Hi Bruce - my first question would be why are you trying to grow tomatoes through the summer in Florida? Florida growers are lucky enough to have 2 growing seasons for tomatoes but summer isn't one of them.

So when are you planting? Have you done any reading on the Florida Gardening forum here for planting time info? Do you start new plants or take cuttings to replace your plants for your fall growing season there?

Yes indeterminates can have a limited life span but when planted at the proper time for location there is plenty of time to get in a good crop before the heat and humidity takes them down. Sure one can baby them through the bad times and hope for a second crop once the weather breaks but I find it much better to just replace the plants with new ones.

I would think that with your big containers and drip system rooting some cuttings for the fall would be easy to do. Possible?

Dave

We don't get quite as hot here in California but we do get a superhot week or two usually when I August heatwave rolls in.

I usually put some kind of semi translucent shade cloth if I'm concerned about heat. This helps prevent the foliage from burning off as much water and since you have a "tomato prison" built already it may give you some easy attach points for shade cloth.

Also in the mid/late season when tomatoes start getting stragely, I pretty aggressively prune off realy old/damaged/quasi-diseased branches and as long as light is still hitting that area, new healthy branches will find a way to grow there.

Hi Dave --

Yes, I've tried both cuttings, and even new plants from HD. The plants really just manage to survive through the August heat, which continues into October. So, they can't add enough size to get to blooming and fruiting.

I buy my plants from Lowe's/HD usually in February, and carry them inside and out until the danger of frost is over. I buy plants because I've tried doing seeds, and it's just not practical for me to get good, large, chunky transplants before March. The larger the plants, the better, because there's just not a lot of time before it starts getting hot.

I know weather gives gardeners challenges wherever they live, but we usually have only two seasons here: winter and summer. The reason I have such great plants this year is because we've had an unusually mild spring, with generally cooler temps.

Thanks!

-Bruce

Thanks for your thoughts, slowrolling. Maybe the branching you're describing has to do with the variety? I've never noticed Big Beef branching from below late in the season...always from new growth near the top of the plant. Right now, branches are appearing everywhere, but that phenomenon seems to end when the stem starts to get woody.

My neighbor puts up a sheet over his plants, but I think that's too much. That's something for me to consider, however, because I do have some shadecloth. Since my plants are already limited in their direct sun to about four hours or so, would shading shut them down entirely?

-Bruce

4 hours is kind of low... I would go with a thin white/other color sheet so that some light still gets through. If you have 12 plants you can try it on a couple and do a little at home experiment.

As far as the branching goes all my indeterminates will branch in low trimmed areas if there are still good growing conditions and adequate light, but my location has 8-10 hours of sunlight. So YMMV.

Another caveat is the my area of CA is great for tomatoes usually from april-early november. Very mild Mediterranean climate, so again, what works for me may have no luck in FL. May want to ask some Floridians.

I am about 50 miles south of Sacramento. I am perplexed by the thought that heat bothers tomatoes. We have several days 105 to 100. All summer above 90.( although it is a very very dry heat) In the past, I have grown Better Boys that seem to do OK in the heat. They do take much more water and thus my problem of them splitting. I'm trying to do a better job of donstant even watering via a drip system this year.

I grow in the swamps of suburban Miami, Florida, not far from Homestead. NO ONE grows in summer in Homestead. I grow thru winter. The suburban landscape seldom if ever gets frost much less a hard freeze.

I know it's probably temperature-related, but, I don't understand why they can grow tomatoes so well down in Homestead, Florida...where the temps are similar to here in the summer. (From July through October we are mostly low 90s during the day, and ~80F at night.) And then there are the folks who grow tomatoes in Sacramento, where it goes up to 110 in the summer! What gives?

I'm no expert but maybe it's not the daytime high as much as the nighttime low?

Thanks so much to all for your thoughts. sandshifter -- I knew about Sacramento and the heat you all get, which is why I wondered about this issue. Still scratching my head why tomato plants seem to burn up in the summer...but then garf, you say that Homestead shuts down in the summer! I was blown away when I drove through there in March, and saw the acres and acres of tomato fruits rotting on the ground! chuggerguy -- we used to live in Vero before moving to "the other Florida"! (Miss it badly!) It's possible it's the nighttime temps, although I would guess that they are similar in Sacramento?

And the mystery continues...

-Bruce

It looks like it the nights may be cooler there.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/sacramento-ca/95814/july-weather/347627

I moved down from Ohio a year and a half ago. I didn't garden much in Ohio but would often grow a few tomatoes. It was pretty much just buy the plants, stick them in the ground, eat tomatoes, and watch some rot on the ground after tiring of them. It's been more challenging, often frustrating down here. It seems like the lack of hard freezes and the warm dampness harbors so much more disease. That and my place didn't come with soil, it came with sand, wanta grow anything, buy(or create) the soil first. This Spring has been good though. I know it's not worthwhile trying to grow tomatoes in the Summer here but... I'm hardheaded and bored so I'll try a couple anyway. Just seeds right?

AHA!! I think you're on to something! Gosh, I didn't realize there was such a temperature differential in Sacramento, and didn't think to check. That may very well explain it!

When we lived in Vero, there were a lot of slash pines on our property. I raked the needles into humongous piles around the boundary, in a damp, shaded spot, and let them sit. In a couple of years, they made the BEST compost I've ever seen...fabulous soil amendment to sand. My wife and I really miss Vero a lot...living here is like another planet by comparison.

-Bruce

I have no Pines but have 3 Live Oaks that rain leaves all Winter long. I use those. Actually I lowered my mower, put the bag on it and sucked up a bunch of leaves and green vegetation. Piled it along a stretch of fence to decay, got impatient and ran a thin layer of soil along the top and planted beans not expecting them to grow. Surprisingly they did pretty well.

Just about a year ago, before my first Summer here, I ran into problems with tomatoes. Sent pictures to the County Extension and learned to my dismay that most people here give up on tomatoes about this time of year. I think I'm coming up against that wall again but this time I got lots of tomatoes. And still lots of green ones on the vines.

I'll try a "Wild Florida Everglades" currant though which might just give me a few for salads or whatever.

I'll probably try "Homestead 24", "Atkinson", "Florida Pink", "Anahu" and "Kewalo". I won't expect much, that way I won't be disappointed. If they start looking bad I'll just yank them to avoid the frustration.

Yeah, this is another planet compared to Ohio too. The lady at the extension said forget everything I knew about gardening from Ohio. Luckily I didn't have much to forget.

This plant has given me, the birds and worms 106 tomatoes so far. Eleven foot, ugly, unkempt and disease ridden but it's served its purpose. More peat than I care to admit but it dries so quickly here that the moisture retention "may" actually be a plus? "Red Beefsteak Heirloom"
{{gwi:1328630}}

NO WAY!!!! That is one, impressive tomato plant! Congratulations! I'm lucky if I get one or two big ones, and a few smaller tomatoes per plant...

I think you could make a small fortune selling seeds from your tree! ;-)

-Bruce

For the first time in my life I saved a few seeds(after emailing Bonnie to make sure it really is OP) and will try them closer to Fall or next Spring. It's really sick now though. I had a huge flush(?) and hope to get another one before they turn into dripping balls of goo, which a few have. I have a Brandywine right beside it that's probably 8 foot. It's looking bad now too but has given me several nice tomatoes so far. All my tomatoes are sick now. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

I've called it a tree too. I was half joking when I put the extra cage on top of the first. Never really thought it would make it to(past) the top, at least not without pruning.

I found a new grow system called Life Flow. It is half hydroponics and half container. It seems to grow tomatoes in high heat. The large tank supplies cooler water to the roots. A solar panel maintains flow. It is over 90 and I still have flowers and new fruit. www.simgar.com