Best short season tomato varieties?
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
9 years ago
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digdirt2
9 years ago
Seysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Growing tomatoes & peppers in cool weather/short season areas
Comments (8)I think it probably wouldn't hurt and might help in her climate. I probably wouldn't use one here because we have so much sunlight, even on cold days, that plants inside these little plastic houses tend to roast on sunny days. Since she lives in a sunlight-challenged area, I doubt her plants will roast on the occasional sunny day. However, to ensure they don't roast, if I were using one and were leaving for the day, I'd unzip the door to vent the little growhouse/greenhouse in order to avoid a heat buildup if the sun amazingly comes out from behind the clouds. The great issue in Seattle isn't the length of the growing season, as you've noticed, but rather the lack of heat units or heating degree days. They stay above freezing a long time but don't have a lot of real heat, and tomatoes need a steady supply of heat in order to produce well and in order to produce tomatoes with good flavor. Beefsteak might not have been the best variety for her to pick. It can take a very long time to fruit and flower. If I were in Seattle, I'd likely choose something with a shorter DTM. Dr. James Baggett and other plant breeders at Oregon State University have bred tomatoes specifically for that climate that she might like to try in some future year. Bell peppers are more tolerant of cooler temperatures and won't suffer from the heat there the way they can here. If I were trying to grow tomatoes and peppers there, I'd have them in containers and place them on a concrete slab, if possible as they might pick up a little more heat that way. A concrete slab with a south-facing or west-facing wall would be even better as there likely would be more heat gain from sunlight (when they have it) reflecting from the wall and the slab up onto the plant. Also, the slab would heat up during the day and release the heat at night when might keep her plants a few degrees warmer. That's important in terms of fertilization. Territorial Seed Company is based in Oregon and specializes in plants for the kind of conditions they have there in the Pacific Northwest. I'm going to link their website below. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Territorial Seed Company...See MoreBest heat resistant tomato varieties?
Comments (21)I have been growing (or attempting to grow) tomatoes in Tucson for many years now. My philosophy with tomatoes is grow sandwich sized tomatoes of good taste and heavy production on disease/heat resistant plants. I have tried Super Souix, Porter, and others with minimal success. The problem tends to be that the plants get very big without much fruit set before or after the main heat of the season. My experience has been that the bulk of my food production from tomatoes has been from varieties that are referred to as semi-determinate (tomato varieties that are determinate in size, but indeterminate in fruit production). The best tomato I have grown in this class has been the F1 Celebrity. It is very easy to come by and does very well with only a little west-side shade after the month of May. 6-12 of these plants will feed a family of 4-6 with tomato sandwiches all through the summer. (As a note I do not use shade cloth and plant my tomatoes FAR from structures such as houses or walls that radiate heat at night). Many heirloom and other open pollinated varieties of tomatoes can produce very nice foliage here in the desert but they often fail to produce any significant amount of fruit. After trialing multiple open-pollinated tomato varieties each year, the best open-pollinated variety I have ever grown that tolerates the heat has been Siletz (see the link below). This variety is parthenocarpic, so it will produce virgin fruit through the summer, then, from my experience, you will be lucky if you can get some seeds from the plant in the fall. (= Neptune is also another good variety but it is a classic determinate, meaning it produces only one crop before its demise. No matter what tomato I grow, the biggest key to growing tomatoes in a desert climate is to put them in the ground or have some kind of insulated container with a water reservoir. Once the plants are established you must wean yourself from the tendency to water every day. Gardeners who water (at most) once every 3 days have much more success than those who water every day. Though this is initially counter-intuitive, flood irrigating or watering for 2+ hours on a drip hose every 3 days enables the roots of the tomatoes to develop 18-24 inches below the surface of the ground where they are well insulated from the scorching summer heat. The main benefit from watering occasionally comes in less plant stress and consequently, much less disease and pest problems. If you are new to this area you might also note some of the considerations to growing tomatoes in the following blog post: http://scientificgardener.blogspot.com/2012/01/few-tips-for-growing-tomatoes-tucson.html Here is a link that might be useful: Siletz tomato trial...See MoreTomato plants aren't growing. Need help in short season MN.
Comments (4)Hello there, minneapolismike: It's nice of you to be looking out for your friend. It certainly couldn't hurt to root some suckers for your friend, but you know how we cold zoners always run out of summer all too quickly. Rooting plants will still be putting your friend behind a couple of weeks, but it may be all he has. Still, if you root some plants and he plants them in the same place, he may very well encounter the same problem where they just sit there and do nothing. It sounds like he is getting enough sun, assuming 8 hours is correct, although you can never have too much sun for tomato plants. More would be better, but we can only use what we have to work with. Generally, there are a few things that would keep tomato plants from growing. Assuming there is no disease (doesn't sound like it) and no pests (like deer chomping off the plants or hornworms scarfing down the leaves), the things I can think of off the top of my head: * Temps too cold or too hot. Generally speaking folks in our zones have issues with chilly temps in spring, but it rarely gets too hot. If we had sustained temps in the high 90s+ for weeks on end, that would be a different thing. But, we don't. If we did, everyone would be having issues, not just one person. *Insufficient sunlight. Eight hours should be enough, but let's hope that Rod is not overestimating the length of time that his plants are getting photons. :-) * Unsuitable soil. Meaning: soil that is very compacted so that roots can't grow and expand and/or soil that is devoid of important nutrients. If the roots can't grow. such as with compacted soil, it's best to add amendments to improve the soil before planting. Unfortunately it's too late for that for your friend, but if he plants new plants, I would make sure that he digs good-sized, fairly deep holes, loosens the dirt as much as possible, and fills it in with rich, loose soil so that the roots can grow and breathe. One thing that minneapolisrod could try at this point is a water soluble fertilizer, dissolved in a bucket of water according to package directions, and poured on the soil around the plants. Every 7 to 10 days. There are a number of such fertilizers on the market, and it certainly can't hurt at this juncture. It also couldn't hurt if he applied some of it as a foliar feed in addition to feeding the roots, as the leaves will take in some nutrients too. Which leads to the observation that perhaps his plants are not getting enough nitrogen, although I'd expect to see other symptoms eventually, such as some yellowing of the plants. Some mulches can tie up nitrogen so the plants don't get enough, and that could stifle their growth. Cool temperatures can also cause a temporary lack of nitrogen. Anyhow, too little nitrogen can keep the plants puny. The fertilizer, used as above, should rectify that issue. Good luck, and thanks for being such a good friend. Best wishes to......See MoreLate season tomatoes ripped BEFORE early season tomatoes
Comments (14)Daniel, I have experienced very similar results this year in northern MN. All seeds were started at the same time, planted out at the same time, and treated the same. 2 of my early varieties (Glacier & Bloody Butcher) did beat Cherokee Purple, but only by 8 or 9 days. About 10 days after the 1st early small tomatoes, I picked a Giant Belgium that weighted 1# 8oz. At about 2 weeks after the earliest fruit, several 1# plus C.P. were being picked. The 1st fruit from my "Early Pick" variety were just starting about this same time. However, other large varieties, are very late. Mortgage Lifter, Black Krim, Super Steak, Super Beef Steak, are all very Sloooow. All plants are growing in the same conditions. This is the Giant Belgium that was only about 10 days behind to early little tomatoes: A very strange year....See Moreprairiemoon2 z6b MA
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
9 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
9 years ago
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