Need a So. Cal. Fall tomato

Roseinarosecity 9/19/2012, 5:25 pm

Today I saw new tomato plants at Armstrong. Stupice, Rutger, Oregon Star, Siletz, Glacier, Mortgage Lifter, are the names of the ones I remember.

If you are in Southern California, which of these have you had success?
Or do you have another variety you've tried in the Fall?

BTW, this month marks the one full year gardening four seasons! Thanks, Square-Foot Gardeners, you made it easier for me.

Chopper 9/21/2012, 5:20 am

I would ask them at Armstrong. Not sure as I have never tried fall tomatoes - never even thought about it. Experiment for us!

Goosegirl 9/21/2012, 9:07 am

Roseinarosecity wrote:Today I saw new tomato plants at Armstrong. Stupice, Rutger, Oregon Star, Siletz, Glacier, Mortgage Lifter, are the names of the ones I remember.

If you are in Southern California, which of these have you had success?
Or do you have another variety you've tried in the Fall?

BTW, this month marks the one full year gardening four seasons! Thanks, Square-Foot Gardeners, you made it easier for me.

I never tried fall tomatoes when I was in CA, but now that I am in SD, I use varieties that are for cooler climate, shorter season. I would think that any that say they are good for northern climates may do well for you in So Cal for fall! Of these there are "parthenocarpic" varieties - set fruit without pollination, so if it is too cool for natural pollination to begin they will fruit anyway (but be seedless, at least at first, from what I read). Experiment and let us know how it works out!

GG

Roseinarosecity 11/26/2012, 12:24 pm

I have tomato flowers! Back in early October I decided to plant Rutger, Siletz, and Oregon Star tomato plants for the Fall. I also have flowers on my Paul Robeson and a black cherry tomato, leftovers from this past summer. I kept them because these two were so healthy looking. If our weather dictates the correct conditions, maybe I'll have tomatoes in December? Is there anything I could do to help these tomato plants?

I also have a flowering basil which is constantly visited by honey bees. I think Siletz is parthenocarpic.

quiltbea 11/26/2012, 2:10 pm

If you have them growing inside tomato cages, then you can wrap the cages with plastic and clip them shut and also across the tops when it gets much cooler. Be sure to vent during the warmer days so you don't cook them.

Roseinarosecity 11/26/2012, 6:28 pm

They are inside tomato cages and have not reached the top. I could look for a clear plastic trash can bag now before the night temperatures drop below 40 degrees F. So far we have had upper 40's F to low 50's F at night. The plastic is to protect the future tomatoes not the flowers, right?

quiltbea 11/26/2012, 9:16 pm

The plastic is to protect against a frosty night.
You can always give the branches a few taps every day so the blossoms pollinate. Tomatoes and peppers are self-pollinating so don't necessarily need bees and insects for that task, just shake the branches a little to do the job.
If the plants get too cool, they'll stop blossoming and pollinating and even stop growing until it gets warmer, so keep them warm at the beginning.

Roseinarosecity 11/27/2012, 2:35 pm

I found baby tomatoes! I have 2 baby Siletz, 3 baby Rutgers, and 1 very small Champion tomatoes. I must have overlooked them yesterday. They are less than 3/4 inch. Today's high will be 66 F and the low will be 49 F. I will try watching the temperature diligently.

Roseinarosecity 1/15/2013, 11:02 am

Cold, cold, very cold.
I was covering my tomato plants anytime the low temperatures reached 40 degrees. I was using bed sheets and all was fine until we started getting 30's like yesterday. The leaves touching the bed sheets are damaged. My birdbath water froze! Out of my 7 tomato plants I had counted 52 tomatoes ranging in size from a pearl to a an apricot size. I have been here for 28 years and I can only recall one other time that we had such a cold snap. I added stakes to keep the tomato leaves from touching the bed sheet but I can only do this to 5 of the plants because I don't have enough sheets to cover the larger tomato plants. Is there any hope? Fall into winter tomato planting is new to me.

Lindacol 1/15/2013, 1:08 pm

Roseinarosecity wrote:Cold, cold, very cold.
I was covering my tomato plants anytime the low temperatures reached 40 degrees. I was using bed sheets and all was fine until we started getting 30's like yesterday. The leaves touching the bed sheets are damaged. My birdbath water froze! Out of my 7 tomato plants I had counted 52 tomatoes ranging in size from a pearl to a an apricot size. I have been here for 28 years and I can only recall one other time that we had such a cold snap. I added stakes to keep the tomato leaves from touching the bed sheet but I can only do this to 5 of the plants because I don't have enough sheets to cover the larger tomato plants. Is there any hope? Fall into winter tomato planting is new to me.

Sure is the worst cold spell we have had in many years. I just lost my tomato & pepper plants - last year the toms were still going when I pulled them in february to make way for the spring planting.

With the cold wind we had yesterday there was no way I could have kept mine covered.

Roseinarosecity 1/29/2013, 3:49 pm

Here's an update. I am getting some ripening of some tomatoes but they are cracking. I sure it was that rain we been having. The first tomato was mushy, I guess I waited too long? Not having grown Stiletz before I didn't know how red or pink it was suppose to be.

The leaves don't look good because of the frost but I'm not trimming them off until more new growth appears. Or, should I trim them off and will that stimulate new leaves?

**camprn** 1/29/2013, 4:53 pm

If there is frost damage and the leaves and stems are turning black, they are dead and if it was me I would be removing those effected parts of the plant, before fungus begins to grow on the effected areas.
It sounds like the plants survived as it was a frost and not a heavy freeze. They will bounce back. You could try cutting off all the very top growing tips, that will forces side growth. Very Happy

Roseinarosecity 3/13/2013, 4:52 pm

I am eating more fresh tomatoes! I started harvesting even more tomatoes the last week of February. There are cracks in some of the tomatoes (Siletz) but they are still good. I think summer tomatoes are more flavorful, but these tomatoes taste better than the store bought available now. They are also smaller, the size of tangerines. There are in containers which required close attention because of the rains washing out nutrients. It's funny but the determinate Oregon Star is starting a second flush of flowers in new growth. It was a lot of work because of the two frosty nights we had but I would do it again with a couple of changes. I would start one month earlier. I would plant in September not October. And I would plant a variety with the shortest days to harvest, maybe even start from seed in July and transplant in September. It was fun.

Coelli 3/14/2013, 12:04 am

That is really cool! Maybe I will try this in the fall if I can find a good spot in the yard that gets sun all year (unfortunately the garden is on the north side of the house). Thanks for the inspiration! Very Happy

jazzycat 3/14/2013, 1:03 pm

There is a tomato farmer in Berkley who supposedly grows outrageous tomatoes. I live in Georgia, but I ordered some seeds and am going to attempt growing some. Since you are looking for California tomatoes, you might want to give a look. Here is his website.

OK, I can't link the website, but it's wild boar farms . com

Roseinarosecity 3/14/2013, 7:52 pm

Thank you Jazzycat. This was an old post from last year that I wanted to update. Here in California, few urban people attempt tomato growing in Fall/Winter. But I did order seeds in December 2012 from Wild Boar for my 2013 spring garden. I ordered Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, Red Boar, Pink Boar, and Sweet Carneros Pink. What did you order?

jazzycat 3/14/2013, 8:35 pm

I ordered all of those, and also Berkley Tie Dye, Solar Flare, Pork Chop, Green Zebra Cherry, Black and Brown Boar and Beauty King. I went overboard, but I went in on seeds with a couple of other people. Since I've never tasted any of these, and I don't know anyone who is growing them in this climate, I wanted to go ahead and get a lot and test them to see what worked the best and which ones I like. I also wanted a variety of yellow, orange, green and black tomatoes. So I think I'm covered. Very Happy

Roseinarosecity 3/15/2013, 12:29 pm

Oh, I read great things about Black and Brown Boar tomato, but I had already ordered my seeds. How far along are your tomatoes now?

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