My first thought would be to try to keep your current plants going. The brandywine probably will not have enough time to set and ripen new fruit, but the hybrids should do well if kept watered and pest free. I do not do fall crops, but believe most who do in TX plant out mid July to mid August. I'm sure others will speak up.

Why not just root some cuttings from your existing plants for mid to late July planting. Unless you want different varieties for some reason, clones are much faster than trying to grow new ones from seed.

Dave

So, if you root cuttings and plant them in mid-August, Is it possible to know---about what time will it set fruit? What month? Or will that depend on the variety and other variables?

Mid-August would be too late for most parts of the country. You need 60 days minimum before frost 90 days is better.

The rooted cutting would have the same DTM as the parent plant. If the parent plant was a 60 day early the cutting would also be a 60 day, parent an 80 day mid-season type so is the cutting etc.

DTM is from date of transplanting to ripe fruit but just as DTM is affected by all the other variables of weather, ferilizer, watering etc. so would the clone be affected.

What you accomplish with using clones is eliminating the 6 week growing from seed time.

Dave

Suckers are they way to go in regards to cuttings. You will be farther ahead of the game in the long run.

In regards to when to plant, when does Austin see it's first average frost? For fall planting you work things in reverse, counting backwards from the first frost date. Here in Dallas it's mid November. The hot weather usually breaks the 2nd weekend of July or so. Seems that my indeterminates that survived the summer heat will start setting fruit again around the 15th of September or so.

If I were you, I would want the new tomatoes to be flowering around the 10th of September or so.

Oops. I should have said that the weather breaks in SEPTEMBER, not JULY. Sorry.

Dave,
60-90 days...about 2-3 months, so from mid-August, to September, Oct., Nov....Usually in my area we don't get frost until December(the Houston area), so, I might be wrong, but it seems that I might ample time for fall tomatoes to set fruit.
Please correct me if I'm wrong; I don't doubt your info.

primavera_grower - No, that's fine. Your first post above didn't indicate a growing zone for you as your last one does (Texas) so I could only guess as to location. If you have that long till frost you are lucky - most don't and would envy that.

But also keep in mind that since the DTM is just to first production - that first ripe fruit - so earlier planting would get you more ripe production before the frost. Follow me?

Dave

I'd put them in around the first of August and shade them with a wood shingle stuck in the ground on the west or south side. If you keep them watered, the young plant won't mind the heat and will grow fast. I get tons of production off of big plants as long as I don't fertilize too long or too much. You should see all the tomatoes on my Big Beefs this year. Poor plants are sagging under the weight and they are still putting on. Of course I grow in the ground so if you're not then ignore this.

A customer surprised me with tomatoes late one summer. His secret was using sun shade over his plants during the heat of the summer. The shade blocks 87% of the light and lowers temps by about 15 degrees. I'll be trying it myself this summer. 6' x 15' rolls or cut-to-length 6' wide rolls can be found at most CenTex box stores and nurseries.

Primavera_grower,

I live just south of Houston in League City. I planted toms early to mid August last year. As usual, it was another sultry end of summer and the temps didn't drop sufficiently for fruit set until the end of September/beginning of October. I had disease problems with all of the plants as well (probably wilt) which I never have with my spring tomatoes. The plants lasted until the end of December and even weathered a couple of light frosts.

Of the four OPs I planted (Black Krim, Brandywine OTV, Aunt Gerdie's Gold, Pineapple) only the Black Krim produced well enough to have been worth the effort. It is normally a good producer anyway and seems to stand the heat better than most. The cherry hybrids (Sun Gold and Sweet 100) did well as expected.

This year I'll try again but limit the planting to a few OPs that handle heat better. I will also experiment with shade cloth to shield the plants from the August sun. Hopefully, this fall will prove more "fruitful".

Steven

thanks for the words of advice!

shebear - I do grow in the ground. The first of August sounds about right. I was thinking of putting the transplants in tomato cages wrapped in shadecloth. I also heard of someone planting their fall starts under their pole bean teepees, to get sun protection until the beans peter out! That could be a problem though if the beans produce into September...

I'm jealous of your Big Beef! I have a Celebrity plant that set tomatoes really early, and is growing some big ones, but seems to have petered out on setting new tomatoes.

tripod - sorry to hear about your bad crop. I've heard that fall crops can be more successful than spring here, but I guess that's not always the case! My Brandywine is going ganbusters right now - I counted 17 tomatoes on it yesterday. So exciting!

I think I will try Black Krim for the fall. I've heard it withstands heat well, and tastes good. They look pretty too!

Dave,
Ok, thanks, I'm relieved to hear that I can plant in mid-August. And yes, I suppose I am lucky, but that also means the summers here are killer, so I need to choose early/mid varieties in the spring--prime planting time--to beat the heat....or face continuous blossom drop (And it's going to be tough to grow heirlooms as most of them are kinda late!)
Unless there really are early/midseason heirlooms if you can enlighten me on that subject.

Unless there really are early/midseason heirlooms if you can enlighten me on that subject.

Sure - lots of them! Likely hundreds. Stupice, Matina, Bloody Butcher are all early ones just to name a few. And even more mid-season ones. But like most open pollinated ones you will have to grow them from seed as you'll seldom find transplants available.

This same question was asked a week or so back - about early and mid season ones - and several links to sources were listed in that discussion. tomatogrowers.com is one and they are sorted by early, mid, late. Laurel's Plants is another - I think the url is heirloomtomatoes.com but not sure. You just need to do a bit more exploring. ;)

Dave

Laurel's is www.heirloomtomatoplants.com and I can highly recommend them.

One variety I'm reading about that seems to do well in TX (and hopefully here) is Gary'O Sena. It's productive, early-midseason, delicious and heat tolerant. Look for a quick seed trade and you might be able to make an early August plant-out date.

I'm in zone 7b/8a in West Central Texas. I put up tarps to lower the temp for my tomatoes...the area is much cooler and so far they seem to be getting enough sun.

I have been removing lower leaves and suckers so I can weed my containers easier. The suckers I stick in the soil under the mother plant. Last week I transplanted 16 rooted plants to tall cups and today I noticed there are some good sized plants already including 2 Black Krims and 2 Yellow 1884 Pinkheart which I plan to plant out soon to extend my season...we plan to build a greenhouse this Fall plus I have an enclosed porch that faces South where I grew tomatoes last Winter.

Peggy

I'm in zone 7b/8a in West Central Texas. I put up tarps to lower the temp for my tomatoes...the area is much cooler and so far they seem to be getting enough sun.

I have been removing lower leaves and suckers so I can weed my containers easier. The suckers I stick in the soil under the mother plant. Last week I transplanted 16 rooted plants to tall cups and today I noticed there are some good sized plants already including 2 Black Krims and 2 Yellow 1884 Pinkheart which I plan to plant out soon to extend my season...we plan to build a greenhouse this Fall plus I have an enclosed porch that faces South where I grew tomatoes last Winter.

Peggy

I start mine from seed for Fall tomatoes. It gives me opportunity to try more varieties and I can start fresh with healthy, vigorous plants. I put mine out in the second half of July, but late July or early August sounds ok for Austin. Your first flowers my not set fruit because it's too hot, but then again a cool front could blow in during the last half of September.

Be sure to use plenty of mulch around the plants. This will help moderate soil temps and ensure moister soil. If you use grass clippings don't pile it too high at first because it will mat up and don't place the clippings directly on the stem because it can burn them. In the end though, I would put at least a 3 or 4 inch layer of mulch. To avoid disease don't water the folage and water in the morning. The mulch will help prevent spalsh back also.
As far as varities, the early varities have worked best for me and also the smaller fruited varities. Some mid-season work ok too, but I wouldn't bet on getting much if any fruit from the late season types. Stupice and black cherry did best for me last Fall, and Eva Purple Ball did ok.
Finally, make sure the area you plant in will still get sufficient sun even as the days become shorter. One of the areas I planted in last year got 7 or 8 hours of sun in July but maybe only 5 by November.

Good Luck.

Pet

Pet - good point about the sun. my garden gets full south exposure so it shouldn't be a problem, especially as the leaves fall off the trees.

Peggy - I didn't realize suckers would root so easily! maybe I'll try that with some of my good producers. I've already gotten 2 big tomatoes off of my Brandywine! I do want to try different varieties though - Black Krim being one.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!