4 Tips To Growing FALL TOMATOES: Grow A Fall Tomato Garden Like A PRO

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you found this video helpful, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Complete Guide To Growing Fall Tomatoes 0:35 Tip #1 3:30 Tip #2 4:30 Tip #3 6:57 Tip #4 9:16 Adventures With Dale

[@IAMGiftbearer]

I didn't see the links to the frost cloths. Where can you buy them?

[@ruthannecoro6198]

Mine are finally ripening.. I picked over 10 lbs yesterday.. just ate a handful of vine ripe and sun warmed cherry tomatoes ♥️

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That’s excellent! I’ve picked maybe 7 tomatoes in the last 6 weeks. Heat infertility ends our seasons here 😞 I miss them.

[@barco581]

Great advice on going with smaller tomatoes later in the season. We will try that next year and also some determinate tomatoes-always up for some plants that are less work! We are in MA in the 7A zone with the first frost typically late October/first week in November. We are growing all indeterminates this year and having them still produce in the fall comes down to how they were/are cared for AND individual plant genetics. We have an Early Girl that still looks super fresh and is producing like crazy-it should have been tired by now. On the other hand, we have other tomatoes that are pretty much done for the season-they were treated exactly the same way. By this time we have stopped using granular organics and are focusing on synthetic liquids and liquid fish fertilizers. Some people also over water in the fall so we have cut that down as well. Pruning also plays a key role. These are just general tips though but plants that have disease or pest issues in late spring/early summer will never make it to the fall.

[@bublhed]

This year I prepared my fall tomatoes! I have Roma, Sungold cherry and Federle. It’s my first time growing Federle and the package says it’s a semi-determinate. I’m not sure what to expect from those… By the way there are lots of things to do with green tomatoes. I hate frying but make an exception for fried green tomatoes. You can also pickle them and I highly recommend them 😋

[@originalwoolydragon8387]

My favorite autumn tomato scenario is happening right now in my garden...or more specifically, my compost bin. I just harvested 2# 6oz. of grape tomatoes from a volunteer tomato plant. I love those self-planting plants...sometimes! 😁🍅

[@mariap.894]

OriginalW.@ Volunteer plants are the best!!! I always try to germinate seeds in my compost bin and they never disappoint 😊👍🪴💙

[@lisakruger5289]

Me too! The best producing plant I have is a volunteer tomato plant from my compost pile! :)

[@mirandam8021]

YES! I just planted some more tomatoes yesterday! Perfect timing!!! I planted the “glacier” variety and also the “New Yorker” variety. Both are ‘early’ varieties and determinate

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I haven’t heard of New Yorker. I hope it is on the earlier side 🍅

[@TheRuckFarm]

Great tips! I’m going to miss garden fresh tomatoes this winter 🍅 We have a shorter growing season here in Wisconsin.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Here in NC, our tomato season ends around July 4th. It just gets too hot, so I haven't had fresh garden tomatoes for over a month. I am craving them again. One of the challenges gardening in the South is that just because a season is "frost-free" doesn't mean it's growable. The heat and humidity here causes infertility, so these plants just won't grow.

[@ehahn2604]

We grow Sakura cherry tomatoes for 3 years and harvested fresh tomatoes in winter of Southern California 😂 neighbors feel so precious when we share with them in winter

[@TheRuckFarm]

@@TheMillennialGardener That is good to know, thank you! I have a friend in southern Arkansas who usually grows a second round of tomatoes in the fall and has better success with her fall tomatoes than her summer ones. Happy gardening 👩🏻‍🌾

[@TheRuckFarm]

@@ehahn2604 Yum!

[@sylvia10101]

I learn so much from you about gardening! Thank you👍 Dale is adorable! 😊

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm really happy to hear that. I'm glad the videos are helpful. Dale says hello!

[@brt5273]

For late season, I like truss cluster varieties in five gallon buckets, which I can manage the number of trusses by pruning the top growing tip off when I have the number of trusses I want. When frost is eminent I severely prune the foliage and stop watering except to just keep the soil damp. Then I use a combo of row cover and I invested in some inexpensive soil heating cables to make it through the first light frosts and the heat helps to continue stimulating ripening. With the first heavy frost or long period of freezing/near-freezing I move the buckets indoors. They are no longer producing new fruit so just maintaining the ripening trusses of fruit on the near bare plants is the only concern. I toss some inexpensive apples or peels into the buckets so the ethylene gas they produce can help stimulate ripening. I've had tomatoes off the vine into December. Another trick I use to keep a supply of "fresh" tomatoes through the Winter is to freeze them whole. This of course makes them inappropriate for slicing but they are perfect for a salsa so i get that raw uncooked tomato flavor I crave in mid through late Winter and early Spring. One more trick is to quarter them, dry them just half way in a dehydrator or oven, then packing them in oil and storing in the fridge. They will be firmer and less juicy than a fresh tomato but still soft and succulent with a fresher flavor than fully dried, and the flavor is concentrated so it packs a punch. They are great in salad or tossed into pasta. Sorry for digressing from gardening into preserving but I thought it might be relevant here.

[@GayaHouseplant]

I love tomatoes .. thank you for sharing simple way on how to grow tomatoes. I will do it by tomorrow morning 🥰

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Most welcome 😊

[@donnaraynes6337]

I am your Cape Hatteras fan and I always learn so much from you. This video answers the many questions I had concerning my raised bed tomatoes. Thank you so much. Love your videos! Ps...glad the hurricanes 🌀 are being kind to us so far!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you for watching! Cape Hatteras certainly is a challenging environment for gardening. Cross our fingers that the second half of hurricane season goes as well as the first. Today is the official peak day, so we still have half the season to go.

[@pixiegirl1730]

Don't Jinx us!!! 😀

[@dapperdingo]

Our first frost here at 8000+ feet in the Colorado Rockies will likely be this coming week, (usually the second to third week of September). I have 6 tomato plants loaded with red (up to about two inches in diameter for the biggest ones) and green tomatoes growing in 5 gallon paint buckets down in the garden area. They will be moved up into the sun room in the house to live out the rest of their lives for winter and the last red tomato is usually eaten around the new year. They don't live much beyond that January point in time because of the explosion of aphids and white flies inside the sun room during winter, and the sticky, sickly plants end up getting set out into the snow to die, along with the infestations. I'll be saving seeds from them for next year's tomato supply so they did their main objective in life and I did my part to keep it going.

[@growagarden54]

Great tips! I didn't get many slicers this year, due to the heat wave in CA. So I decided to simply stick 3 cherry tomato suckers in the grown, and they are doing great, even in this heat! Good idea to experiment sometimes :)

[@angeliquewilliams2291]

Thank you so much for these tips.This is amazing knowledge, especially the determinant and indeterminant types of tomatoes to grow in the fall because of not having so much sun. Thank you very, very much Angelique in Clearwater area Zone10!

[@thatonegirl1837]

Thank you for the tips and thank you for the cute ending ❤️

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome! Thank you for watching!

[@Doss2k]

Spot on this year, looks like we may get an early frost here in Raleigh this week then things look good going forward. All my tomatoes are in containers so cleared space in the garage for them to spend a few nights and hope I can get a few more out of them since they have so many big green fruits currently.

[@davidclark7584]

So that's why my tomatoes wouldn't set fruit even with hand pollination. Too hot. Well I got some fresh seedlings so hopefully round 2 will be more productive.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Correct. Tomatoes are infertile in the heat, and this is magnified if dewpoints are high. The pollen becomes too sticky and it cannot fertilize the flower. Timing means everything in fall gardens.

[@MichaelRei99]

@@TheMillennialGardener unless you have heat tolerant plants like Solar Fire.

[@oliverlang1006]

Sir! This was so helpful. Definitely following, thanks for the info.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bostonchoir]

Dale was not paying attention on your lecture! Yet, you are giving him all your love. Is it fair?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Dale deserves all the love no matter what 💕

[@virginiaallisonpeck2517]

You are quickly becoming my favorite garden information video. ❤️

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you so much 😊 I’m happy to hear that!

[@GrowingSouth]

Great advise MG! Those of us lucky enough to live in warmer climates have an opportunity for 2 growing seasons for tomatoes! We usually plant around late july/early august down here to get a september-november late harvest for tomatoes! I have some celebrity bulking up right now!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

One of the downsides of our warmer climate is July/August actually isn't tomato season, here. It's just too hot. It's hard for people up north to understand. I didn't understand it until I moved here - how could a frost-free period not be part of the growing season? It's definitely an art form leaning how to grow on the shoulder seasons.

[@valoriegriego5212]

Thank you for the knowledge!😃 I'm growing the Sweet 100 like you suggested and the plants are looking good...we have flowers!😃 I bet Dale does great with taking his bath. He's such a good boy.😃🐕 Oh, I'm also using shade cloth with my fall brassicas like you suggested...we were still hitting 96 from time to time when I planted them. They are happy.😃

[@pixiegirl1730]

I bought some sweet 100s too! Getting ready to transplant tomorrow 😀

[@valoriegriego5212]

@@pixiegirl1730 I wish you much fruit!😃

[@archstanton9703]

I planted Sungold and several Sakata determinate varieties in pots. I also planted Big Beef and Floridade. Some of the plants have small tomatoes, and hopefully they’ll mature and ripen. Now that it’s cooling off, I’m going to move the plants to take advantage of the reduced sunlight hours After watching your video, I should have planted earlier, small-fruited varieties. I have the PVC to make a hoop house to protect them from the first frost. I’m spraying BT once a week to keep the worms from boring into the fruit. Are you going to do a tomato taste test this year? Thanks for the tips!

[@lynettetucker544]

Thanks again for sharing this that’s what I have grown this summer they have been doing great my Roman tomatoes cherry tomatoes in super Suite 100s Dale looks like he’s a lot of fun✨👌🏾

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad to hear your tomatoes are doing well. Dale says hello!

[@lelandhank4275]

I propagated a bunch of runners from my summer garden and planted them a few weeks ago hoping it will work.

[@Winter_IsHere]

Very detailed. I am tryimg this year with a few very small size tomatoes.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! The small tomatoes definitely perform better late in the season.

[@nz5752]

Go Dale GO! Great Video! Thank you!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You’re welcome! 🐕

[@theorangevestarmy4255]

Excellent advise & go Dale go!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

He’s like greased lightning⚡️🐕

[@great-garden-watch]

This year i only have potted cherry tomatoes in NJ 6b. I’ve been bringing them in the house at night. Plan to have them in tiny polyethylene greenhouse during the day. We shall see how long they survive

[@PhonkinPlants]

Hello from Onslow county! Ive been garening for a while but im going go go ahead and get serious about it. My channel isnt new but I havent really put anything out. Tomatoes is one of the few plants i consider that i have mastered and ill put out more videos so theres more information for people to compare too. Everyone has their own way to garden and its awesome to see the similarities and differences! Happy gardening my fellow gardeners!

[@lynnlovessoil]

I planted sweet 100s last month and have flowers now. Zone 7b

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That variety is a good choice. Mine are flowering and starting to set as well. They'll definitely produce well before frost.

[@mariap.894]

That Dale is sooooo cute!!!😍💕😍💕😍💕😍💕🐕👏👏👏👏

[@TheMillennialGardener]

He’s the best. We are so lucky to have our boy.

[@CandicePeppers]

Great video sir.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad you liked it!

[@Hannahsunshine-]

I've been letting a large fruited variety tomato grow over the hot summer. No fruit but it is like 9 feet tall now. 😂

[@Moondoggy1941]

Since I live in the hot part of Ca. where are summers are 95 to 115 zone 9a, are summers usually end on Halloween, then we finally go into to fall, so maybe this is the best time to grow them.

[@tambarb8235]

Although, you can ripen green tomatoes on a sunny counter, you can also ripen them very, very slowly in a cardboard box in a cool area. I learned this trick from a farmer. A farmer gave me a box of tomatoes. He said, if I wanted, I could actually keep the box and keep it closed and get the tomatoes out of it as I needed them. He said that as I used the tomatoes and purchased new ones, I could store them in the same box and they would last for several months. "Months?" I asked. He said if I keep the box in a cool, dry, dark area, and keep it closed, and keep all the tomatoes not touching, I could store them for a long time and also, small tomatoes would even turn into raisins, like sun dried tomatoes, rather than mold. and that I could slowly ripen green tomatoes. I kept the box for about two years in a dark corner of on my kitchen countertop under a cabinet. One day it got wet accidentally, so I used another cardboard box, layed some paper towel down to keep tomatoes from touching and it works just as well.

[@pamh.5705]

It's already 30 days too late here. It's not unheard of for us to have very cold Halloweens in St.L.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Onions bulb based on time of year. You should time them based on the days to maturity on the packet to mature somewhere around the summer solstice, which will be late June/early July. You plant them during late winter.

[@IAMGiftbearer]

I picked my first two ripe Gobstopper tomatoes today and I have Empress Purple tomatoes loaded on the vines, still green but since it has been in the 80s I am pretty sure they will turn purple. I also have an Inglehart that I noticed just today has a small fruit on it and some flowers. I will look into those frost cloths. Will a plastic tarp also work?

[@myurbangarden7695]

LEAF CURL and Blossom Drop really hurt my production 🍅 in the extreme heat of TX. I have some 4th of July and 2 kinds of cherry going now.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Leaf curl isn’t a problem with tomatoes. Leaves absorb solar energy, so tomatoes naturally curl their leaves when sun is very intense to reduce surface area and absorb less sun. It is no worries. Blossom drop is due to heat. I recommend you invest in shade cloth as shown here, because early use with somewhat prevent both: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5rJm2enebxsrq8

[@susanhull]

I’m in south central Texas, where temps currently are in the low 90’s (positively balmy by our standards). I have 30% shade cloth over my Bobcat determinate tomato plant that’s in a container. Do I need this? My last tomato attempt bloomed but never set fruit in the full blaze of Texas summer sun. Love your show!

[@keithknechg3217]

I actually have more tomatoes than i,ll ever eat here in mid east Tn. .incredible bounty but blight is creeping in....no pests though still have some flowers.i m picking 30/ 50 cherry tomatoes every 3 days...1 plant.not sure what i did but i think initial soil manure and cedar mulch and constant pest control probably did it.great vid btw.👌

[@myurbangarden7695]

Luck you! Have you tried dehydrating the cherry 🍅? Its a yummy easy version of SUNDRIED TOMATOES for pasta and salads. If worse comes to worse. Put them in pint strawberry cartons and leave them in the employee break room. People 🍅❤️ IT

[@keithknechg3217]

@@myurbangarden7695 i do have a dehydrator...we both are getting over covid and our apetites are mediocre at best.hate waste i, ll try it.

[@myurbangarden7695]

@@keithknechg3217 SPEED RECOVERY 💐

[@keithknechg3217]

@@myurbangarden7695 dehydrate whole?

[@myurbangarden7695]

@@keithknechg3217 cut in half.

[@monirulmirza213]

A great video! Kindly let me know which determinate tomato varieties I should try in Ontario Canada.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The best early tomato for your short season, I think, is Siletz. I've had good luck with Bella Rosa and Celebrity as beefsteaks and Margherita as a Roma-type. If you want heirlooms, look into Marglobe or the determinate version of Rutgers. Next year, I'll also be trying Legend.

[@monirulmirza213]

@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you.

[@pattiannepascual]

Your puppy ❤️❤️❤️

[@TheMillennialGardener]

We're lucky to have our sweet boy!

[@Freedom2025-x2b]

In Central Florida…growing indeterminate tomatoes. Second round now. Hornworms attacked 3 or 4 plants earlier in the Summer.

[@mikem4405]

For the indeterminate, do you recommend pruning flowers before the plants reach a certain height? Mine were trying to grow flowers when they were still just 2-3 ft tall

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You may want to limit their height. Indeterminates always try to grow vines over fruit, which is why they’re problematic this time of year. Limiting them to a single stem and topping them early is a good idea.

[@mikem4405]

@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks!

[@ShakiraYah]

Mannn I'm in Houston fighting blight so baddd 🤧

[@TheMillennialGardener]

This will actually kill early blight and leaf spot if used often enough (every 72 hours or so): kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGSqqIasmJasi5I Late blight, maybe not since that's not really curable, but by pruning off the diseased leaves and applying the spray consistently, I've had good results.

[@snugglebunny.jmosbrook]

Dale Zoomies!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

He is really enjoying the cooler weather. It is still warm, but it isn’t brutal anymore.

[@alexandermonzon8165]

August 31st today? Hahaha Small Fruited it is though let us know these varieties Brotha

[@kenhallford9032]

Of the two weed barrier products in your store, do you prefer the Tuffiom or Dewitt brand?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I think the Dewitt may be slightly higher quality, but they're both very good. The prices on Amazon tend to fluctuate. If they were the same price, I'd get Dewitt, but if the Tuffiom was significantly cheaper at the moment, I'd get that. I'm very happy with them all and they are 4 years old and going strong.

[@warrenalbert7922]

I'm in GA Zone 8A. Where do you buy determinate tomato variety seeds. I have not been able to find any with the sites I'm using. Are there any determinate cherry tomatoes?

[@markregan6464]

Maybe try Baker Creek or Seed Savers? Best of luck.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I have a video on where I buy all my seeds here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpDSgIODYq-GfKM I source them through several sellers, because nobody has all the varieties that I want.

[@oldporkchops]

Just curious, do you plan to construct a greenhouse anytime in the near future?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

No. I live in an HOA. I will not have a greenhouse.

[@oldporkchops]

@@TheMillennialGardener I see. It's great they allow you to garden like you do.

[@hillbillyhomestead1966]

We're hot here in Florida still

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It’s 93 degrees here today and all week still. Fall tomatoes have to be planted while it is still hot so they’re far enough along when it does cool off in October.

[@PixiePrincessBrat]

We don't really have a frost date. We have occasional overnight freezes.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you have freezes, you have frost dates. You'll want to check websites like Weatherspark to verify.

[@PixiePrincessBrat]

@@TheMillennialGardener yes, and they're incredibly rare here. We don't even get them yearly

[@ouch65]

My tomato plants are loaded with tomatoes, however are so slow to ripen. Not enough sun?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Everything works against us this time of year. The temps drop, days get shorter, etc. It simply takes more time. This is why I don’t grow large indeterminate types right now. They don’t do well in fall unless you live really far south like South or Central Florida.

[@rosalindhb]

I'm here in 8b. 4 cherry type tomatoe plants have yet to fruit. Litterly one tomatoe. Leave are falling off. I'm guessing its the heat.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It sounds like heat stress. Make sure you fertilize them enough and keep them well-mulched. Keeping the roots cool will help a lot. Now that the heat is finally subsiding, my tomatoes are looking a lot better.

[@vinlago]

Fried Green Tomatoes. Or make salsa with green tomatoes and green chilies. Also green tomatoes will ripen if picked and stored in a paper stack. Add an apple into each bag. They give off ethylene gas that helps ripen fruit. If there are too many for paper bags, empty out the bottom dresser drawer. It should be wood, not plastic or other material. The lowest drawer should be cooler. Toss an apple in and close the drawer. Check once per week. They should ripen.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The occasional green tomato is great here and there, but you don't want a basket full of them. The problem with artificial ripening is they just don't come out as well. There is a *huge* difference between vine-ripened tomatoes and green tomatoes ripened on the counter. I've done both, and honestly, the hot house tomatoes at the grocery store taste about the same.

[@Irishcream216]

Some people can't handle the alkaloids of unripened tomatos. My brother is a prime example of this. His stomach gets upset very easily from fried green tomatoes or salsa.

[@vinlago]

@@TheMillennialGardener they certainly aren't ideal but we rely on what we grow. I'm one who doesn't tolerate many foods such as a great deal of green tomatoes (although fermenting helps) and that's why I use the paper bag routine to ripen them. Sure, they aren't fantastic but I have little option. I'm disabled and receive no benefits or welfare. I live off the proceeds of the sale of my house and everything in it plus a little help from friends like a little propane for the RV or free jars - even chicken bones. I waste nothing so people know if they don't want it, I will make use of it. In kind I share my seeds, jam, pickles, etc.

[@BobZoom2U]

My Legend determinate tomatoes are still kicking out fruit.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

How is Legend? I've been interested in trying that variety.

[@dimpletoadfoot8631]

Oh man, my tomatoes are all streaky with dry stripes and are split open. They keep getting bit by some bug too, and that decimates the whole side of them... oy!

[@gardingyrl3501]

How would this idea work in an unheated hoop house, where we had a bad problem with aphids

[@TheMillennialGardener]

As long as the temperatures are cool enough to pollinate and you can keep the frost and freeze away, it'll be fine. I plan on growing a couple in my sunroom this winter as an experiment since it's like a glorified greenhouse.

[@johnlord8337]

Fried greens tomatoes !!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The occasional green tomato is great here and there, but you don't want a basket full of them. It's disappointing if that's all you can grow. That's why the early tomatoes are so critical.

[@johnlord8337]

@@TheMillennialGardener Can't you mature them with some apples (ethylene gas) and that will get them to their red state as desired ? Of course, they wont be all that sweet sugar (from sunlight maturation, photosynthesis, anthocyanins, etc ... ) but then they won't also have so much of the tomato solanide nightshade bite and smell to them as well ... time for some green tomato jam ! or green tomato pickles !

[@mari3693]

Where do you get your seeds?

[@jhorsch94]

I’ve been dying to know this as well for a few weeks now. He showed a package of Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes from Tomato Growers Supply Company in this video, so I’m assuming he gets his tomato seeds from there.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I have a video on where I buy most of my seeds here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpDSgIODYq-GfKM Every now and again I’ll grab a packet off shelves at big box stores, too.

[@mari3693]

@@TheMillennialGardener Thx!!!

[@myurbangarden7695]

I have to FACE MY FEAR of determinant tomatoes and fruit trees.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Once you grow determinates, you will be kicking yourself that you waited so long. I guarantee it 👌

[@gloriajackson2021]

Do you have a favorite website to find out your average first frost date? I looked at several and they all had different dates 🤦‍♀️

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Weatherspark is BY FAR the most useful. You can pick your closest station on the map.

[@hc5979]

Nuts too late ..

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Big box stores still have some transplants lying around. It may not be too late to pick a couple up.

[@tddnenc]

u shouldnt shave ur chest hairy is hot