[DonDuck]

We are currently reaching 105 F in temp with 108 predicted for the weekend. My primary cultivars this year were Carbon, Big Beef, KBX, and Limbaugh s legacy with a variety of cherry tomatoes including Cherry Falls and Black Cherry. While some varieties are still alive and waiting for cooler weather to set fruit again, my Big Beef plants seem to be most resistant to both heat and disease. They are not blooming, but they are growing after being cut back. Carbon also has performed well in the heat but has stopped production, but it looks like it will also be ready to produce more when the weather cools.



Limbaugh's gave up fast as the heat approached with all of my plants dying quickly. Black Cherry also bit the dust pretty quickly. KBX produced a lot of really large, perfectly shaped tomatoes into the heat of summer and then died.


As a few plants died, I replaced them with more Big Beef and Heatmaster plants. I've never grown Heatmaster, but it is growing and blooming in the heat. Both varieties seem to have decent disease tolerance so it will be interesting to see if they produce in the fall.


A feed store near my house was preparing to dispose of their remaining tomato seedlings.The different varieties in the small containers were very leggy and near death with the exception of the Heatmaster plants which were healthy and blooming. The store owner offered to sell me the Heatmaster plants for $0.50 each simply to dispose of them. They had been priced at over $3.00 each. I bought ten plants and I am really curious how well they will produce tomatoes this fall and if the tomatoes are worth eating.