Your labels should tell you how many days to maturity. Now...if you can recall about when you planted them, you'll have an idea how long until they begin to ripen.
I just picked my first early girl yesterday. Once the tomato begins to get a whiteish green, it will soon begin to turn pink. If you have a problem with birds etc. you can pick them when pink. Just put them in a basket, bowl whatever on the counter. But not in a window. The sun shining through the glass will blister them.

Around July 1st take cuttings from you existing plants and get them started for the fall.

I have only had 2 early girls and 1 heatwave ripen so far. We just get hot so quick here, it slows down production. My plants went in the garden March 1 and I had to cover them a few times for those late freezes. Fall crops do better because the plants are healthy and growing in the heat and start producing fruit when it begins cooling down in late September.

I pulled mine this weekend. Got a few, very few, very, very small tomatoes. Between the lack of water, heat and birds we've just given up. Noone else at the community garden had any better luck this year. But the community garden on the other end of the island, WITH SHADE, has beautiful, big tomatoes.
Tally HO!

Will try not to brag....just giving advice. I plant mid Feb. People tell me I am nuts and sometimes I have to wait a week or two untill my fav growers get their stock in or transplants ready to sell. So I would say if you planted later than April, you should forget it. ALSO biggie! Plant many varities. Don't just plant a big boy and a cherry. Plant all kinds. As of now I am still picking Sugary, Consulto Genovese, Juanne Flame, Black Krim, Goliath, Celebrity, German Johnson, Kellogs Breakfast.
So my advice, plant early, plant often, plant many kinds. I have bagged mine in stages to keep bugs/birds off. It is working great (I posted on another thread)
I am also sharing tons with friends/family who cant' get salmonella tomatoes!
Ok now for bragging...if you want to see my tomato harvest from a while back,scroll down blog.

Here is a link that might be useful: My backyard

Hey Kaz, good idea to cook outside,,, even if you're using an electric grill....

Why didn't I think of that!?!

Thanks.

Mine were late this year, and are still going strong.
Just harvested a bowlful of cherry toms, actually.

I'm in West Houston.
The weather's been odd this year, as normally it would be too late, but this year you might still get some.

If you really want/need to "extend" the season, tomatoes ripen better with cool nights.
So in the summertime in the evening I dump a cup of ice at the foot of any plant with green tomatoes on it. I don't know if that cools them off or just gives them extra water, but it seems to work for me.

My plants look GREAT and there is no signs of a bug or a bird near them what-so-ever! I was just getting worried that everyone else was taking out their plants already for a fall crop and here my spring crop is just coming in!!! I have never had 2 crops of tomatoes before!!! I will have to research on how to use a root cutting to get some more for fall on July 1st!

O.k...I think I am ok. then! I was looking today and about 10 of them are turning pink/red, so I think I am doing o.k.!!!????

Part-shade may-be the way to grow maters here!? I have 6 varieties...I have the tags out there but it is too dark for me to go look now..I will get back to you on that!

So I can really take root cuttings and plant those in the beds after I take these plant blooming now out???

Any recommendations on what to fertilize the soil with between plantings or when I put the new ones in, being the old ones will have eaten a ton of the nutients! I currrently use....top soil, peat moss, and manure with compost to make up the bedding mix. With some of the pink bottle osmocote from Lowes in the holes when planting!

I love the advice, thanks much!

Here is a few of what I have planted!!!
Bush
Better Boy
Beefsteak
Park's whopper
Grape

I panted almost the same types as you. My beefsteaks all have 1 to 3 still small and green on them. The rest have lots of flowers and are very small plants still. But over all, most of them are doing well. I have lots of flowers. Mine are in the sun from 9am till about 6PM. If I move the pots over about 3 feet they will have shade in the afternoons. Once the weather gets a little hotter I will move them out of the hot afternoon sun.

Thanks so much for the response! I ama glad someone who has full sun is doing the same as mine! YEAH!!!!!
Thanks SOOOOOOOOOOO much!

Mine are putting out small green maters that are just sitting there. And now the leaves are turning yellow. arg.

Becca, email me through GW and I will tell you how I do tomato cuttings.

Kathy

I planted my tomatoes early, like late February, at which point they were quite large (2 ft) already with big leaves. They were just starting to put out fruits in May but once once the heat came on last month both the vine and fruit growth just stunted. They are all still about 3 1/2 ft. tall, even the cherry tomatoes just put out a few but not tons. And I tried 12 different kinds, some cherries, some medium, some large.

Reading through another thread on here, sounds lots of people's gardens are stunted right now. We just haven't had much rain, at least in Austin. We got about 10 minutes worth today but that has been it for a month.

Natvtxn have you ever tried cutting back your spring tomatoes, or do you think cuttings work better. An experienced gardener friend told me I could cut my tomatoes back to get a fall harvest, rather than start from seeds or cuttings all over again--and train up one of the side branches. Have any of you tried this?
Amy

A Bexar county Ag. agent told me that the existing plants are so stressed that it is better to take cuttings from the top.
There are two ways to do that.

#1 layer a stem (still growing on mother plant) on the ground. Cover it with soil and keep moist. Once you can tell it is growing cut it off the mother plant. This gives you a "full" size plant to start with you fall garden.
(FYI: Tomaotes will grow roots all along their stems if in soil.)
Subsequently you will have a lateral root that will with stand wind better. As it grows taller, add more soil to the root area and the stem. I prefer this as the plant will already have blooms

#2 cut a 13 inch cutting and root as you would any other plant. Dig a deep hole and plant all but the last 5 or 6 inches. Again as it grows taller keep adding soil to have a deep root system.