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ernie85017

Fall tomatoes

From this forum I have learned about rooting suckers to plant for Fall production. It works!

They are now in small pots with soil, waiting for the right time. When is the right time? It seems too hot right now to dare put them in the ground.

When do you do this?

Another question: If I nurse my tomato plants through to Fall, do they continue to put on their growth at the top in order to fruit for Fall? Will they just keep going and going with good care? I thought to let them turn and grow toward the ground after they reach beyond their stakes.

Comments (13)

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    11 years ago

    You're right ernie, too hot now, those babies will just fry. I'm planning to plant my crop in early/mid-Sept. When you first plant, whether in-ground or containers, you want them to focus on getting a good, healthy root system. You'll see some top growth and sometimes flowers. Some folks remove the first flowers so the plant does not 'waste' energy producing flowers at the risk of roots.

    If we have a mild winter (no frosts or freezes) they will easily continue to spring/early summer. Last year we had a frost in early December that did in the plants in my raised bed that were looking really good. (I replanted them (Black Plum) and had to toss more than 90% of them to BER. So.....it's one thing. Or another.

  • ernie85017, zn 9, phx
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Will there actually be fruit during the winter months?

    I am beginning to see the rhythm here. The seasons overlap a bit. The rooted suckers from the plants now will be in the garden in the winter, and the suckers from the winter plants should be planted in February for the coming season.

    It looks like I should be starting the seeds for my Fall vegs now. Do you start them indoors? I am imagining trying to keep them "moist" outdoors in the summer!

    Meanwhile, my compost is rotting, I am continuing to mulch beds as I can find material, and I discovered I can sweep up roly-polies and feed them to the delighted chickens (who are making deep litter compost for me as we speak)!

    God made a wonderful system, didn't he?

  • tomatofreak
    11 years ago

    I don't know what god's doing, but you seem to be doing right by your garden - and your chickens. ;-)

  • Pagancat
    11 years ago

    Yes, she did, lol!

    Seriously though, I have a question and an offer.

    I will gladly bring a bag full of dry horse manure to anyone who wants it. I am burying what I can in a raised bed that will become my garden (hopefully) this fall, but I still have waaaayyy too much and will have to start paying to have it taken away.

    And my question, Ernie, do you have much of a fly problem with the chickens? I have a friend who uses them to clean up all of her manure, but I'm afraid of trading one problem for another.

    Probably should have started a new thread, huh?

  • ernie85017, zn 9, phx
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    They do love to get those fresh horse poops and dig for grain! I knew a gal who did the same for her horse poo and the fly problem was not bad. The horses and their manure might draw as many flies anyway.

    Flies with chickens can be a big problem. With a few chickens and clean chicken house, not so much; I got bales of large wood shavings and laid it down deep for a deep litter composting system. So far the flies are unaware because the chickens love to scratch in the litter and bury the poop. Also, no smell.

    Before I got the chickens I had a lot of flies, some tiny ones and some that seemed to bite. The only place I could think of that they were coming from was the mulch. But that doesn't really make sense. I am stumped. But, with the deep litter I have not seen an increase in flies.

    So, anyone offering their ideas on seed starting for fall? (see above post).

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    11 years ago

    Do you mean will they fruit? Probably. I'm expecting the 100 or so that I'm starting to put out some fruit. For spring/summer season, we have to get them in the garden early enough to get fruit set before temps hit the high 90's.

    For fall/winter we have to get them in before frost. The bottom line on that is: although we have two growing seasons, they are both very short. So, short DTM's (date to maturity) on nearly all my tomato plants. I don't remember what variety you have going.

    Does that help?

    pagancat, I've been reluctant to get horse manure because I've heard so much talk about seeds, and worming meds and burning crops. I've decided to be better safe than sorry. But I'm open to be convinced. [grin]

    McSkeptic

  • ernie85017, zn 9, phx
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    100 tomato plants?! Lordy.

    I don't know what one of the types I have growing is - it was a "tomato" plant from walmart. No variety on it. I figured if I was going to kill them, I should kill something inexpensive. But I didn't kill them. I haven't gotten tomatoes yet. The few that set are starting to redden now. I now know to get early season toms.

    The roma is..;. a roma. I lost the tag and don't know which kind. They don't seem to want to ripen. Lots of them set, but only one ripened so far. Growth has stalled. They are shaded from intense sun, and get good water. Maybe the container was not a good idea. It is in a tree pot, prob. 15 gal, great soil.

    I did learn a big lesson: no tomatoes in containers. I watered till it ran out the bottom so the soil would not be overwhelmed with salts and minerals. Out the bottom also ran the calcium. BER started, but as long as I supplemented the calcium regularly it stopped and new fruit didn't develop it.

    Is there another tomato ailment that looks like BER? Just in case it wasn't BER, I;d like to know what to look out for. What i saw that I thought was BER was black spots on the blossom ends which grew larger if I didn't get the calcium in.. The spots stopped getting larger, but as some of the toms have gotten larger a kind of spoiled area started moving from the hard black area up the tomatoes.

    THank you all so much for your help.

  • ernie85017, zn 9, phx
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    100 tomato plants?! Lordy.

    I don't know what one of the types I have growing is - it was a "tomato" plant from walmart. No variety on it. I figured if I was going to kill them, I should kill something inexpensive. But I didn't kill them. I haven't gotten tomatoes yet. The few that set are starting to redden now. I now know to get early season toms.

    The roma is..;. a roma. I lost the tag and don't know which kind. They don't seem to want to ripen. Lots of them set, but only one ripened so far. Growth has stalled. They are shaded from intense sun, and get good water. Maybe the container was not a good idea. It is in a tree pot, prob. 15 gal, great soil.

    I did learn a big lesson: no tomatoes in containers. I watered till it ran out the bottom so the soil would not be overwhelmed with salts and minerals. Out the bottom also ran the calcium. BER started, but as long as I supplemented the calcium regularly it stopped and new fruit didn't develop it.

    Is there another tomato ailment that looks like BER? Just in case it wasn't BER, I;d like to know what to look out for. What i saw that I thought was BER was black spots on the blossom ends which grew larger if I didn't get the calcium in.. The spots stopped getting larger, but as some of the toms have gotten larger a kind of spoiled area started moving from the hard black area up the tomatoes.

    THank you all so much for your help.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    11 years ago

    Yeah well, roma's are prone to BER so that was probably it. Reading and forum cruising I've been doing tells me that 'Heart' type tomatoes are good for sauce (why I want Roma's); taste better than Roma/Plum's; and are not so prone to BER.

    In that sprouting forest of 100 tomato seedlings I have two Hearts: Anna Russian and Hungarian Heart (maybe one other, I can't remember now). I sell most of my starts at 1 qt size. Plan to begin selling around early Sept.

  • azbookworm
    11 years ago

    What are your most favorite fall tomato? I tried Matt's Wild Cherry last year and it didn't do well.

    Would some of the cooler temp varieties that grow up in Wisconsin ( for example) be better? I wonder if there is a tomato that will grow well in our cooler temps.

    My spouse said I should experiment less and produce only the ones HE likes. hahaha How will I ever discover that if I don't experiment.

    Mary of your 100's - will you share the varieties you are groaning?

    Thank you so much.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    11 years ago

    I'd be happy to post the list but I have not reviewed the forum's rules re: self promotion. It might be best if interested parties contacted me off-line. Just go up to My Page. I'll try to find time to research the rules here about self-promotion. Thanks for asking.

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    11 years ago

    Didn't answer your question re: favorite fall varieties: I'm in the reseach stage. This is only my second fall garden so I'm not really in a position to post any reviews about them. A year or two more....but if anyone else has input, let it rip! [grin]

  • Pagancat
    11 years ago

    Mary, all that you've heard is.... well.... semi-accurate. Burning is probably from the salts in steer manure as opposed to horse. And it probably is worth knowing where your manure came from and when the horses were wormed. If you wait a few days from that time, I would think you'd be in the clear for any of the medication, assuming that it can even be taken up by plants - or is it the earthworms you're concerned about? I would have to research whether or not they're even susceptible to the same medication - lots of worms aren't.

    And as for the seeds - depends once again on what the horses are eating. Currently, mine are getting oat grass and alfalfa, along with some fescue.... and the fescue is the only thing that might have seeds in it. Of course, the sure way to get around the seeds is a hot compost pile. That might even denature any possible chemicals?

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