RJ wrote:
As a northern veggie gardener,
it was always dissapointing when an early frost
would kill off the tomato plants.....
( full of tomatoes, of course )

I had dreamed that in places like Calif,
with no killer frost, tomatoes would be perennials.

We've recently moved to Southern Arizona.
In theory, this is tomato weather.
Sunny days, cool nights.

We have a cherry-tomato plant in back,
it's making tomatoes..... but slowly,
and the leaves are turning yellow.......
The plant is looking sickly....

I'm going to need some help here;

1. When planting tomatoes,
will I need to make any special preparations ?

2. Can I reasonably expect to see tomatoes 8 or 9 months a year ?

3. Any special variety to better deal with the Arizona climate ?


rj


I think tomatoes are a tender annual, so it's *possible* to keep them
alive from year to year, but it's unlikely -- but you have a better
chance than if they were a hardy annual. (Hardy annuals are hardwired
to die after one season.) But you'll find that in a subtropical
climate, the tomatoes will die from some wilt disease or another.

If it's really frost-free, you might try growing "tree tomatoes"
(tamarillos). They are kind are a close cousin of tomatoes; a tropical
tree with huge heart-shaped fuzzy leaves and they start bearing fruit
the second year.

Plant normal early and mid-season tomato varieties, and you can replant
a couple of times a year.

Bob