Extending the spring tomato production...maybe

[Meadowlark]

The climate here has been trending toward hotter and earlier each year and each year that has resulted in reduced tomato production due to the plants shutting down fruit set.

In an effort to combat the effects of that weather trend, this year I started my seedlings a couple of weeks earlier than normal in early January.

The seedlings then correspondingly went into the ground about two weeks earlier than normal...and they did require protection from a strong freeze.

The extra effort appears to have succeeded .

Today, multiple tomato plants in the garden showed blooms.... on March 23. In six weeks, those blooms will become set fruit on or about May 6....and that will be the earliest I have ever done that by about two or three weeks. What that means is an additional two or three weeks of production before the heat takes them out.

In indeterminates, that should result in several pounds of tomatoes per plant increase in production.

Problem solved: ...maybe.



I still have some @Martin Mikulcik paste tomatoes which are not even in the garden yet and are several weeks from blooming. They are rumored to set fruit at higher temps than my regular ones. That may be another option for extending my spring tomato season.

p.s. apologies to those who might object to putting a tomato thread in vegetable section.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Gosh you have it hard, I was wondering, after our hot last summer, if I might try letting some of my indeterminates run to four or five lots of flowers instead of pinching them out at three, or maybe even planting some more outdoors rather than just carrying the containers out in the hot spells.

 

[Meadowlark]

Gosh you have it hard,

It all balances out it seems. Tomatoes have become increasingly difficult here but others not so much...corn (4 crops), cow peas (4 crops), beans (3 crops), cucumbers ( 3 crops). potatoes (2 crops), carrots (4 crops), and enough okra to feed my entire county.

I'm certainly not complaining. Challenges are to be overcome.

 

[Ruderunner]

A thought about heat and heat sinks. Electronic items are often attached to a large metal piece with fins to dissipate heat. I wonder if that general idea could be applied to tomatoes?

Obviously not a finned metal piece but something that can absorb extra heat to maybe keep the plants cooler? How hot does the soil get?

 

[Meadowlark]

Obviously not a finned metal piece but something that can absorb extra heat to maybe keep the plants cooler? How hot does the soil get?

It's the air temp primarily that stops fruit set. I don't see how any heat sink could significantly affect the air temp around the plant...but an interesting idea.

• Daytime temperatures above 90–95°F sterilize pollen and prevent fertilization.
• Night temperatures above 70–75°F also prevent fruit set by inhibiting pollen tube growth

We will soon see nighttime temps above 70 deg F. Normally, I'd expect above 75 deg F nighttime temps mid-late April. Fruit set slows then stopping completely in May. Whatever fruit is set then is what I normally get.

From June on the soil temps are probably about 85 deg F or above until September....but honestly, I don't check it much then because it is so depressing.

 

[Ruderunner]

Actually, I was thinking of using the ground as a heat sink. Is air temperature cooler close to the ground vs say 6 feet up?

I know most say keep tomatoes from touching the dirt because disease but, I've had some plants lay on the ground and stay healthy. Plus, they do grow roots where they do touch, possibly allowing better nutrient absorption.

 

[Meadowlark]

Is air temperature cooler close to the ground vs say 6 feet up?

I believe the ground level air is usually cooler than 6 ft air at night. It is less certain during the day as ground surface can be warmer than ground air but ground air still slightly cooler than 6 ft air.

I have an afternoon shade area that I often use for tomatoes and that can help but that space is limited.

 

[Ruderunner]

Just thinking out of the box and going off the theory that tomatoes grew in the wild as a sort of creeping vine before human interference.

We weren't planning on tomato this year but maybe I can get a few plants and let them crawl. I won't bother comparing production but rather if laying on dirt causes problems.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

@Ruderunner I don't stake mine most years and they do good. No rot, but I've been breeding for this

Big beefstakes do better with support because the fruit tends to rot on the ground

Edit: and for everyone telling you you need plants as early as possible, you can see the second crop of tomatoes on the left and compare to the rye on the right. Rye is harvested in july here and we're not too different from Ohio