Deep South Tomatoes

[yotetrapper]

No, not a wet summer, was pretty much a drought all year long.

[b54red]

There are a lot of tricks to producing tomatoes during the hot summer months. For early production it is important to get your plants out as early as possible. Talk to some other gardeners in you immediate area and find out when the earliest plant out date is and then just watch the weather reports and see if you can plant that early. I like to watch tulip poplar trees which are good indicators of when all danger of a killing freeze is past and that is when the new leaves start budding out all over the tree.

The second most important thing for producing tomatoes down here is to plant varieties that can take the heat.

Constant applications of fungicides is necessary for good healthy plants down here as well as keeping an eye out for the many pests that can devastate your crop if they are not controlled quickly. During the driest hottest months of the summer the spider mite is the most devastating of those pests and the most difficult to deal with; but there are ways to control them that are not expensive.

Keeping plants well mulched and well watered is a must for steady production because just a few days of soil that is too dry during the hot weather will cause massive blossom drop. I use cypress mulch because it does two important things better than any other mulch I have tried in over 40 years of growing tomatoes. It keeps the ground cooler and it holds in moisture better than anything else I have tried; but it can cost a little bit if you have a lot of plants to mulch. It is easily reusable for several years before it naturally decays.

Another thing that is very important is to keep the plant limited to a few stems to keep it more open to allow better airflow so the leaves dry faster in our humid weather. This results in less disease and plants that are much easier to spray and maintain as well as larger fruit.

You probably live far enough north not to have fusarium wilt as bad as I have it down here but I'm sure you have some and so it would help if you grew a few varieties like Big Beef which do well in our climate and have a good bit of resistance to both fusarium and nematodes.

A couple of varieties that do exceedingly well in the hottest months of the year down here are Indian Stripe potato leaf, Spudakee, Arkansas Traveler and Prudens Purple. If you cant get your plants out early enough then you should really make an effort to include all of the above mentioned varieties. If you plant early enough most varieties will produce down here if taken care of at least until the hottest weather gets here.

There are a good number of threads on this site having to do with growing tomatoes in hot climates and the obstacles that you will face. You will find growing tomatoes in the deep south much more challenging than further north but you will find that it allows for a far longer growing season. There are also a lot more diseases that can destroy your hard work and more pests to share your crop with. You have taken a big step forward by joining this site because it is a wealth of information and some of it will be invaluable to you as you face the numerous challenges that will pop up in your gardening.

Good luck, Bill

[TomatoDon]

I live just a few miles from Oakland. I grew about 500 plants last year and had the best tomato crop I've ever had, and most of it was in raised beds. My farm neighbor raises about 200-250 plants a year on hilly land and sells several tons of tomatoes every year. I have a banker friend who raises about 800 a year and sells out every year. There's a large commercial grower near Oxford, which is only about 30 miles from you, that grows about 30,000 - 40,000 plants per year and sells fresh tomatoes as fast as they can pick them.

I know a cheap source of organic matter that you can buy by the dump truck load if you are so interested. It's so cheap, it's free. All you have to do is pay for the hauling. Your welcome to come over and see how we do it or call me sometime. Just send me a private message.

Here's a link to my Facebook page that has some pictures of the ones I grew last year. https://www.facebook.com/Home-Grown-...9172131302064/

[loratw619]

I'm in Kentucky, so not as far south as you are, but 90+ degree days with humidity indexes almost as high is more the norm than the exception for our river valley summers. One tomato that always keeps going for me even when others just can't is Sioux. I've also grown Super Sioux, but was not nearly as impressive, so the original Sioux is a garden staple at my house. Not only does it thrive in our heat and humidity, it also makes it through the super soggy springs we can have some years. Basically it's just a dependable little work horse for me and one of only two I plant every year without fail. (Commitment is so hard with so many beauties to choose from!) Sure there are others I prefer the flavor of, but Sioux still has plenty of good old fashioned tomato taste I can count on having when others just aren't there to taste at all. I'm no pro... just a backyard gardner who tends to be pretty simple and almost lazy in my growing routines, so if it works for me, odds are it will work for just about anyone. You could try a few if you have the space and see if they do as well for you. Good luck and much abundance in whatever you choose to do.

[macmex]

I agree with loratw619. Sioux is one of my favorites. We're not so far South here. But our region holds the record for the continental USA for the hottest 40 consecutive days. We held the previous record before that. Sioux is one of my very favorites. It is especially great, when in late summer, other tomatoes are looking ratty. Sioux generally looks good and is loaded with wonderful tasty fruit.

Heidi, which is a plum tomato, is amazing during the heat of our summers. It "fills the pot" for our tomato sauce

Baker Family Heirloom is another great one. BFH is exceedingly bushy, producing a great leave cover. Flavor is similar to Sioux. This one is my mainstay.


http://seedsavingnetwork.★★★★★★★★★.c...amily-heirloom

George

[Goodloe]

I live over in Columbus, and can sympathize with your problem. I would echo the comments of others here as regards the quality of your dirt. No one has mentioned sunlight. Are your plants situated such they get plenty of sun? >8 hrs/day? Morning sun is also critical, as it helps to burn off morning dew more quickly. Good luck!

[Gardeneer]

If you have 60 acres, with lots of trees you have lots organic mater as soil amendments. Leaves and pine straw are good soil amendments. But those items can be on the acidic side. But you should have resources to balance ot out. WOOD ASH. it is rich in minerals and it is alķaline. I am doing thesame thing myself. My first year garden (from scratch) in 92%sand did fine last year. And i continue adding leaves, pine straw , wood arsh , horse manure.
On the heat issue try to choose a location with about 7 hours of direct sun , if possible. My garden gets over 10 hours. I get good 3 months of harvest. By the end of july the fat lady sings
Lol