Choosing Tomatoes for Florida

14 years ago

(I am also posting this on the Florida Forum, but I want to pick the brains/experiences of tomato experts.)

The NV in my member name is "inoperative" as they say - I'm now living in Florida. I have 2 seasons - a spring season, from last frost (Feb?) to early June, when I have to clear the garden and set it up to solarize while I'm away over the summer. The Fall season goes from September (more likely late Sep, early Oct for me) until frost, which is due in Dec, but has come a month earlier on occasion.

My questions are several:

1. What is a good heirloom tomato for the short Spring season, so it will have been prtoducing for a while before I have to pull it out?

2. Is there a short season heirloom (or hybrid) that will do the job in the fall, given the short time, and shortening days during the growing season?

3. Are there any heirlooms noted for disease resistance, especially early blight?

This year I'm growing Cherokee Purple, Super Tasty, Black Plum, Vintage Wine, German Gold, and German Giant. I've been harvesting lots of Plums, and Tastys, a few Cherokee, and just one German Gold, and now it's quitten time. They all have been blighted to death - first year garden - I'll be prepared next year, but have to figure what to do to prevent/treat it. The plant-to-ripening times are all over the place with respect to what is listed for these varieties...

I also have tried, and like, Brandywine (several), Kellog Breakfast, Prudens Purple, Italian Heirloom (in the NV garden) I am mostly looking for a medium large tomato with a lot of flavor, tangy as well as sweet.

I'd love to get your suggestions. I'm prepared to give up the Fall planting for tomatoes, but I'd rather not - what would the Fall Armyworms do without them? ;-D

Thanks lots!

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Comments (3)

emlyn
14 years ago
I planted 63 varieties. All but 4 are open pollinated but not all are heirlooms. I was interested in early and heavy production for making sauce, a few slicers and beating the stink bugs. I ate my first ripe one on 4/30. Production peaked last week but I'm still getting loads. Mission was accomplished.

The big indeterminate slicers take a bit longer and don't set as many. I didn't use anything for disease and only BT for the corn worms that showed up in droves about 3 weeks ago. Fruit set has been good until recently when frequent rain and high temps slowed them down.

I started setting out my seedlings on 03/03 and had them all out by the 15th. I had to worry about frost 3 times and plan to get some row cover for next year. Early is the key. I let some suckers get about 4" and rooted some more plants in mid April. They have large fruit that hasn't started ripening. Now I'm going to start more suckers for plant out in mid July.

The indeterminate slicers I have this year are Cherokee Purple, Stump of the World, Rose Climber, Indian Stripe and Royal Hillbilly. These are all great tomatoes but the latter 3 are more productive.
azruss
14 years ago
Our seasons are similar. This spring I had pretty good luck with a couple of mid-season OP's: Goose Creek and Neves Azorean Red--good flavor, high production. Mule Team tasted terrific, but production was a bit on the low side. Super Sioux were prolific but tasted horrible. Won't grow again. Hybrid Momotaro was outstanding in flavor, but low in production. The reverse is true for Heartland, best picked green for fried green tomatoes.

If you're from NV you've probably heard of Hawaiian Tropic. Very prolific and very tasteless. Never again.

Google Gary'O Sena. I am very much looking forward to including that one in next year's spring line-up, along with Burpee's Brandy Boy.

Our fall season is shorter than yours, but I'd like to hear what you grow for fall just the same.
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eileen_nv
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the info! I'll be on the road all summer, and about August, I'll be going nuts trying to figure out where and how to start tomatoes in a Truck Camper! :-D

I have 2 more days before we go, and I'm still resisting pulling out the last tomatoes :-( But, I gotta solarize, or it will be nematode heaven when I get back...