FL -- planted fall tomatoes

[movrshakr]

Just got my tomatoes into the re-set-up box.
Talledega VFFTSWST 70-90 days
Oops
December 12 harvest??
Wasn't on the store display, but web site says for HOT weather.
http://m.bonnieplants.com/Varieties/tabid/61/ID/83/categoryId/29/Talladega.aspx

Well, maybe be OK.  My spot is killing my maters too soon due to a very hot location.  So maybe it will be OK for a HOT variety in a SLIGHTLY cooler period (beginning a month from now).

[Fldeb]

I planted 2 weeks ago.  I planted Legend (68 days), Roma (85-90), celebrity (72), and tomatoberry (60).  Deb

[movrshakr]

I planted 2 weeks ago.  I planted Legend (68 days), Roma (85-90), celebrity (72), and tomatoberry (60).  Deb

I was planning to plant about 8-24, but didn't happen.

Have you done fall tomatoes in cfl before?  Am I way too late for a 70-90 day variety? (Thought I was smarter than that.  IQ just went down 10 pts.  )

And that is a strange spec...such a wide spread of first fruit interval.

[Reef Tank]

I just planted my three boxes yesterday.

Brandy Boy  / Brandy Boy

Ugly Ripe / Cherokee Purple

Mexico / Eva Purple Ball

Seedlings were about 3 inches tall.  The Ugly Ripe were seeds saved from a store bought tomato (Marmande suposedly)

[LeggoLamb]

I have 3 boxes planted several weeks ago:

Tasti-Lee and Tasti-Lee
Celebrity and Brandywine
Celebrity and Tasti-Lee

Also have Phoenix in a 5-gal knockoff that is touch and go, and an Everglades tomato in a 5 gallon nursery pot with tomatoes coming on (small though they be!)

[Fldeb]

movrshakr--I have planted a fall crop before.  The bugs don't seem as bad as in the summer and it isn't has HOT, more enjoyable to be outside.  I also have a small greenhouse I can put up over the EBS.  It keeps the temp about 5-7 degrees higher than outside.  I got the greenhouse in the late winter last year (on sale) so this will be the first year to try and extend the season.  Last year I used it to start early.  Deb

[writeone]

I planted my EBs 8/12/11. This is my first fall season. I'm wondering if that was too early; it's been so hot. The varieties are heat tolerant.
Louisiana long green 90-100 d & black beauty eggplants 90 - 110 days
Arkansas Travelers and brandywine beefsteak tomatoes 75 to 90 days
various sweet peppers - orange 70-90d, California wonder 60-80 d, banana 70 d

Days from my plant date
Oct 28 = 77 d
Nov 4 = 84
Nov 11 = 91
Nov 18 = 98
Nov 25 = 105
Dec 2   = 112

Average frost dates according to
http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-florida-first-frost-date-map.php
first Jan 1 - 10
last Feb 11 - 20

I'm trying to figure out if I could start about a month later and still be OK. Or does planting early like I did extend the fruit bearing time so as to yield more for the total harvest?

Also, does date to maturity mean date to harvest? And the range does that mean start of harvest till end of harvest, or is that an approximation of the start dates?

I'd appreciate any insight.

[gardendoc]

Last year some of my transplants were on the small side and suffered due to the heat, especially the short season cool temp varieties.  Around Oct 1 all were fine with cooling temps.  This year planted around Aug 15 using bigger transplants and all have been fine.

A word of note about fall tomatoes.  Take a look at any growth differences between indeterminate and determinate varieties you are growing this fall.  We ran a study on fall heirloom tomatoes using all indeterminates.  The plants grew fine but the fruit had trouble ripening.  With the decreasing daylength and temperatures the indeterminate plants were struggling with having enough photosynthates for vegetative and reproductive growth competing for the limited resources.  

I grew all determinates last fall and had ripe tomatoes into December when a hard frost finally finished them.  

[movrshakr]

gardendoc, my talledegas are determinate, but not due to careful planning.  I just thought I would go with them as a first try for me.

[writeone]

Great info to consider.

Next season I'll start seedlings earlier and wait till they are bigger to plant in EB. They seem to like the small pots better when the plants are small.

I'll keep the plants in full sun now. I already moved the seedlings to full or mostly sun as they seemed to do better there. They were in a place were they got morning sun till 11am, then afternoon starting 3pm. The Spring crop did better there due to the heat. Prior to the partial shade they were dropping blooms.

Since the fall crop is struggling, I pruned the first blossoms so they can keep their energy on growing and develop better and more fruit later.

I also have a red bell pepper plant lagging behind the spring crop because of damage it overcame later. It's fruit seem soft and dull. I've been trimming them off early. I plan to let it fruit when the current crop of peppers start fruiting.

Are these reasonable plans--full sun and prune first blooms?

[Fldeb]

That is why my tomatoes seemed to take forever to ripen last fall, they were indeterminate.  I had huge tomatoes that just stayed green.  Thanks gardendoc , determinates it will be in the fall from now on.  Deb

[writeone]

Also, make your fall choices of varieties with less days to maturity. 55-70 instead of 80-100 days.

I selected mine based on extension service recommendations for heat and humidity tolerant. Do you have any suggestions about varieties that mature quicker and work for hot humid weather?

[cc-fl]

I've had Talladega and Celebrity in the past.  The Talladega did not produce well for me until the end of spring.  Celebrity has been a great performer however in hotter weather, the fruit matures before reaching their expected size but still very prolific.

I planted my heirloom tomatoes and chimayo peppers 8/30.  The transplants were about 2 months old and had grown quite large (about 2 feet)- next year I'll wait a couple of weeks longer to start the seedlings.  I lost my Opalka paste tomatoes in a torrential storm - they're whispy and not as sturdy as the other varieties but all of the others are doing very well and all are blooming.  I replaced the Opalkas with Bonnie Select determinates purchased Lowes and they have some catching up to do.  I was unable to get Celebrity when I wanted to jplant.

Here's my selection:

     Brad's Black Oxheart
     Midnight in Moscow
     Cherokee Purple
     Cherokee Green
     Jim's Jumbo Orange
     Green Moldovan
     Black Cherry
     Blondkopfchen
     Pink Ping Pong

My first peppers are reaching 2" in length.  Golden and baby red beets, lettuce and okra have also come up.  Still waiting on the pole beans to emerge.  Ichiban and white eggplant that I trimmed back before the threat of Hurricane Irene blooming and have tiny eggplants on their way.  Can't wait for the first harvest!

[movrshakr]

Also, make your fall choices of varieties with less days to maturity. 55-70 instead of 80-100 days.

Yeah, I messed up on that with 70-90 days.  Will just have to see how it turns out.

Oh, I had to get a new bag of 6-6-6 fertilizer because my son put the 6-6-6 bag I did have on the lawn instead of the Scotts Lawn Fert sitting square in the middle of the opening of the garage! 

The new bag put some odor in the car while it was in the trunk for a day.  And when I opened the bag yesterday, the ammonia odor was almost overwhelming.  I have encountered a little fertilizer odor before, but this was STRONG!

[gardendoc]

That is why my tomatoes seemed to take forever to ripen last fall, they were indeterminate.  I had huge tomatoes that just stayed green.  Thanks gardendoc , determinates it will be in the fall from now on.  Deb

Deb, with the two seasons I have gone to almost entirely determinate varieties.  The plants stay at an easily manageable height, I don't see the purpose of having 7' plus tomato plants