"Suzanne D." wrote in message
...
I planted all my tomato seeds within a week or two this spring, and planted
the seedlings within a few weeks as well. Over the summer we got tons of
tomatoes, and then despite my misting the plants, our 100+ temperatures in
August sort of wiped them out. The vines are still growing, and now that
temps are cooler we seem to have a little more flowering and fruiting
activity, but overall the vines just look pooped.

I am wondering if there would be any value to starting 1/2 or even 1/3 of
my seeds in the spring, and starting more a month or two later, so that I
could plant some young plants very early, plant some a bit later, and then
plant some in mid-summer. I know that tomatoes generally produce until
frost, but I wonder if I would have more luck with continuously planting
new, fresh plants several times rather than doing one big planting in the
spring. Do younger tomato plants typically have better production than
older ones?
--S.


Yes, staggering dates can help you get more yield, just remember there are
many other growth regulating factors at play.
Staggering crops as well as varieties can be part of a good game plan.
Here is one link:
http://www.tomatogardeningguru.com/planting.html