Comments on: Chart of Tomatoes http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/gardening/tomato-plants/chart-of-tomatoes/ An Ever Growing Bookshelf Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:23:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Maria http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/gardening/tomato-plants/chart-of-tomatoes/#comment-1730 Maria Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:28:17 +0000 http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/index.php/?p=64#comment-1730 I have recently been asked if tomato plants can produce in the fall. The short answer is "yes." I generally baby a few plants through the heat of the summer and they produce again in the fall. Juliets are great for spring, summer and fall. Celebrities produce in the spring and then again in the fall. The key is to determine if the plant is "determinate" or "indeterminate." Determinate plants will produce a healthy, full flush of tomatoes and then diminish--to very few or none no matter how much you water, fertilize or the temperature. In Texas you can plant fresh transplants in about September and expect a fairly healthy crop into the end of November--or whenever the first freeze is. I generally try to work two methods: Keep a couple of plants alive through the summer so that they begin producing again in September and also plant fresh ones in the ground in September. The fresh ones will usually start producing in October. I only get a few weeks of produce out of them. In colder climates, obviously the fall crop is going to be restricted. If you live in a colder climate and you plant determinate plants, you'll want to start a second set of plants by the time the first set is producing. The other question I have received is about yields. Yields vary dramatically depending on the type of tomato plant. If you are looking for a high-yielder, generally you will want to avoid heirloom tomato plants. Spend some time researching in a tomato catalog to determine yields. The chart on my website list yields of some types, but it is going to depend on where you are growing your tomatoes. Juliet is one of the highest yielders I've grown. Celebrity is a good yielder of larger tomatoes. The Opener has been a prolific yielder for me early in the season until the heat slows it down. There are some Roma types that yield a lot, others not so much. I always advise people to start by growing two or three varieties to hone in on what types of tomatoes they enjoy and what types grow best. In general, I like Juliet (a grape tomato type that does very well in Texas and elsewhere) Celebrity (a nice medium, meaty, wonderful-flavor) and a roma of some type. I haven't settled on a favorite roma yet. I have recently been asked if tomato plants can produce in the fall. The short answer is “yes.” I generally baby a few plants through the heat of the summer and they produce again in the fall. Juliets are great for spring, summer and fall. Celebrities produce in the spring and then again in the fall. The key is to determine if the plant is “determinate” or “indeterminate.” Determinate plants will produce a healthy, full flush of tomatoes and then diminish–to very few or none no matter how much you water, fertilize or the temperature.

In Texas you can plant fresh transplants in about September and expect a fairly healthy crop into the end of November–or whenever the first freeze is. I generally try to work two methods: Keep a couple of plants alive through the summer so that they begin producing again in September and also plant fresh ones in the ground in September. The fresh ones will usually start producing in October. I only get a few weeks of produce out of them.

In colder climates, obviously the fall crop is going to be restricted. If you live in a colder climate and you plant determinate plants, you’ll want to start a second set of plants by the time the first set is producing.

The other question I have received is about yields. Yields vary dramatically depending on the type of tomato plant. If you are looking for a high-yielder, generally you will want to avoid heirloom tomato plants. Spend some time researching in a tomato catalog to determine yields. The chart on my website list yields of some types, but it is going to depend on where you are growing your tomatoes. Juliet is one of the highest yielders I’ve grown. Celebrity is a good yielder of larger tomatoes. The Opener has been a prolific yielder for me early in the season until the heat slows it down. There are some Roma types that yield a lot, others not so much.

I always advise people to start by growing two or three varieties to hone in on what types of tomatoes they enjoy and what types grow best. In general, I like Juliet (a grape tomato type that does very well in Texas and elsewhere) Celebrity (a nice medium, meaty, wonderful-flavor) and a roma of some type. I haven’t settled on a favorite roma yet.

]]> By: Maria http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/gardening/tomato-plants/chart-of-tomatoes/#comment-1719 Maria Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:32:33 +0000 http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/index.php/?p=64#comment-1719 For some odd reason, my site gets hit now and then with a search for "big green spider" in my tomato plant (or in some other plant.) Spiders are good in the garden--especially those that are big enough to see. Green spiders are very common in greenery. Don't worry about the spiders. Just leave them be and they will eat many bugs. I often see pale tan spiders and green spiders. When they attach themselves to me via their string-lines, I just deposit them on a leaf. They are harmless and not aggresive. If you have rocks or logs bordering your garden, use gloves to move things like that around. It is possible for black widows or a brown recluse (or even a snake for that matter) to lodge itself in these types of crevices. Use common sense, but most spiders are great friends of gardeners! For some odd reason, my site gets hit now and then with a search for “big green spider” in my tomato plant (or in some other plant.) Spiders are good in the garden–especially those that are big enough to see. Green spiders are very common in greenery. Don’t worry about the spiders. Just leave them be and they will eat many bugs.

I often see pale tan spiders and green spiders. When they attach themselves to me via their string-lines, I just deposit them on a leaf. They are harmless and not aggresive. If you have rocks or logs bordering your garden, use gloves to move things like that around. It is possible for black widows or a brown recluse (or even a snake for that matter) to lodge itself in these types of crevices. Use common sense, but most spiders are great friends of gardeners!

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