Trish,

Theorectically, the planting dates for tomatoes in Oklahoma are April 10-30. There is a reason for this. Tomatoes set fruit only (more or less) when the daytime highs and nighttime lows are in the correct range. What is that range? Generally, it means that the plants must bloom before nighttime temperatures begin to reach and exceed 75 degrees and before daytime highs begin to reach and exceed 92 degrees. That is why tomatoes should be planted as early as possible after the last freeze or average last freeze date--you need the plants to be big enough to bloom before it gets too hot. Now, that's the scientific reason why we plant tomatoes at a certain time. And, the books and research all say that early planting is essential to get "maximum fruit set and high yields". What is the reality, though?

All tomatoes will bloom and produce "some" fruit even after those temperatures are reached, although much hotter temperatures [say, about 78 to 80 degrees at night, and 95 to 98 (or higher) degrees during the daytime] pretty much shut down the blooms on most indeterminate plants that produce larger tomatoes. Some tomatoes will produce more tomatoes in the heat than others. Generally, the smaller the tomato fruit....like cherry, grape, currant or Roma types, the more likely that fruit will set in the hotter weather.

Sometimes, though, even some of the larger tomatoes defy "the rules" and produce fruit in spite of blazing hot temperatures. Some of the larger tomatoes that seem able to overcome the higher temperatures include Arkansas Traveler, Mule Team, Jackpot, Rutgers, Jetsetter, Bingo, Merced, Celebrity, Box Car Willie, Champion, Nebraska Wedding, Sioux, Cherokee Purple, Black Krim and Better Boy. Most of the smaller tomatoes produce all summer long in spite of the temperatures. This includes Porter and Improved Porter, and pretty much all the tomatoes that fall into the cherry, grape or currant categories. Most paste tomatoes, like Roma, Viva Italia or San Marzano, will produce in the heat but they tend to produce a huge crop at one time, which is ideal if you want to can tomates, but not so wonderful if you want them for fresh eating.

If you are going to put 2 tomato plants in your earthbox, you might want to have one that produces regular-sized fruit, and one that produces smaller, cherry-sized fruit. If you can find them, the ISI (indeterminate short internode) plants like Better Bush Improved, Husky Red or Husky Red Cherry would be ideal for an Earthbox because the plants have been bred to remain smaller and still produce heavy crops.

To get a head start, purchase your tomato plants ASAP and pot them up into a larger container....like a 1 or 2 gallon nursery pot. This will enable them to start spreading out their roots and growing. When your earthboxes arrive, you'll have larger plants that are likely to take off fast and bloom fairly quickly after they have been transplanted in to the earthbox. ...

thanks Dawn, good advice on planting the tomatoes in a smaller container and then transplanting...that's just what I will do! appreciate ya.

I was visiting my "little old lady friends" (picture the Baldwin Sisters on the old Walton's show -- without "the recipe", though) last weekend and they told me their "daddy" never planted tomato seed until late May. He timed it so that they would have tomatoes to can in the fall.

Well, true. Any full-sized tomato planted after June 1 from plants or mid-May from seeds is probably not going to produce fruit until fall, although cherry, currant, grape and Roma types would still produce in the heat of the summer.

I just assumed that Trish was wanting to plant for a summer harvest.

You can plant fall tomatoes from June 1st through mid-July for a fall harvest.

Dawn

Hi Trish,

I think the Earthboxes are a good idea too.

I have ordered an earthbox and it wont be in till the end of the month.

I take it you haven't seen any of the instructions for home-made earthboxes -- I'm making a couple to try this year & the cost for each unit is approx $14 -- I got 18 gal totes from Walmart for 3.99 & pond baskets for 1.99 & I got 6' pcs of abs pipe at Home Depot....

Check out this link: containers

Trish,

Noticed that you said you live south of Muskogee. I am wondering if you may be the Trish that works where I work...in muskogee. I have a gold patch on my arm, do you?

Hi okcdan,
I have seen the earthtainers and plan on making some of those too! I have ordered my pond baskets (Lowes didn't have any) I couldnt wait as I don't have alot of patience.
But, you are right, the earthbox's are expensive especially when the nursery told me one price and now that they are in.....another price. oh well, no big deal. I ordered some off the earthbox site and will pick up four at the nursery. If I like them I will get busy making a few. this is really only my second year gardening (to speak of) but I am addicted! thanks for the info.

sorry kevokie, different trish

I've had success with tomatoes in pots (BIG pots mind you) in the past but I haven't had any experience with an earthbox. I just wanted to add that a while back on NPR I heard that garden guy (with the annoying voice) talking with someone from Texas who had problems growing tomatoes in an earthbox and he suggested later on that the problem was that that earthboxes help keep things constantly watered & that tomatoes like a bit of a drying out period in between waterings. It's hard to imagine anything in OK or TX EVER getting TOO MUCH water, but I can see the reasoning behind this.

And I agree with the reasoning.

One year I tried tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets and used that Miracle-Grow Moisture Control soil, figuring it would keep the plants moist enough and they would do well. Keep in mind that I wasn't even using self-watering containers, but merely watering by hand with a water hose. The plants stayed too wet, the tomatoes wilted easily because they were too wet, not too dry, and they didn't taste that great either. (Tomatoes that are grown in very wet conditions often have a mushy texture and a watered-down flavor.) I've had much better luck in regular containers (ranging from 5 gallons to 30 or 40 gallons) with a well-draining soil-less container mix.

ON THE OTHER HAND, there are some people on the tomato-growing forum who grow tomatoes in both the homemade self-watering containers and the Earthboxes and they seem perfectly happy with their tomatoes. Maybe they are in a different climate or something but I think some of them are Texas in area as hot as (or hotter than) ours. I have no clue what y'all should expect from self-watering containers.

So, of course, all of us here in Oklahoma are waiting to hear your reports on how the Earthboxes perform!

Dawn