|
Wed, Feb 12, 14 at 16:40
| I was at a nursery today and saw they have Stupice tomato transplants, which I recognized as one of the common "early" tomato varieties. It got me thinking - are Stupice (or other early tomatoes) able to tolerate cool temperatures better than other varieties, or are they simply faster to mature? I'm not talking about frost-tolerance or anything, just the ability of young plants to withstand nights in the low 40s. I'm in inland Southern CA, and we haven't had frost since mid-December. I had been planning to wait until March to plant my tomatoes, which seems to be the traditionally accepted time, but this winter has been unbelievably warm. The 10-day forecast calls for 70+ F highs and 48+ F lows. I'd be planting them in a raised bed or container, which presumably would have warmer soil temps. I don't have Wall's O Water or any other products like that. What techniques do people recommend for a plant or two if I do decide to plant early? Thanks very much. -Chris |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by sanpedro 6A (goodwin@operamail.com) on Wed, Feb 12, 14 at 23:21
| Yes, some of those varieties are more cold tolerant. Stupice will set in cooler temperatures. Soil temperature is the important factor. We circulate warm water through the soil to heat things up. We also us Walls of Water which release heat during the night. In the field, we use caps made of a reflective bubble wrap.That's what you see in the photo. In order to breed true freeze resistance into tomatoes, a project several us are working on, wild species are crossed to very hardy strains of tomatoes. Lee |
|
| Tomatoes can take temps in the low forties and mine have taken in the thirties even. I started my large ones sometime in Nov covered them in my cold frame and had temps in the low 20's in Dec in my greenhouse.Just make sure if you get a frost to cover them overnight,I use frost blankets but anything over the tops and all the way covered to keep them from freezing should be fine.Good luck with yours. |
|
- Posted by whitelacey 6 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 13, 14 at 0:31
| Just a side note-soil in raised beds or pots is not necessarily warmer. The soil is exposed to the elements on all sides rather than being insulated by the surrounding soil and is therefore more susceptible to changing temperatures. |
|
- Posted by suncitylinda 9A SoCal Inland (My Page) on Thu, Feb 13, 14 at 12:34
| I have been growing tomatoes all Winter under cover of my patio. Some will set at low temps, others will not. Small reds are often a good bet. Siberian is said to set fruit in the high thirties. I am growing some now. I have a Bolseno Hybrid which has continued to set and my lows have been mid to high 30s. Sun Gold has also set well. Google cool climate tomatoes for ideas. |
|
| Thanks everyone. I guess I should have clarified that I had read some posts that suggest that temperatures in the 40s can permanently stunt very young plants, which I obviously want to avoid. I've had an established (summer-planted) tomato that survived the frosts we had in Dec, but I don't know how young transplants deal with cool/cold temps. I think I'll be planting a Stupice this weekend. Thanks! |
|
| Early, cold (rather cool) tolerance. Check out these: Glacier, Siletz, Legend, Stupice, Oregon Spring, Siberia, ... I am going to grow 3 of those named above this season, as we have very COOL spring and late summer/early fall weather. Hope it helps. |
|
| It's not unheard of to get frosts right into the first week of June here in Saskatchewan. If I've put the tomatoes in the ground in late May and a subsequent frost is in the forecast, we cover them with blankets for the night, exactly like we would in the fall. The plants always reach the same size as they do every year. We don't notice any stunting or drop in production with any of the early determinates. The mid and late indeterminates take lower temperatures much harder. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
