Great questions - I see you've definitely thought this through a bit.

All your listed options/ideas are possibilities.

Cutting back - Yes, it works, or can work. If you are going to leave some plants in, yes, you should probably at least cut then back to 3' or so if they don't have any fruit on them (or recent fruit set) - and re-mulch and remove any diseased foliage from that 3' of plant once you cut it back. This technique generally works best with cherry types as they tend to be more "wild"/vigorous in their growth. But it can also work with med or even lg fruited types, too.

However, don't waste time on already ailing or diseased plants - ruthlessly pull them once they are done giving you spring and early summer fruit - don't play nursemaid. Our severe heat is awfully stressful on tomato plants to begin with even if they are in perfect health.

Idea 1, find new transplants - I would not count on it as a possibility. In several areas of TX, good quality fall transplants are hard or impossible to find. If you are more south, say in the Houston area, there are some nurseries that may have some.

Idea 2, starting from seed You said "not interested", and besides, we are on the late side for that already. If you are 8b or above and you change your mind - you will need to get that going in the next day or two - don't delay.

Idea 3, cuttings - take suckers - those shoots that form between a stem and a branch in the "V". Immediately take inside and put in a glass of water and set in a very sunny window (or put under grow lights) until you -just- see the faint beginnings of root formation. Then take them and put in well moistened peat based potting mix (not potting soil). Continue to leave in a rather sunny window or under lights once you do this, or move outside to bright shade until you feel the cuttings have rooted a bit.

Some say to just go ahead and immediately put them in potting mix, but I find I get much more dependable results if the cuttings are left in water for a few days beforehand - not so long as to form significant "water" roots, though.

Rooting inside under grow lights or in a sunny window seems to work better when it is sooo hot outside - IOW, doing it somewhere where they are not beaten down by the brutal sun, heat, and high UV index this time of year in TX before they can form some roots. High heat and sun = significant transpiration from the foliage. And in my experience, cuttings shoved outside in our summers without any root formation usually just can't take it.

Here is a link that might be useful: my tomato growing blog, some growing tips

I grow a single cherry tomato out from the bottom of a hanging 5 gallon container. This year, the seedling was a bit large and I broke off 2 branches potting it. Out of curiousity, I just stuck them in a container of potting soil.

They are growing great. Don't try water-rooting, just stick them in soil and water them well. Leave the branches in indirect light for a couple weeks.

Don't try water-rooting, just stick them in soil and water them well. Leave the branches in indirect light for a couple weeks.

No offense, but that does not always work so well in TX, especially considering the extreme temperatures here right now.

Sometimes it can work here if one is careful, no doubt - but the original poster already indicated previous problems with rooting cuttings in the past, and I've found much more dependable rooting results can be obtained in my climate by setting them in water for just a few days first and then putting in potting mix to root inside in a sunny window or under lights whenever possible.

You say you had cuttings sitting in purified water for weeks and that might have been part of the problem.

It doesn't matter how clean and pure the water is to begin with, because over time, bacteria and fungi will very quickly contaminate the water and multiply. Whenever you have cuttings in water, it should be changed every couple of days.

In any case, my previous advice stands - Put in water for a couple or three days or so after cutting, then plunge into a peat based potting mix and set in a coolish fairly shady area (inside by a sunny window or under grow lights, if you cannot achieve some decent temps in a spot outdoors right now).

hi suse, your advise is the best ive heard all year, especially about the suckers by immediately put in water in a sunny location. bill

Suse, took your advice and I'm trying both ways ... a few suckers in water, a few in starting mix.

Also want to thank you for the roasting idea! Last year I froze some of the roasted plums, but didn't run 'em through the food mill first. Duh! lol I will this year. I'm probably down to my last tray, but with no one to eat them but me right now roasting to freeze is perfect. Wish I had read your blog earlier in the season. I froze a number of bags of whole tomatoes for winter cooking, but the roasted version takes up so much less space. Oh, and you're right about roasting any tomato. I couldn't believe what it did to a beefsteak.

Thanks again!

Thanks for all the good advice.

I'm going to try cutting them down to size, watering well, and maybe throwing on some nitrogeneous material to encourage them to leaf out. OK, let's suppose I revitalize the greenery. Is this indeterminate tomato going to still try to fruit?

Doing cuttings by rooting suckers, rather than plain stems, might be the key. Will also try that. Note that when I said purified water, I really meant water with chlorination removed, either with a Campden tablet, or just by using distilled water. No question that a rotting stem will eventually breed bacteria.

Suze... ALWAYS good information. Thank you.

When do you normally plant out seedlings for a fall crop? Any tips on keeping new transplants alive and healthy through the remainder of the sizzling summer heat? (Here, it can last until mid-September.)

Yea, I like the cuttings idea also. I'm starting a fall (overwinter indoors) herb garden & may very well do some fall maters too, using the sucker method.

daninthedirt, suckers seem to root better than just stems. As for the indets you cut back, yes, they will fruit again when it is time. Too hot right now for the most part, but some of your smaller fruited or cherry types might surprise you as (usually) they tend to set better in heat.

Just be careful not to cut the plant(s) back too hard or you could kill them in this heat. TAMU recommends 3', and (ime) that seems like good general advice. I generally cut back to 3' or so, definitely no more than 2', and remulch (to both cover fungal spores that might have shed, and also to replenish the mulch that may have broken down) and feed to "push" new fresh growth.

azruss, last week of July or first wk of Aug seems to work the best for me for plant out of fall seedlings. Yeah, I hate to do it (temptation is to wait later until it cools off), but in reality you have to get them out there to lock in and establish so that they will be ready to bloom and set fruit when temps allow. Mulch very thickly, sink the root ball very deep, and shade with something [30-50% shade cloth, a double layer of agribon (row cover) just on the top to cut the sun exposure a bit.] You can also coat the heck out of the foliage with a thick layer (or layers) of Surround - kaolin clay mixed with water and sprayed on.

You'll need to plant them in one of the very best sun areas of your yard - ugh! (I know) If you don't, what happens is later in the year they won't get enough sun as the days get shorter. Containers can be great, because you can put them in more shady areas when you plant out, then later move to better sun areas as the days get short.

azruss, an additional benefit of Surround is that it does a fairly good job of discouraging small sucking insects (like spider mites and aphids) - especially if you are careful to get it on all surfaces of the foliage, including the undersides where they like to hang out. Stink bugs also don't like it - dunno if you have a major problem with them there like we do in Texas.

I *heart* Surround. I also use it on my seedlings when hardening off, makes the process go quicker and easier.

natal, if you have a food mill, yep - use it to process the oven roasted sauce. You can also get away with blanching and pulling off the skins or using a good serrated veg peeler (OXO makes a good one that actually works well for tomatoes) to remove them. The seeds don't bother me that much, but the skins can be a little much if you leave them all in. Glad you found the recipe helpful. :-)

I took the dive and started a bunch from seed for fall. I figured I'd fail and loose a bunch.

Now I'm GIVING away seedlings because I have so many (my friends are THRILLED, LOL) It was a snap. Took me about 45 minutes and then I threw some water in their tray every other day.

Give it a try. I'll never buy seedlings again!

Is there any advantage in babying a plant through the rough stretch of temps? Would a bigger plant come Aug/Sept give more tomatoes than a new or pruned one? Or is there not much difference?

Suze9, thanks for the insights. Now, why isn't all this well understood in the home gardening community? Do most southern folks really just watch their cherry toms die in August, and be staring at a piece of dirt for the rest of the year?

Yes, I cut back to 3-4'. That leaves plenty of leaves (and suckers!) to set up for the hoped-for grand recovery. Good point about sunlight. Mine have just 11am-sunset direct sun now, and they may well have too little by the fall. I don't have a lot of choice here.

On thinking about it, I have to assume that such indeterminate plants will still fruit. If they didn't, plants from suckers couldn't fruit!

I too was wondering about babying big plants through the worst of the summer, and then hope for recovery in the fall. But that would require a LOT of water. With 7-8' long stems right now, they need watering every other day. I'd probably still end up cutting off a lot of dead stem.

Well I like to start new plants. Since I have a small area, I move crops around as they finish producing. For instance, the beans have finished and the new tomato plants will go in there. Then when current tomatoes are finished, I pull them, compost, fertilize and start the fall things.

The fun of starting new plants is that I get to grow more varieties than if I just carried over the plants.

And as good as Surround is you have to be able to spray it, without it blowing everywhere. (I have running water nearby and it's classed as a pesticide so you have to be careful even if it's organic. I don't want to irritate someone and have it unavailable to the consumer.) It has finally stopped blowing up here and now it's too late to do much good since the bugs have a good foothold.

Really great discussion!
I'm coming to the end of my determine tomatoes run and was planning on rooting some suckers from my indeterminates to take their place. But I too was wondering what to do with my really tall indeterminates. I staked them and they're at the very top of the stakes. And since we've been having high heat here lately, my fruitset has dwindled to nothing. But since I staked these plants, I pruned off most of the lower suckers. My concern if I cut them down to 3-4 feet is that I won't have any suckers to start the fall growth. Will new suckers form, or should I make sure that I only prune down to the level where suckers are still occurring?

I treat everything like a determinate here in AZ. When it's done, I pull it. I can't justify the waste of water to try keeping an ugly, brown-leaved, looks-like-hell indeterminate alive from mid-July through mid-September in our 100+ degree heat. I agree competely with shebear a couple of notes up.

Suze-

Thank you for your advice! I especially appreciate the advice to azruss about putting out the plants for fall. I started my seeds last week and expect they'll be ready for transplant by the 1st week of Aug.

I had my raised bed spot all planned, which would be perfect for the summer but I worried about not enough sun in the fall & winter. Sadly, you've confirmed my concerns. Now I need to rethink my strategy! I have some wonderful full sun spots, but I don't think hubby will appreciate me digging up his lawn! LOL My two choices are the east side of the house and the west side of the house, both have trees. Which in your experience would be the lesser of two evils?

I appreciate your help!

az_pamperedchef, why not use EarthBoxes for your fall/winter tomato plants? You can get casters/rollers for them and move them into the sunniest locations in your yard. I used EarthBoxes this spring and loved them! At Ace Hardware, at least in Oro Valley, they have an EarthBox rep so I can place my order with him and not have to pay shipping. They are also easy to build using 18 gallon or larger tubs, like Rubbermaid or Sterling. Highly recommended, and watering concerns disappear with them.

do bigger plants come fall mean more tomatoes? (if you babied the plants).
Would it be easier to grow determinates in high heat areas in the spring followed by indeterminates for the late summer/fall areas in zones 8-9? Or is that logic dumb?
For a newbie, it is hard to pull the plants that you've worked so hard to grow. Even if it is necessary it is hard when you have had success with the current plants.
But if it is a must, I will pull them up. I trust you all. I've had success by following your advice so far.

larenatc

Well it sounds like good logic but since most cherries and beefsteaks are indeterminate, we would be missing out. You just have to learn to roll with the punches. These are annual plants breed to provide food. Besides if you start over in mid-July, we get to try other varieties.

To larenatc:

Bigger, healthy plants usually mean more tomatoes. My experience in our hot climate is by the time the last tomatoes ripen, the plant looks like hell. It's brown, spindly, beautiful green foliage is sparce. It isn't going to do much for me even if I baby it through the summer heat, and it just might die anyway. I shut off the water supply and pull it. If your plants still look pretty good, still have lots of green leaves etc., then I could see keeping them alive through summer, as long as they remain that healthy. I feel your pain with regard to pulling a plant that you've worked hard with. But, it has done it's job and might not do it so well in the future. New planting is the way to go, IMO.

I'm heading into the heat to pull a bunch of plants that have produced nothing for me but are still alive and kicking. I'm not going to waste the water heading into the heat of summer. Last year I got a nice second round out of one Celebrity that looked terrible by late August. I cut off the ugly and the new growth was literally bananas after a big shot of triple sixteen. Maybe there's something to say for an established large root system below a dying plant? I honestly don't know. My current Celeb planting just.won't.blush and it frustrates me. They are getting pretty ragged while loaded with fruit, but this year they come out as soon as I get the first harvest. I'm setting young Cherokee Purples for fall in containers where the Celebs currently are. Of the 60 plants I put in this spring I will probably nurse about 20 of them through the heat and under shade while trying to get a fall crop of CPs in good enough shape to deliver before mid October.