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Tomato question -- second crop..
Andy writes:
Well, my fridge is full of tomatoes and my fascination with fresh salads is starting to wane somewhat... However, I have noticed that a SECOND crop is coming in on the vines... All at once, and very prolific... The plants are Celebrity, from Home Depot, and this is north Texas with temps in the 90s every day and almost no rain, tho I have been watering the garden every other day or so with a sprinkler... So, learned gurus, is this normal ? Am I going to get tomatoes off these vines until the snow falls, or is a second crop the most I can hope for ? Also, any advice on how to guarantee some fall tomatoes would be nice.... I will be very tired of tomatoes for 2006, but I'd like to understand this second and third crop thing a little better... Thanks, Andy in Eureka, Texas PS... My cantalope are turning yellow.... I will very tired of eating cantalop in 2-3 weeks, but for now it is pure heaven..... |
Tomato question -- second crop..
Most tomatos will go on bearing for all eternity with the right conditions.
Celebrity is a determinate type which means it grows to a certain height and stops. But that's only if you remove all the suckers from along the stem. Otherwise the suckers will grow and produce secondary plants which bear later. Indeterminate varieties just keep on growing and produce more or less continuously. Unless you are limited for space, don't can, don't like a wide choice of varieties, or just don't like a lot of tomatoes, I don't see too much reason for growing determinates IMHO. Gary "AndyS" wrote in message oups.com... Andy writes: Well, my fridge is full of tomatoes and my fascination with fresh salads is starting to wane somewhat... However, I have noticed that a SECOND crop is coming in on the vines... All at once, and very prolific... The plants are Celebrity, from Home Depot, and this is north Texas with temps in the 90s every day and almost no rain, tho I have been watering the garden every other day or so with a sprinkler... So, learned gurus, is this normal ? Am I going to get tomatoes off these vines until the snow falls, or is a second crop the most I can hope for ? Also, any advice on how to guarantee some fall tomatoes would be nice.... I will be very tired of tomatoes for 2006, but I'd like to understand this second and third crop thing a little better... Thanks, Andy in Eureka, Texas PS... My cantalope are turning yellow.... I will very tired of eating cantalop in 2-3 weeks, but for now it is pure heaven..... |
Tomato question -- second crop..
I disagree with Gary. I can all the extra in a Hot Water Bath for about 30
minutes. I add a teaspoon of salt to each quart of tomatoes, put on a sterile lid, and put them into the HWB. They really taste fantastic when you eat them out of a jar. Dwayne "AndyS" wrote in message oups.com... Andy writes: |
Tomato question -- second crop..
Andy ..."noticed that a SECOND crop is coming in on the vines...
All at once, and very prolific... The plants are Celebrity, from Home Depot, and this is north Texas with temps in the 90s every day and almost no rain, tho I have been watering the garden every other day or so with a sprinkler... So, learned gurus, is this normal ? Am I going to get tomatoes off these vines until the snow falls, or is a second crop the most I can hope for ? Also, any advice on how to guarantee some fall tomatoes would be nice...." Is it normal that N. Tx is 90+ every day, there/s no rain, and you/re draining your well keeping your garden alive? It certainly was went I lived in that 'hole 'nuther country! Determinants, like the Celebrity, set an initial heavy crop, you then get a smaller second crop and after that, it/s +/- over. This type of tomat is good if you/re selling for fresh-market b/c you get a whole lot all at once. OTOH, indeterminants are more like the Energizer Bunny, provided they don/t succumb to the elements. With luck, they/ll pick all season long. You can be guaranteed a fall crop by setting out 'short-season' plants, such as Early Girl, again in early July. My zone-7 seedlings are 4" tall and ready for hardening-off. EEBE, they/ll start picking by mid-September. |
Tomato question -- second crop..
No one was implying that the determinate tomatoes don't taste good when
canned. I was implying that the quanitiy might be less than you want for canning - less than what you could get from indeterminates. Gary "Dwayne" wrote in message ... I disagree with Gary. I can all the extra in a Hot Water Bath for about 30 minutes. I add a teaspoon of salt to each quart of tomatoes, put on a sterile lid, and put them into the HWB. They really taste fantastic when you eat them out of a jar. Dwayne "AndyS" wrote in message oups.com... Andy writes: |
Tomato question -- second crop..
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Tomato question -- second crop..
"AndyS" wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Determinants, like the Celebrity, set an initial heavy crop, you then get a smaller second crop and after that, it/s +/- over. This type of tomat is good if you/re selling for fresh-market b/c you get a whole lot all at once. *** Thanks, I am going to find out what "determinates" means, and take advantage of that knowledge... Determinants vines grow to a certain point then stop. Indeterminants vines grow and grow and grow some more. |
Tomato question -- second crop..
Sorry about that Gary. I can what ever I can get, after eating what I want
fresh. I raise indeterminate, but get them from the grocery store and I have no way of telling what they are. Either way, they taste great. Dwayne "V_coerulea" wrote in message .. . No one was implying that the determinate tomatoes don't taste good when canned. I was implying that the quanitiy might be less than you want for canning - less than what you could get from indeterminates. Gary |
Tomato question -- second crop..
AndyS wrote: [snippage] "If Home Depot has Early Girl, I'll get a flat today." Chances are you won/t find them at the Home Despot but there's still plenty-o-time for some direct-seed-sowing. Sow seeds today, they/re out of the ground in less than a week, and you/re off to the races. Fifty-two days later, you/re pickin' and grinnin' come late September. Summer seed sowing requires special attention to ensure good germination. Soak the soil one day, then sow your seed the next. Cover the seed with soil and a light mulch of pine straw or coarse grass clippings to conserve moisture. Once the seeds have sprouted, tuck some soil up against the stems and return the mulch. |
Most tomatoes will continue bearing the appropriate conditions for all eternity. Celebrity is a certain type, which means it grows to a certain height, then stop. However, this is only if you delete all of the suckers along the dry. Otherwise, the sucker will grow and produce secondary plant bears later.
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