setting fruit over 90F?

habitat_gardener · July 23, 2019

I went to a garden tour given by a retired plant-sciences prof. He claims there is no list of tomatoes that set fruit at higher temperatures. (It's been over 90F for most of the past month, but gets down to the 60s at night.) He said when he first moved here, he tried a couple standard hybrids that didn't set much fruit at all (which he'd grown successfully in Michigan). Now relies on Fourth of July, and is also growing Steakhouse Whopper and Park's Whopper. Doesn't believe in the "holiness of heirlooms."

I moved to this area last year and planted late in the season this year and last, so I don't have a good list of reliable varieties for this climate yet. Still, I have pretty good fruit set on my 50 or so plants.

I'd be interested in a list of heirlooms/OP varieties that might do well with 90F days and 60F nights, about 30-50% humidity, no rain all summer. (Doesn't Brad Gates grow his tomatoes in this area?)

AlittleSalt · July 24, 2019

If the 90s aren't in the upper 90s - any OP or F1 I know of works. A general belief of mine is if the temperatures are between 60 and 95F - it's tomato growing season.

AKmark · July 24, 2019

I just went through a month straight of 80-90 in AK with almost 20 hours of daylight. (This is outside the Greenhouses). It was brutal, shade cloth saved most, but some fruit did ferment right on the vine, it seemed. Fruit set was okay, but flavor was immensely affected. Of course some varieties held up better than others.
It was dangerously hot in there, we shut down our retail center a few days, and we watered 4 times a day in some GH's. Watering and shade cloth saved our behinds, now everything is looking good again.

zipcode · July 24, 2019

Well, with 60 an night, pollination should be no problem on most varieties.

July 24, 2019

If it's not 90+ a whole lot then pretty much any tomato should set fruit fine. It may be the sunlight, soil, drought, weather changes, and/or lack of mulch causing issues. Same for lack of organic matter.

For the conditions you outlined (and hotter, in areas that aren't southern humid ones), I'd suggest the following (the ones that say F1 aren't OP):
Matina
Early Girl F1
Mountain Princess
Sweet Orange Cherry
Frosty F. House
Sausage (handles extremely hot soil quite well, too)
Husky Cherry Red F1
Manitoba

I haven't assessed their heat-tolerance, but I also recommend Marion, Black Dragon, Fourth of July F1, Bloody Butcher, and Moravsky Div. You might try Black Krim, too.

Getting an early start is important, too, especially if you have dry summers, but it's more important where it's both extra hot and dry (like over 100 a lot). Buying mature-enough plants early enough (and transplanting them directly afterward) is a good way to get a good harvest there. Just buy an Early Girl F1, Roma, and Husky Cherry Red F1 as soon as the last frost is over (don't wait!) I like to grow from seed, but I admit, the store-bought plants are a good deal. They're getting good selections at The Home Depot, these days, but growing from seed is good, too; there's a lot I could say there (but it's late).

Don't transplant when the sun is shining. Either after the sun sets or early in the morning are the best times, IMO.

I don't recommend Park's Whopper F1 for a climate like yours, but it tastes great. If you do grow it, add organic matter, and mulch it or some such.

b54red · July 24, 2019

Since I live in an area where 90 would be a cool spell in mid summer I have a few varieties that will set fruit even in extremely hot weather. By that I mean days near or above 100 and nights in the 70s and 80s for months sometimes. We just ended one of the hottest and driest spring and early summer seasons I have ever experienced. We averaged just over one inch of rain per month for three months with daily temps hitting close to 100 or even more for all of those three months and I set out new plants in both May and early June. Below are a list in order of fruit set during that trying time. Besides the open pollinated and heirloom varieties listed below one hybrid that always stood out in fruit set under stressful conditions was Big Beef.

Indian Stripe PL- the best fruit set I have ever seen in super hot weather
Spudakee- very good fruit set
Pruden"s Purple- very good fruit set
Arkansas Traveler- very good fruit set
Gary O' Sena- very good fruit set
Berkeley Tie Dye Pink- very good fruit set
Limbaugh's Legacy- good fruit set
1884-good fruit set
JD's Special C Tex- good fruit set
Brandywine Cowlick's- good fruit set

I will go out today and check the fruit set on the others I have set out but all of the ones above should work good in your area; but it is important to remember that it isn't just variety that creates good fruit set because other factors are important.

A good heavy mulch to keep the soil temps down and moisture levels up.
Limiting the number of stems and pruning most if not all suckers.
Watering regularly and not ever letting the soil get too dry.
Keeping spider mites off the plants.
Keeping diseases under control.
And for me one of the most important is feeding the tomatoes every 7 to 10 days with Texas Tomato Food.

We finally got a good rain yesterday and into last night with a cool spell predicted to start today. This should up fruit set considerably but will also increase problems with disease and pests down here considerably. The best thing about the long dry spell was the lack of heavy disease pressure and the wonderful flavor the tomatoes developed without those spells where the flavor gets washed out by too much rain.

Bill

Bill

slugworth · July 24, 2019

I tried phoenix and burpee heatmaster.
Heatmaster already had green tomatoes before the latest heatwave.
I will keep an eye on the remaining blossoms.
The same with the phoenix.

GoDawgs · July 24, 2019

I would add that it would be beneficial if your tomatoes can get some shade at the end of the afternoon when temps are the hottest.

In the upper 90's we've had here, the fruit set on the tomatoes by the house where they get some shade has been good. They receive sun from about 10:30 through about 4:30. The tomatoes down in the garden. where they receive all day sun, have suffered and fruit set has been affected.

habitat_gardener · July 24, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

If the 90s aren't in the upper 90s - any OP or F1 I know of works. A general belief of mine is if the temperatures are between 60 and 95F - it's tomato growing season.

107F forecast for the weekend!

But yeah, usually it's 85-99F here in the summer.

jtjmartin · July 24, 2019

I love profs who spout off at the mouth that "there is no list." Science CANNOT say there is no list. Retired prof can say he KNOWS of no list. I love his experience experiment of "trying a couple." Great population size.

My tomatoes certainly slow down after 90 degrees but some still set fruit. Here's a list: just about all my cherries, ISPL, etc. and some new to me Maravilha dos Mercados, Persimmon, Not Buffalo Soldier, are all setting and developing fruit.

"Doesn't believe . . ."? I think that is more religion than science.

habitat_gardener · July 24, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

I love profs who spout off at the mouth that "there is no list." Science CANNOT say there is no list. Retired prof can say he KNOWS of no list. I love his experience experiment of "trying a couple." Great population size.

My tomatoes certainly slow down after 90 degrees but some still set fruit. Here's a list: just about all my cherries, ISPL, etc. and some new to me Maravilha dos Mercados, Persimmon, Not Buffalo Soldier, are all setting and developing fruit.

"Doesn't believe . . ."? I think that is more religion than science.

I know, right? He grows only 3 varieties a year, 9 plants total. But i did like his tomato support system. (Also learned about Veggie Mesh and hinged deep Rootrainer pots — though both probably cost more than I want to spend.)

I’ve heard similar things from people at the community garden (“heirlooms won’t grow here”). At least the local master gardener plant sale has lots of OPs.

I was thinking of putting together a presentation on better tomatoes to grow when I do a tomato tasting at my community garden later in the year. I grew 40 varieties from seed this year and added about 10 more from other sources.

AlittleSalt · July 24, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

107F forecast for the weekend!

But yeah, usually it's 85-99F here in the summer.

107F...The best of luck. That's when you start sweating by just looking outside.

<sweating not crying

greenthumbomaha · July 25, 2019

This was the year of purchasing plants (hope I never have to do it again) and Garden Gem isn't producing anyhting in the near 100 heat we had all last week. All my fruit is on the bottom from very early plantings.

- Lisa

AlittleSalt · July 25, 2019

Often times, I start a reply and realize that I don't know what it's like in different parts of the world. I know what it's like to grow in this part of Texas - and I'm still learning about that.

Mark growing in Alaska. I can't imagine 20 hours of sunlight.
Bill, your part of Alabama is a lot like where I garden. GoDawgs it sounds the same too.
I could reply to each one of you without knowing what your weather conditions are like. Zipcode, z, 4-6 that sounds like cool weather to me. Slugworth, I have another friend in Connecticut, here dealing with excessive heat like here in Texas. H_G, I don't understand California weather - it might be more diverse than Texas weather? Lisa, wow.

Hot weather is supposed to happen here where I live and out in desert regions is what I believed growing up. How to protect tomato plants in 100+ weather - do your best. That is my answer - otherwise give other options/thoughts to where you grow and adjust.

arnorrian · July 25, 2019

Anyone tried Lucid Gem? It's suppose to be heat tolerant.

July 23, 2019	#1
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	setting fruit over 90F? I went to a garden tour given by a retired plant-sciences prof. He claims there is no list of tomatoes that set fruit at higher temperatures. (It's been over 90F for most of the past month, but gets down to the 60s at night.) He said when he first moved here, he tried a couple standard hybrids that didn't set much fruit at all (which he'd grown successfully in Michigan). Now relies on Fourth of July, and is also growing Steakhouse Whopper and Park's Whopper. Doesn't believe in the "holiness of heirlooms." I moved to this area last year and planted late in the season this year and last, so I don't have a good list of reliable varieties for this climate yet. Still, I have pretty good fruit set on my 50 or so plants. I'd be interested in a list of heirlooms/OP varieties that might do well with 90F days and 60F nights, about 30-50% humidity, no rain all summer. (Doesn't Brad Gates grow his tomatoes in this area?)

July 24, 2019	#5
shule1 Guest Posts: n/a	If it's not 90+ a whole lot then pretty much any tomato should set fruit fine. It may be the sunlight, soil, drought, weather changes, and/or lack of mulch causing issues. Same for lack of organic matter. For the conditions you outlined (and hotter, in areas that aren't southern humid ones), I'd suggest the following (the ones that say F1 aren't OP): Matina Early Girl F1 Mountain Princess Sweet Orange Cherry Frosty F. House Sausage (handles extremely hot soil quite well, too) Husky Cherry Red F1 Manitoba I haven't assessed their heat-tolerance, but I also recommend Marion, Black Dragon, Fourth of July F1, Bloody Butcher, and Moravsky Div. You might try Black Krim, too. Getting an early start is important, too, especially if you have dry summers, but it's more important where it's both extra hot and dry (like over 100 a lot). Buying mature-enough plants early enough (and transplanting them directly afterward) is a good way to get a good harvest there. Just buy an Early Girl F1, Roma, and Husky Cherry Red F1 as soon as the last frost is over (don't wait!) I like to grow from seed, but I admit, the store-bought plants are a good deal. They're getting good selections at The Home Depot, these days, but growing from seed is good, too; there's a lot I could say there (but it's late). Don't transplant when the sun is shining. Either after the sun sets or early in the morning are the best times, IMO. I don't recommend Park's Whopper F1 for a climate like yours, but it tastes great. If you do grow it, add organic matter, and mulch it or some such. Last edited by shule1; July 24, 2019 at 06:01 AM.

July 24, 2019	#2
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	If the 90s aren't in the upper 90s - any OP or F1 I know of works. A general belief of mine is if the temperatures are between 60 and 95F - it's tomato growing season.

July 24, 2019	#3
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	I just went through a month straight of 80-90 in AK with almost 20 hours of daylight. (This is outside the Greenhouses). It was brutal, shade cloth saved most, but some fruit did ferment right on the vine, it seemed. Fruit set was okay, but flavor was immensely affected. Of course some varieties held up better than others. It was dangerously hot in there, we shut down our retail center a few days, and we watered 4 times a day in some GH's. Watering and shade cloth saved our behinds, now everything is looking good again.

July 24, 2019	#4
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	Well, with 60 an night, pollination should be no problem on most varieties.

July 24, 2019	#6
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Since I live in an area where 90 would be a cool spell in mid summer I have a few varieties that will set fruit even in extremely hot weather. By that I mean days near or above 100 and nights in the 70s and 80s for months sometimes. We just ended one of the hottest and driest spring and early summer seasons I have ever experienced. We averaged just over one inch of rain per month for three months with daily temps hitting close to 100 or even more for all of those three months and I set out new plants in both May and early June. Below are a list in order of fruit set during that trying time. Besides the open pollinated and heirloom varieties listed below one hybrid that always stood out in fruit set under stressful conditions was Big Beef. Indian Stripe PL- the best fruit set I have ever seen in super hot weather Spudakee- very good fruit set Pruden"s Purple- very good fruit set Arkansas Traveler- very good fruit set Gary O' Sena- very good fruit set Berkeley Tie Dye Pink- very good fruit set Limbaugh's Legacy- good fruit set 1884-good fruit set JD's Special C Tex- good fruit set Brandywine Cowlick's- good fruit set I will go out today and check the fruit set on the others I have set out but all of the ones above should work good in your area; but it is important to remember that it isn't just variety that creates good fruit set because other factors are important. A good heavy mulch to keep the soil temps down and moisture levels up. Limiting the number of stems and pruning most if not all suckers. Watering regularly and not ever letting the soil get too dry. Keeping spider mites off the plants. Keeping diseases under control. And for me one of the most important is feeding the tomatoes every 7 to 10 days with Texas Tomato Food. We finally got a good rain yesterday and into last night with a cool spell predicted to start today. This should up fruit set considerably but will also increase problems with disease and pests down here considerably. The best thing about the long dry spell was the lack of heavy disease pressure and the wonderful flavor the tomatoes developed without those spells where the flavor gets washed out by too much rain. Bill Bill

July 24, 2019	#7
slugworth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: connecticut,usa Posts: 1,152	I tried phoenix and burpee heatmaster. Heatmaster already had green tomatoes before the latest heatwave. I will keep an eye on the remaining blossoms. The same with the phoenix.

July 24, 2019	#8
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	I would add that it would be beneficial if your tomatoes can get some shade at the end of the afternoon when temps are the hottest. In the upper 90's we've had here, the fruit set on the tomatoes by the house where they get some shade has been good. They receive sun from about 10:30 through about 4:30. The tomatoes down in the garden. where they receive all day sun, have suffered and fruit set has been affected.

July 24, 2019	#10
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I love profs who spout off at the mouth that "there is no list." Science CANNOT say there is no list. Retired prof can say he KNOWS of no list. I love his experience experiment of "trying a couple." Great population size. My tomatoes certainly slow down after 90 degrees but some still set fruit. Here's a list: just about all my cherries, ISPL, etc. and some new to me Maravilha dos Mercados, Persimmon, Not Buffalo Soldier, are all setting and developing fruit. "Doesn't believe . . ."? I think that is more religion than science.

July 25, 2019	#13
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	This was the year of purchasing plants (hope I never have to do it again) and Garden Gem isn't producing anyhting in the near 100 heat we had all last week. All my fruit is on the bottom from very early plantings. - Lisa

July 25, 2019	#15
arnorrian Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2019 Location: Serbia Posts: 199	Anyone tried Lucid Gem? It's suppose to be heat tolerant.