Very interesting, DFW, let us know the results....

I have read that tomatoes do not set fruit when the temperature is too warm. Of course, I also have read that little green men live on Mars! Give it a try--it can't hurt and you just may have a good thing going here. I just put out a grape tomato that a neighbor gave us. Let's see, that makes our 35th plant, I think . . . .

Well Marlingardener,
I wonder if there is a tomato that might grow on Mars?
A green tomato?

Thanks for the encouragement Carrie, but I need to learn more about different kinds of tomatoes first, and then may just try staggering the plantings next spring.

I have another question. I have two cherry tomato plants.
The Porter's Dark Cherry has grown very quickly and is already 4 ft. The other (can't recall the name) has stayed short (12") but already has a tomato forming and lots of flowers. Shall I remove the flowers and green tomato in order to encourage it to grow taller or just leave it alone?

BTW, I believe it was Jana who so generously gifted me with the Black Prince seedling at the April swap which is also growing strong and tall. Can't wait!

I wouldn't remove flowers or fruit. Maybe the variety is just a more compact grower. My biggest problems with tomatoes are the inability to get fruit set in hot weather.

Pam

I wouldn't remove flowers or fruit at this late date, either. Tomatoes don't set in high heat, but you might be able to baby it along until then and get it through in the fall. Sometimes you get lucky. Cherry tomatoes, as a rule, are practically weeds. They get much bigger much faster and tend to be far hardier than slicers or salad tomatoes. The last time I had one (husky red cherry) it topped out at five feet or so tall and five or six feet wide. One plant....thank goodness I had a pvc frame/support for it.

You're probably right about leaving it alone. In fact, when I posed the same question in the Tomato forum I got a similar reply and learned about determinate and indeterminate plants which have different growing habits.

AND I also learned that some suggest using shade cloth over your tomatoes in the hottest part of the summer to to keep it cooler and get the plant through to Fall. And there are those who recommend pruning (below the first flowers) on indeterminate (vining) varieties such as many of the cherry tomatoes. SO MUCH TO LEARN!

Definition: DETERMINATE
Determinate tomatoes are varieties that grow to a fixed mature size and ripen all their fruit in a short period, usually about 2 weeks. Once this first flush of fruit has ripened, the plant will begin to diminish in vigor and will set little to no new fruit.

Determinate tomato varieties are often referred to as "bush" tomatoes, because they do not continue growing in size throughout the growing season. They are generally smaller than indeterminate tomatoes, with most growing to a compact 4-5 feet. Pruning and removing suckers from determinate tomatoes is not recommended. Despite their compact size, staking or caging is still recommended, since the concentrated fruit set can contribute considerable weight to the branches.

Many paste or roma tomatoes are determinate varieties. Some others bred to be determinate include: Celebrity, Marglobe and Rutgers.

Examples: Growing determinate variety tomatoes makes good sense when you want a large omount of tomatoes all at one time, to make tomato sauce.

DETERMINATE
Most of the tomato varieties grown by home gardeners are considered indeterminate varieties, or vining tomatoes. They continue growing until they are killed by frost and keep setting fruit throughout the growing season.

I got tons of tomatoes off my Roma plants last fall, once the high temps. lowered a bit. I haven't gotten one tomato yet from my plants this year. I keep hoping for some before higher temps. set in or I'll be waiting for fall to get them.
Robin

Oops...a correction to my last post. The second definition at the bottom is meant to be INdeterminate.

sowngrow, if you don't see tomatoes soon you might consider putting a shade cloth 'roof' over them just to see if that helps lower temps. And of course be sure to have plenty of mulch (about 4") to keep the soil cool too. This little experiment is being tried with some major growers to contend with global warming issues and seems to be working.

Mine are planted against my house on the the south side but also get some shade from trees. They don't start getting the sun until noon or so. I'll be interested to see how they do. Some tomatoes are beginning to form now, but I'm curious how they do through the summer when temps climb.

I am in Spring. I always plant my big plant on Presidents day which is always Feb. I never plant after Spring break (mid March). I also don't do fall tomatoes. I don't care for the varieties they have for the fall..Heat this,solar that...I have carried some of My Dona's over with some luck. I get really mad and sometimes step up at the big box stores when I see a mom buying a tomato plant in hopes that they will show jr. some tomatoes and they are buying this in August. Once day time temps get over 90 and I think night over 70, the pollen just won't set.
Nah, I am happy with my Mid May to Early July heirlooms and a few Hys. Don't waste your time or money. grow cukes instead!

Tomato production is dependent on the night temps, not the day temps. When it gets hot and stays too hot at night for the tomato to set fruit, it shuts down.

So, I would say it doesn't make any difference about the staggering of plants. If it is too hot for those planted in April, it is too hot for those planted in May. Even indeterminate tomatoes will not set fruit when the night temps are too hot.

As far as some plants growing quickly and others being slower growers; Every variety has it's own characteristics, as is the case in every thing in this world. Your children may all grow faster than your sister's children, but all the kids are growing normally for the genetics they possess. It is the same with plants.

Shade cloths have been used in the south for a long, long time, to protect against our very hot sun. Years ago, long white 'tents' would cover the plants. Now it is shade cloth. They all work, but whether they are worth the expense of purchasing the materials, plus paying to put it up and then consider the problems with harvesting.

I have read about a red plastic mulch being used to encourage production, but I don't know much about it. It does seem to be having some success. Maybe someone else can fill us in on that.

Not being a snotsie here. Just a subject near and dear to my heart.

Janie

Yummykaz,
When is last frost in Spring? Do you cover the young tomato plants once you put them out to protect from possible frost? Seems a tad early even for Spring, Texas.
However, I'd say by the looks of your GORGEOUS
tomato pictures in the other thread that you have become something of an expert at this! I'm inspired and hungry!

Janie,
Didn't know about the night temps. That all makes good sense - the voice of experience no doubt. And how true about the sun protection...there's nothing new under the sun except newbies like me!

We put shade cloth over our garden. I have just 4 squares from landscape timbers, so it isn't a big area. We usually put up the cloth when the temps get really hot and you can immediately tell that it helps the plants so much. The squash perk up, the beans don't get wilted and the tomatoes seem to appreciate it as well. It wasn't that expensive and we've used the same piece of cloth for years now. It is worth the effort, in my opinion. The only thing I don't like about it is that our support posts (which remain in the ground all year) are set low enough so it won't show over the fence and possibly offend the neighbors and I'm too tall to work without bending over. It has helped during hail storms too.

I am not sure last frost date in Spring. I don't go by those as every year is different for example this year, frost was not an issue...wind was. In the past if we get a dip to the 40's I just cover them up, or put trash bag over cage.

Here it the straight stuff on tomato gardening in the SW. Tomatoes do not set fruit when the day temps are above 90-95 for long periods of time because the pollen becomes sticky/gummy and will not fall on the pistol. That is why you see tomatoes producing in the fall of the year. You can try to manually get tomato set by gently shaking the flower EARLY in the morning. Protecting the plants from the heat of the day, afternoon sun, will help reduce the air temps under a shade cloth canopy. I have a canopy over my garden and the plants are so much healthier looking because transpiration is reduced. The shading also reduces evaporation from the soil.

Planting short day tomatoes, 50-65 day, will eliminate this problem. You won't find short day tomatoes in most garden center so you will have to order seeds on line and germinate them. Plant two crops, one in the early spring and one in mid/late August. Cherry and grape tomatoes tend to tolerate the heat better and will produce all summer.

Thank you petzold - that is indeed straight and concise...not to mention very helpful!

Why are 50-60 day tomatoes so hard to find in garden centers? And is there a list of heirlooms with that short-season characteristic?

I'm curious if this is what Yummykaz was suggesting as well?

It sounds like my cherry tomatoes have the best chance of making it through the summer as long as they get some shade.

Tomatofest.com is a good beginning and totllytomatoes.com is also good. Each has is own unique thing. You can also google 'heirloom tomatoes' for more sites. I am trying Stupice this year which is highly recommended by growers on the tomato forum.

Yes the little ones tend to do best in the heat. I like the grape tomatoes for salads because you don't have to cut them for eating and more often than not, squirt someone at the table. Additionally I think they have more "tomato" flavor.

Baker Creek where I get seeds from, has the days listed on each tomato

Here is a link that might be useful: Baker Creek

Thank you both for that information!

Yes I really find cherry tomatoes very easy and satisfying.
More bang for the buck, I guess. But I'll continue my hand at the other heirlooms as I'd like to get good at the tomato thing. I love them!

Dragonfly wings did you have any luck with Haley's Purple Comet? I have been searching to find opinions on it and you had posted about it on the tomato forum or what ever came up in my search. I have HPC seeds but not enough room for every thing I want to grow.