomato plant Hi guys- I'm in Phx, AZ where our temps can reach 120 in July/Aug. Usually our season ends in June/July for tomatoes. With all that in mind, I haven't grown a full year in this house and the house has a north facing bed that is shaded by the house and might get an hour of sunlight in June. Do you think a tomato plant would survive with indirect light and those high temps? Soon I will be covering my garden with shade cloth so it will be getting mostly indirect sunlight. I haven't tried planting a plant in the shade yet? Just curious what everyone thinks... I'm thinking about risking a plant or two and trying it.... Thanks in advance! Kelly __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 15, 2015	#4
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	That's exactly what I was thinking Gardeneer and Ozone. Maybe I will get more of those whiskey barrels and put them on the east side of my house so they just get morning sun...? Hmmm.... I hate to not do anything with the big 25 garden bed out front? Any veggies that can grow in the shade?? __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 15, 2015	#6
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Bughunter- All of those cool weather plants will not grow here from May until Sept. It's just too hot in the shade, let alone in the sun. Our night time lows are in the 80's with highs in the 110-120. Crazy huh!? That's the problem for me. The HEAT! Argh! I cant get away from it. __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 15, 2015	#9
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Thanks Joseph! I hate to waste a plant but it might be worth it?! __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 15, 2015	#11
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Thanks Tracy. You grew chard here in the summer? Same with cucs? Interesting. __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 15, 2015	#2
OzoneNY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Frisco Texas Posts: 390	Doesnt get that hot here north of Dallas, we hit 105 regularly but I found my roma tomato plants did ok with only 3 to 4 hrs of direct sun last july/aug. The others that got more than 5 could not take the intensity and went under. Those that survived did make a few more fruit by end of November. I also have several in the ground now that get a range of full sun vs a majority of indirect sun and the indirect plants are doing better for some reason. Not a scientific poll here but maybe it will help you decide.

April 15, 2015	#3
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	As I understand it tomato plants need certain amount of lumen for their photosynthesis function. The lumen can come from defused, filtered and in direct sun as well as direct. In the past 10 years I have been growing tomatoes that get 5 to 7 hours of direct sun and have done fine. Maybe early in the season when temperatures are on cool side and the sun intensity/ altitude is low, plants can benefit from more direct sun but when it gets warmer, days get longer and solar altitude increases , then less direct sun is better ESPECIALLY in the south.. Having said that, I am not sure just one hour of direct sun is enough. Another thing is that when the temperatures are in triple digits it is actually what it is in the shade. Still it is hot. Gardeneer

April 15, 2015	#8
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	I grow a few tomatoes in nearly full shade each year. I do it only to appease a bossy family member... They grow poorly compared to the tomatoes in the field, but they always produce something.

April 15, 2015	#10
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I had no luck with tomatoes,peppers and eggplants on the north. Chard,armenian cucumbers, trombocino and parsley did well.

April 16, 2015	#12
UFXEFU Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Gloster, Lousiana 71030 Zone 8a Posts: 253	Tomatoes like sun, but with those high temps you'll have problems with fruit setting. Plant early in full sun when temps are cooler. Choose heat tolerant varieties.