Fall '15: Perfect for Tomatoes
by Chris Winslow
Early July gets always me in the mood to plant fall tomatoes. With
our cooler-than-average summer, this might be the best year yet for
pulling off a bountiful fall crop.
Texas A&M's Vegetable Garden Planting Guide advises gardeners
to get their fall tomato transplants in the ground between July 7 and
August 7. (Larger transplants in 1 gal. pots or larger can be planted
as late as Sept.1.)
I prefer to plant determinate, heat set tomatoes for fall. Varieties
such as Bob Cat, Celebrity, and BHN 444 can crop in under 80
days, making them perfect for fall planting. Celebrity, an all-time
backyard favorite, acts as a semi-indeterminate, producing longer
if frosts come later than average.
July is also the perfect time to plant cherry type tomatoes – which
have no problem setting fruit in the heat. My favorites are Sweet
100, Juliet and Sun Gold. Rarely do they make it to the kitchen!
For your fall tomato garden, choose a sunny location with good
drainage, and be sure to shovel in lots of compost and slow release
organic fertilizer.
At Urban Farm they mix up a fertilizer of bat guano, mycorrhizae,
humic acid, crab shell, worm castings, kelp, soy meal, and com-
posted poultry litter, making it a great choice for gardeners. Adding
dolomite lime (calcium and magnesium) also can help to prevent
blossom end rot, a common tomato fruit malady.
Keeping your newly transplanted seedlings watered is a must. Moist
but not soggy is the ideal. I like planting in trenches or craters. This
helps to direct water down to the root zone instead of running off
and away from the plant.
Providing the newly transplanted seedlings a bit of afternoon shade
for the first two weeks can really help them to establish a strong
root system. I place some frost guard cloth on the west side of the
plants, suspended with bamboo stakes to give some temporary
shade. 'Works great, and is easy to do.
A weekly spray of seaweed and some fish emulsion can also give
the plants a boost. Both are known to help a lot with stress from the
summer heat. If you have never grown fall tomatoes before, why not
give it a try? And, this cooler summer of 2015 just might be the best
yet. Happy Gardening!
