Local gardeners that have grown large tomatoes and gotten high yields from their fall tomato crops look for ways to develop stronger plants and consider Nov. 28 the first average freeze date.
If you want early fruit, you should select a heat-tolerant variety and start the plants from late July to mid-August, so they will have flowers by Sept. 1. When two plants are set together at each site in the garden or in a container, they mature earlier. The flowers may pollinate when the daytime temperatures are in the mid-90s and nighttime temperatures are above 75 degrees. After pollination, the buds require about 42 days to develop ripe fruits. During recent years, many heat-tolerant varieties have been developed for the Southern states.
In traditional tomato variety flowers, the pollen melts when the daytime temperatures are above 85 degrees or above 75 degrees at night.
Varieties
Select the best variety of the types that you prefer to grow. Usually, varieties that develop medium- and smaller-sized fruit are more productive. Many gardeners grow more than one variety.
Large varieties that will be bigger than 10 ounces include Better Boy, Big Beef, Big Boy, Better Bush, Delicious, Super Fantastic, Goliath and Big Zac.
Medium varieties, from 4 to 9 ounces, include Bush Celebrity, Bush Champion, Bush Early Girl, Heatwave, Homestead, Jetsetter, Marglobe, Solar Fire, Solar Set, Spitfire, Sun Chaser, Sun Leaper and Sunmaster.
Small varieties, less than 3 ounces, are Grape, Gardener's Delight, Husky Cherry Red, Jolly, Juliet, Marcellino, Porter, Small Fry, Sugary, Sugar Snack, Suncherry, Sungold, Sunsugar, Sweet Baby Girl, Sweet 100, Sweet Chelsea and Sweet Million.
Care
Prune to the top cluster of leaves then transplant both plants deeper into a larger pot to grow more roots from the stems. If they are too tall for a 1-gallon can, set them deep in the garden and provide shade during the midday to late afternoon. Plants with the most roots are expected to be more productive than others.
Apply a commercial growth stimulant according to directions or use Montana State University's milk and water stimulant:
* 2 teaspoons milk and 1 cup of water on soil at planting time.
* 4 teaspoons milk and 1 cup of water on soil one week after planted.
* 6 teaspoons milk and 1 cup of water on soil two weeks after planted.
* 8 teaspoons milk and 1 cup of water on soil three weeks after planted.
* 10 teaspoons milk and 1 cup of water on soil four weeks after planted.
Locate the pots and cans with plants in morning sunlight and afternoon shade from extreme heat. After temperatures cool, place them in full sunlight.
After the plants have been placed in the garden, apply mulch around each of them for 2 to 4 feet. Light-colored materials are best when the days are hot, and dark colors are best when the days are cold. Plants in containers could have plastic on the potting soil with small stones to keep it in place.
You could consider burying a 1-gallon jug (with cuts in the bottom half) between plants to apply water and fertilizer into the root zone.
Tomato plants may be grown in a container if it is at least 5 gallons. Then rainwater and water soluble fertilizer is best. If water from a well is applied, the potting soil should be flushed each week; that is, soak it until some salts are rinsed out the drain hole.
You should inspect the plants often to control any problems that start.
Then harvest ripe tomatoes after a couple of months. When winter starts, you could harvest the green ones for chowchow or to ripen much later in a box or on a shelf.
* Write to Elmer Krehbiel, Master Gardener, c/o Brazos County Office, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, 2619 Texas 21 W., Bryan, Texas 77803. His e-mail address is elmer.
krehbiel@theeagle.com.
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