Here is another thought.

I have always wanted to grow in a greenhouse and have considered constructing one. My question is, at night what happens to the temps in a greenhouse?

Usually we don't get a 'freeze' until mid december or even January.

If a greenhouse can extend my season into late Nov then this deal could work out very well.

You need a high hoop house! lol! I dont expect freezes until feb or march here on the coast. My winter is so mild. I am planning on trying fall tomatoes instead of summer, starting the seeds (for my entire fall garden) in July to be planted in earthtainers mid to late august. I will want to consult dave and silvia first as well as read some more but for now thats the plan on paper! Temps should be back towards the mid 80's to mid 90's by then and I dont mind keeping them in my grow room under lights until the temps are right! I hope to move my current tomato plants inside when the temps hit double digits to see if I can over-summer them? anyway, give it what it needs and it will grow right?

I just looked and I am in Zone 9a.

I am in zone 9a in Florida. This is my first year of tomato growing and I don't have firsthand experience. But according to my neighbor friend, summer's high humidity brings fungus infection and kills tomato plants.

He grows about 10 tomato plants in a raised bed. Once summer heat/humidity hits, he removes all plants and covers the raised bed with plastic sheet, and solarizes it for 2+ months. When Home Depot puts tomato seedlings back on the shelf, his second crop starts in the same soil. I will do what he has been doing for years.

Alamo - There have been discussions about so called fall gardening here and on tville that I commend to you. I personally tried it one time unsuccessfully. The fall season is very short in the DFW area, probably a little longer for you. About mid July is when you put out your fall plants.

The year I did it, it was extremely hot and I didn't plant out till August 1 ish. The plant growth was slow until it cooled a bit. Then fruit set happened around Oct 1, and most of it was still green when first frost hit. By November the sun is much less direct and between that and cooler weather, the ripening process slows greatly. I've seen it recommended that it cherry's be used as they set early and ripen early.

You may also be able to take a cutting, root it and plant it with some success. My grandmother wrote about doing that in Dallas in the early 1960's and Better Homes and Gardens Mag published it. I haven't tried that method.

Novice grower- too right, I agree with your neiborfriend but all my veggies are grown in containers for this reason!!! I have diabolical forthought and will be using a rear sunroom as a green house much to my wifes dismay. I can control light, moisture, humidity and hopefully keep em going over summers worst!!! I will also start my fall seeds there under grow lights and put out when the worst is over. I hope its another uneventful hurricane season and am looking forward to the afternoon rains!!!!

Alamo5000, here's one other consideration, though I'm guessing the timing would be a little different due to zone differences.

I too am in Tx. (Central - zone 8) and just came to this forum to ask about doing fall tomatoes. I had heard that you can take a root cutting from an existing plant and start another (skipping the whole seed thing). I'd love to hear from anyone who practices this. The cuttings reportedly grow quite a bit faster so need less time to mature.
So here's the scenario I'm wondering about - when my tomatoes planted in spring (March) are nearing the end of their cycle (perhaps in July?), what if I took a root cutting from that plant and got it started in a growing medium for a couple of weeks and then planted it in mid to late August?
Is that doable?

I may be a little off on the timing, but thought I'd try it this year with my Cherokee Purple or Mortgage Lifter.

I'm not a hot-summer gardener, but I have rooted cuttings from my cherry tomatoes and potted them up to grow in my greenhouse window for winter cherries. Then in late winter, take another cutting for the spring plant. We don't get a lot with the casual treatment I give them, but my kids do enjoy their "tomato vitamins" when the snow is blowing.

Catherine

Hi

I am going to show you some pictures of my last fall tomato garden. I always get 2 season and for the fall I tried to get early varieties that ripen before the cold.

I always plant them in containers in the same set up.

Pictures from August 2009

Some cherry tomatoes

September 2009

October 2009

{{gwi:60429}}

I hope that helps.

Silvia

Hi Silvia,

Gorgeous harvest and very encouraging to know that Fall tomatoes can do that well. No fair showing off your bananas!
However I'm not clear about your process and timing. Do you start seeds, use cuttings or buy new starter plants in August? Also I'd be curious to know what early varieties you use.

Do you have any thoughts about the scenario I described above about taking cuttings from my Mortgage Lifter and Cherokee Purple in early July and get them going in a plant medium for a week or two before placing them outside again?

I'd love to hear a few more details.

Thanks for the great pics! You seem to have this down to a science.

Hi

Thank you. I have 12 different kind of bananas, I have to show them sometimes, lol

All my tomatoes for fall and spring are always started from seeds, I don't have any special greenhouse or set up. I start them in my porch.

I have a lot of seed varieties and I have them rotating so my family don't get tired of them, I also grow seedlings for friends and neighbors, free of charge.

This season I grew over a 100 seedlings, from what I kept 45 for myself.:)

When you buy seeds they are listed as early varieties they can be heirloom or hybrid, your choice. It all depends what do you like some people think only beefsteak type are good some others only like cherry or red.

I like all the varieties some more than others. You just have to do the math, it is simple. You are aiming at having healthy transplants about 6 weeks old ready for the garden.

I never do cuttings in my area too many diseases and bugs around, it is better for me to start fresh, even with the mix. The old soil gets recycled in the garden for me goes to the bananas.

If you have any more questions I will be happy to answer, just remember I am not a tomato expert!lol

Silvia

Anyone near Zone 6 try a fall tomato planting? If so, any luck and when is the best time to put the 6 week old transplants in the garden?

A tomato farmer I talked to said that in Massachusetts (they are on Cape Cod), they plant a second crop of cherry tomatoes. We've been getting longer, warmer falls (October can be a good growing month), and they harvest cherry tomatoes through October.

I grow 2 seasons a year. I grow 4 months on, 1 month off, 4 months on, 3 months off. So I grow from 3/1 to 7/1, and from 8/1 to 12/1.

I have always grown from seed, but I'm just going to plant some suckers for the fall this year.

Yes, I plant my first set on one side of a trellis, prune for increased fruit size and use the cuttings to start plants on the other side of the trellis. I also stop the growth of the first set at the top of the trellis and sometimes cut the stem at the ground to allow them to finish ripening on the vine. In zone 7a I would describe it more like an extended season with a lull in the middle of the season (due to high temps in mid august), rather than Two seasons/one year. Many people fail to realize that tomatoes are a perennial because they are grown as annuals any great distance from the equator.
~Ken~

Alamo5000, I'm just east of you in Baton Rouge. I hear that some do well with Fall tomatoes. However, my success rate on fall tomatoes has been low. Your guess on a July planting date is right on target. However, the intense heat can be too much for the small plants during July and August. Growth is slow. I've not tried a shade cloth. That might help. Also, more often than not plants that do make it get caught in the first frost. This forces picking of green tomatoes which need to be ripened inside. So the last few years I've given up on Fall tomatoes. I'd rather save the space for other veges. Broccoli and cauliflower are my favorites. The one Fall tomato cultivar that I seemed to have better luck with was Hawaiian 70. But the success was not consistent.