Tomatoes-early late

[desertgirl]

I am feverishly looking through the Tomato Growers Supply stuff---can anyone explain the early/ mid/late variety approach? I've thus far only planted only a few kinds of tomato per season and let them go until it freezes. Does this approach mean I would start/plant an early variety until it ceases to yield, and then replace it with a mid variety, to be replaced by a late variety? :/

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

I can't really help you on that one. I always just grow the same ones from the time I plant in March untilt he first frost in November. I would guess the early ones are some that do well in cooler temps and produce quicker, like the Early Girls.

I dunno....? If your tomato growing hasn't suffered due to your lack of early/mid/late knowledge then why mess with it? "If it ain't broke...."

 

[Rosalind]

If you live in the frigid North, where your growing season is quite short, this distinction becomes very important--you may only have 90 days of warm enough weather in which to grow a tomato.

Up here we have to use hoop houses to get any late tomatoes to ripeness.

 

[desertgirl]

So here in New Mexico, where we have a pretty long growing season, I could continue to plant a tomato plant and have it produce through the summer until the frost....right? The 'early"varieties won't just look up one day and say, "It's mid season. I'm done. And stop producing fruit"?

I am choosing my varieties now, and don't want to hose myself.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

My Early Girls produced all season, from the time I planted until they froze....

 

[curly_kate]

I'm in a cooler region than you are, so I definitely don't have enough time to do 2 rounds of tomatoes. I plant 'early' and 'late' varieties at the same time, and then get different tomatoes throughout the season (although by August, I'm always up to my eyeballs in tomatoes).

 

[Lavender2]

I could tell you what kinds do better in the frigid north ...

With your long growing season you might concentrate more on determinate (produce all fruit at once, good for pots or smaller spaces), or indeterminate (produce over a long period, usually yield more fruit)... I like to grow some of each, depends on which you prefer.

Heat may be an issue for production for you ... ?? ... some varieties are less affected by high temps during the growing season.

This is an interesting site from a gardener in NM ...Joes Tomatoes ...

Early Girls do great here also ... but oddly, last year they were the last ones to ripen ... fantastic yield tho!

 

[desertgirl]

Good idea. I think I will try to order based on the determinate/indeterminate approach. Thanks!

 

[journey11]

I plant a few in each category, for variety mostly, but also because varieties like Early Girl will give me a nice tomato by the end of July, whereas if I only planted my favorites like Beefsteak, Brandywine or Stripers, I'd be waiting a long time for that first tomato.

You've got all the options in the world with as long a growing season as you have. The early's will still keep on going til frost, but will put out their biggest and best tomatoes early.

The majority of your heirlooms and huge-sized tomatoes are indeterminate. If you like to can tomatoes, plant a row of determinates to get one big batch of tomatoes and git 'er done. If you don't care to spread your canning/freezing endeavors out over the season, then there's nothing wrong with using indeterminates either. (Bear in mind, different tomatoes are best for different purposes). But if I was going to do 40 quarts of spaghetti sauce, I'd just want to get it over with myself.

Since you have a long growing season, I'd say plant what you like, what varieties you enjoy, then throw in a couple early season tomatoes just to get some on the table sooner.

Probably the only thing I ever did wrong with planting tomatoes was planting 30 heirloom slicers (3 different varieties, but all slicers!) and I was drowned in tomatoes that were great for fresh eating, but not all that great for canning. Other than that, I don't think you can go wrong!

 

[desertgirl]

I think I will do that-plant a bunch of diiferent kinds, and journal carefully (I say that every year, but, really! This time I mean it!) By next year I will have a good feel as to which onees I will concentrate on.

Yippeeee!

I am going to go tomato nuts!!!