Quote:
Originally Posted by Algyros
Bill,
Are there any specific varieties you like for the oven season?
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I have found a few that perform relatively well during the hottest weather. Indian Stripe has been the most consistent performer in the heat; but other blacks like CP, Dana's Dusky Rose, Spudakee, Black Krim, Gary O' Sena and JDs Special C Tex have done well. Zogola, Neves Azorean Red, Fish Lake Oxheart, Druzba, Frank's Large Red, Kosovo and Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red have been the best reds. Pinks are more problematic with Eva Purple Ball being the best followed by Stump of the World, Terhune and occasionally Brandywines Sudduth and Cowlicks. Of the golds I have only had success in the heat with Dr. Wyches Yellow and KBX. I have had only a little luck with GWRs and mostly with Grubs Mystery Green. Of the hybrids only Big Beef has been reliable in later plantings.
There are a few tips when setting out plants after April down here that help a lot. One is if at all possible plant them right after a good rain and if not during cloudy weather late in the day. Water and mulch the soil good several days before planting and then pull the mulch back to transplant them and immediately pull the mulch back in place. I have had the best luck with cypress mulch because it keeps the ground cooler than anything else I have tried. If at all possible don't water them for at least a few days after planting because that only encourages bacterial wilt which will devastate new plantings in the heat. It is also very important that the plants are very well hardened off so they can take the shock of being left in the real world. I always harden them off for two weeks if possible and let them go through a couple of good drying outs to toughen them up and encourage good root growth. Seedlings for summer planting need to get outside as soon as possible after they sprout. I will start taking the sprouted seedlings outside for a bit every day as soon as they are up and if I get good cloud cover I just leave them out. It seems that the sooner they adapt to the outside conditions the more successful they will be when planting in the summer heat.
I usually stagger my plantings starting in March with the heaviest planting followed by another big planting in April and continue putting out plants right up til early August if their is any room left in the garden. The way fusarium gets plants in my garden I usually don't have to wait too long for spots to open up. As soon as a plant starts looking sick I pull it and replace it.
Ted, I'm hoping the grafted plants will help me cut back on the amount of plantings I have to do each year. If more plants survive a bit longer I will have to space my staggered planting further apart. In the past the fusarium starts really taking down the plants by late April and May when the ground gets nice and warm. I'm hoping for better results with the grafts so I can have tomatoes the whole season without the aggravation of replanting so much. Once May arrives the failure rate of my newly set out plants is usually around 50% within the first two weeks after transplanting and it only gets worse as the heat builds through the summer and early fall. I have noticed that setting plants deep seems to result in more failures early from bacterial wilt; but planting them shallow means they grow slower for a while with smaller root systems. With the grafted plants they will all have to be planted shallow.
Bill