Have I left planting too late?

[huntsman]

Most of my plants are around 12" at the moment, and are in grow bags as we were preparing the veg patch for the first time.

It's finally ready after some minor setbacks, but I am concerned I have left planting too late...??

Please guide me?

[Blueaussi]

What do you mean by too late? Too late in the season, or too late because they're too large?

Unless they're incredibly pot bound, planting at a larger size shouldn't be an issue. Bury the stem a little deeper, and they should be fine.

[huntsman]

No no - too late in the season, Blue. They're not at all root/pot bound, but I'm concerned that I'm running out of time... (Not me...the toms!)

[Zana]

Paul,

I've had late starts on planting here and still got fruit before the end of the season. I've even direct sowed into outdoor pots in late June/early July and had tomatoes before October. So I think you may be okay, depending on your weather. Especially since you're talking planting out plants not seeds.

[huntsman]

That's a relief, Zana!

Temps are 93F here at the moment and we are slap bang in the middle of Summer, so I guess we can keep the crop in the ground until late April...

Well, when I return from the Farmers' Market tomorrow, I will get most of them into the ground, so please hold thumbs!

[brog]

If your plants are less than 90 DTA you are in good shape. I don`t think you will have a problem. Bill

[AZRuss]

huntsman, what's your January weather like? As I recall from your previous posts, your summers are very hot. If you are talking about a summer crop and it's already 93 degrees f there, you may in fact be planting out too late. If you're talking about a fall crop, you should be fine if you can keep your plants healthy until it cools off. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[b54red]

If you can set your plants out into the garden on a cloudy or slightly rainy day it will help them adjust to the heat. If not plant them very early or very late after the soil has cooled a bit. I once put tomato plants out right after lunch when temps were in the mid 90s and as usual planted them deeper and the tender stems were burned by the hot soil and some died.

[huntsman]

That's great news! (not the dying part - the info!)

I was mindful of just this, b5, and after long rains last night, I was out planting at 6.00am this morning. Holes were dug yesterday, plants were easy to work with and the ground is cool....what a pleasure! 20 new toms!

Russ - Jan is vicious here, possibly the hottest month of all, and I have very little shade.

You mention Fall crop, and I've read before that toms dislike midsummer heat and will produce fruit in Spring and Fall. Is this basically correct? If so, is there anything I can do to assist the process? (Aside from the obvious hydration of course)

[Blueaussi]

I don't know how hot it is where you are, but July and August can be pretty steamy around here. It's not unusual to have lots of days in triple digits (38C+) and nights that stay in the high 70's or low 80's (25 to 27C) A lot of folks consider the end of July the end of tomato season. I keep searching for varieties that manage the heat better than others, but production of large tomatoes still drops off in the heat, then there's a resurgence when the heat breaks.

[AZRuss]

huntsman, try to keep the soil temps a little cooler. If your beds are manageable size wise, use silver plastic as mulch--I buy the inexpensive campers' emergency "blankets" and they work very, very well both at reducing soil temps and reflecting light upwards to the plants. They also are great at helping the soil to retain moisture. If you have a way of shading your plants during the brutal parts of the day, do. I know, it isn't easy, and I can't seem to manage it here in my back yard. I would love to try aluminet 40% shade cloth, but building a frame for it so far has eluded me, cost- and effort-wise.

Blue... if you find a variety that produces a decent tasting tomato in the blazing heat, please let me know. After three summers of experimentation, I've given up completely on looking for heat tolerance. I've found a few varieties that will go just a little bit longer, but the heat does them in eventually, and any fruit that sets in the heat is invariably inferior in taste, size, texture and shape. For those of us in the northern hemisphere who live in ultra hot climates, I've decided for now that it's best just to give in to nature. Realize that tomato season is over in July, plant early whatever varieties you really want to grow, enjoy the harvests and then wait for cooler weather.

Tom, who posts here as ChalstonSC, cut his plants way back during the summer last year--I believe to about 2' tall--and removed all the dead foliage. Sure enough, they were back in time for a healthy fall harvest. That's what I'm going to try this summer, only I'm cutting them back to just a few inches tall. The killing heat here lasts through September, and it's virtually impossible to get new seedlings hardened off in time to produce anything before frost. Most definitely I will post the results of my "experiment" here next October/November.

[huntsman]

That's an interesting concept, Russ - mylar blankets, eh? Neat!

So, Tom does in summer what pepper growers do in winter? He 'over summer's' his toms?? Maybe I'm already at that point, as my plants are still under 2' for the main part....hmmm.....

[kimpossible]

93 degrees will definitely not be kind to tomato plants. That will cause them to go into dormancy, and unless you get cooler temps, they will not be willing to come back or produce.

[b54red]

I had good luck with a few varieties that made good during the months of July and August. The only heirlooms that did good were Marianna's Peace and one Paul Robeson. They both produced large fruit during July and August. The best producers in the heat were Big Beef and 1st Prize. Most of these were set out late (early June) and that may have had something to do with it. I also had a Steak Sandwich which produced abundantly in the heat but the fruit were small.

[huntsman]

Well, I'm committed now so I guess it's really up to the weather.

I'm just amazed anyone can get their toms into the ground in early spring for an early crop! Mine were barely visible above the grow mix in early spring!


...I'll get the hang of this yet!