5 SECRETS For Success GROWING TOMATOES In Fall

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you enjoyed this video, please “Like” and share to help extend its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Tomato Growing Challenges 0:44 Tomato Secret #1: Tomato Varieties 2:57 Tomato Secret #2: Timing Transplants 5:05 Tomato Secret #3: Soil 6:19 Tomato Secret #4: Disease Management 7:35 Tomato Secret #5: Heat Management 11:36 Adventures With Dale

[@anniebancroft1175]

DALE IS THE BEST!! Your gardening advice is pretty darned good, too

[@bprov31]

I hope you have better luck than I have because I have lost 6 transplants since July under 40% shade cloth. Only one sweet100 and 2 Celebritys have survived.😟

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Shout out to the volunteer tomatoes that popped up in July that are starting to produce now just as my intentionally June- planted ones get sick. 🙌

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That can be quite helpful.

[@patkrueger7353]

My tomatoes are still doing well that I planted in the spring. Still have plenty of tomatoes on them and still blooming. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Locations with short and/or dry summers can often grow their crop of tomatoes to frost. In the South, we won't have that luxury 😅

[@danielroach1241]

I live in Durham, North Carolina and with many thanks due to you, I had my best summer garden ever! I am planting what I think will be my best fall garden ever. You are doing a great job!

[@diananazaroff5266]

How timely. I pulled all of my tomato plants the other day - except for snips of a few suckers that I'm rooting. They already have flowers on them - I figure they probably won't set fruit, but what the heck - and they're indeterminate. Supersteak and Brandy Boy. I have a sheltered spot where a rogue cherry tomato comes back each year and I thought I would put each of the snips into a 3 gal pot and see what happens. If I get a tomato or two out of it, it'll be more than I got if I threw the whole thing out, lol. Thanks, as always, for the info.

[@cindyinpcola]

I rooted cuttings from my Brandywine Pink 3 weeks ago and just planted them in 5 gallon buckets. They are doing great. I cut of the first flowers because of the heat. Here in Pensacola Florida we are having 100 to 103 days with feels like heat of 115+. With cooler weather coming in September they will do great and I believe I will get some great tomatoes before any frost.

[@erikahuxley]

@@cindyinpcolaWhen I was in South Florida I never grow during these months. I only start seedlings beginning of October and bring them outdoor by November. And I don't allow seedlings to get hit by rain because they suffer from fungal disease easier when young. So garden season at zone 10b for me was around mid-October to mid-April. The heat and humidity brings a lot of diseases and pests so it's actually better to wait until that pest pressure is reduced. Also most tomato plants have the blossoms drop and not form fruit when the night temp is too high.

[@cindyinpcola]

@@erikahuxley I’m in zone 8a. Our evening temperature isn’t going to be over 80 so I think I’m good there. The rain will definitely be better for them than tap water. I treat them with hydrogen peroxide mixture and it works great! Thank you for sharing 😀

[@tammyohlsson7966]

Straw bale gardening has saved my garden. Fresh medium every time. Broke down straw is awesome in raised beds or containers. Game changer!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It’s been good for me, too. I may double down next season.

[@AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard]

Fall! It's prime tomato growing season in Arizona! Thanks for all the tips and tricks. Greetings from hot 9B

[@sandrajohnston9745]

My tomatoes are just now starting to ripen. From now until first frost date (8b, 10/15ish) I will be enjoying a wonderful tomato season. This has been acceptional summer of dry, warm (but not hot) weather and I've never had such a wonderful crop of tomatoes. Peppers are doing very well also, all thanks to Jack's Bloom Booster.

[@jenniferwinchel1303]

I'm also 8b (Western WA). I'm having blossom end rot and splitting issues due to having issues with soil moisture. Our weather has been weird this summer. They are still growing, flowering and fruiting though

[@archstanton9703]

Glad to hear you discovered shade cloth. I’ve been using it for the last several years because my tomato and pepper plants wouldn’t survive the AZ Sun even on the north side of the house. Good tip on the tomato clips for hanging the shade cloth; I’ll try it next year. I trimmed back my indeterminate tomato plants, so we’ll see what happens. Next year I’ll only be growing determinate varieties because the inter-determinates take up too much space and don’t produce much out here in the heat. Bella Rosa is still producing flowers, which I didn’t expect from a determinate. Cheers.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I’ve been using shade cloth for 3 years. I just never used it on my spring tomatoes, so I never realized the benefit so early in the season. It seems it is valuable applied as early as May, here, which I did not expect. I’ve been using it in July, which turns out is too late. I didn’t expect it to prevent tomato diseases in spring. It is an interesting finding.

[@ResearchQueen1]

Great update and love adventures of Dale, lol!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

[@BlessingsLoft]

Congrats 🎉❤ Awesome job brother! What a drop on that 1st bird too! Wow, just fenomenal!! Great job hope the next one is just as good god bless.

[@jackparton3198]

Fantastic video thanks for sharing your experience in your garden 🪴

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You’re very welcome!

[@robertawestbrooks9531]

I planted mine back in June, it's doing very well. They are taller than me, and they are cherrys.🎉

[@smas3256]

Dale saw how much fun you were having with his mermaid. The end. Thanks for the tips. I'm in zone 6b. We shall see what the weather man brings our way.

[@AnyKeyLady]

We have had a lot of unusually wet, warm and humid weather in July and August, so i have topped some of the larger indeterminate tomatoes and are re rooting them in pots. This allows the current tomatoes on the vine a chance to ripen, in case we get blight and also, when they are done, if the weather picks up i can plants the "new" ones out, topping off again, later in the season to over winter in pots in doors. Mid Sept and October is usually our "wet" hurricane season and then it tends to dry out. Our first frost date is the beginning of Jan here in zone 9a London, UK but the tomatoes often get taken out by blight or too much rain come October. It gives a chance though to reset the bed for winter, in preparation for planting garlic.

[@urbanbackyardcontainergardenin]

I went back and watched your video on using straw bales to grow. Next year I will try this

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It has worked well for me.

[@urbanbackyardcontainergardenin]

@@TheMillennialGardener I have no don’t. I’ll be moving from zone 10B to 8B with much more growing space. Excited about it!

[@lilspittin313]

This man deserves a tomato award trophy, nightshades ftw..they smell amazing ^_^

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I do love my tomatoes.

[@tayjahrivera7156]

You were reading my mind because I was just about to type growing tomatoes lol into my search bar. I live in Havelock, NC and have been keeping up with your videos! :)

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm glad the video was timely!

[@laddieokelley6095]

Your video How to Condition Straw Bales is the best source of instruction I have seen. I especially like the advice to use urea for conditioning. The 7-14 days for conditioning needs to factor into the timing covered in this video. Is conditioning in late summer as effective as doing so in spring? What do you do with fall-conditioned bales as we move into late fall/winter? Use them for cold-tolerant veggies or reuse them in spring?

[@barco581]

Up here in Boston we had a cool spring so the tomatoes are a few weeks behind. We are growing Celebrity tomatoes for the first time this year and using the Florida Weave method for support based on your other video. We had a lot of hard overnight rain so it has been a tough year for disease, but the plants outgrew it for a while and some are getting tired now. However, like you said the Celebrities have been more disease resistant and are lower maintenance. Production has been fantastic! For taste the Sweet 100s are my favorite. The Sweet 100s plants look super healthy so hopefully they keep producing through Halloween.

[@valoriegriego5212]

Very helpful advice.👍 Cute Adventure With Dale.😄

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad it was helpful! Dale is always down to destroy a new toy.

[@FarmToMarketRoad]

I started tomato seeds around July 1st in 72 cell 10x20 trays. Most died soon after potting up to 4" pots. It's been over 100 every day since July 1. Next year I'm going to start them in 4" pots half way with soil mix.Then fill containers up about a month later. They couldn't handle the root disturbance. Pepper seedling did fine after potting up.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It may be worth investing in some type of indoor grow setup to take the temps out of the equation.

[@FarmToMarketRoad]

@@TheMillennialGardener Yes, first year growing. Started nursery business. Licensed and have ag tax exemptions here in Tx. zone 8b. Just sell at farmer's market. Breaking even right now. Market attendance about a third of spring crowd. Learning and experimenting. Genovise basil sells best of the basils. Sweet Thai most hardy. But, bolts fastest. No disease or insect pressure on any of the cultivars. Aphids love peppers. See ants, 99% of the time, there's aphids. Easy to control with Neem and mild soap. Jalapeños sell best. Lemon spice, pumpkin spice, Orange spice Jalafuego, & Nadapeno are some of the varieties I grow. I did have Peppergate incident. Purple bell seeds came out banana. Spearmint, thyme, oregano and lemon grass sell well and are hardy. Red bell peppers sell well. Orange bells most finicky. Golden bells do well. I'm currently trying California Wonder bell peppers. They seem like a strong cultivar. Hungarian Wax also strong. Shishito very strong cultivar. Tomato plants sell very well. Spring crop had hardly any deaths. No aphid problems.

[@sylvia10101]

Your videos are always helpful! Thank you 😊👍👍

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome!

[@ObsessiveAboutCats]

I'm definitely one of those who isn't getting the timing right. I planted some Yellow Patio Choice outside about 3 weeks ago and that was way too early; even with 50% shade cloth, they're dropping most of their flowers. But I also planted some other varieties at the same time that aren't flowering yet, so I have hope for those. I have other determinates coming along as I knew I was just spitballing the timing. As always, your videos are very helpful, and these are good tips that I will find very useful. Thanks! PS hello to Dale.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Fall tomatoes can be tricky, especially considering there can be so much variation in summer warmth. The timing of a cool summer is different than a warm summer. Growing heat tolerant but early-ish varieties like Bella Rosa, Red Snapper and Celebrity help.

[@ObsessiveAboutCats]

@@TheMillennialGardener I will make a big note of those varieties for next summer. Thank you!

[@dross10001]

It's expected that the flowers will drop in this heat. Once the temps cool a bit they should stop dropping and begin setting.

[@mariap.894]

Hahahahaha!!! I absolutely loved the ending😂😂😂 That toy did not see one more day😂😂. So glad to see Dale bouncing around your yard. Thanks for all you share Anthony😊 Just got my shipment of fertilizers from your store front👍

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Dale is a toy destroyer. He will shred *anything* with stuffing. He takes his canine teeth and searches for ends in the seams and surgically undoes them. Then, once he makes an opening, he pulls them open and tears out every little bit of stuffing. It is incredible to watch. He's like a surgeon. Thank you for supporting my storefront! I appreciate it!

[@mariap.894]

@@TheMillennialGardener There's another idea for next "adventures with Dale" . Your very welcome! That's the least I could do for all the work you put in 🤗🌻🐕

[@beverlyboyce1041]

I'm in Texas and under water restrictions. My fall stuff is on hold mostly. I have 3 dwarf tomato plants hanging in there under shade cloth. No rain in over 2 months and 2 months of over 100°

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Regardless of current temps, you have to start seeds at the same time every year. If you put your fall garden on hold, you won't have one, because it'll turn into a winter garden before you know it. Starting your seeds indoors takes the temperature outside out of the equation. The sooner you start, the better, because it's getting late to start fall seedlings. Starting your brassicas and lettuce now inside is a good idea, because by the time they're ready in 6 weeks, it won't be hot anymore.

[@Lalrinmawii7]

Thank you 👌 this is very helpul.😊 I got 2 shade clothes through your store, I love them. I probably get some more for next year. I made a big mistake in the beginning of the seasons.. I mixed my tomato plans when i moved them around.. I'm not sure which were determined and indetermined.. so I did not pruned any of my tomatoes !😮.. also I was away for two weeks during the time they needed to be prune. Anyway, after watching a few of your tomatoes videos. I totally agreed with you about, getting rid of the succker and pruning. 😊 My tomatoes were growing everywhere and a mess..cos they were not d pruned but there were so much fruits..crazy.. 😅 I am happy!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You should be able to tell if they're indeterminate or determinate once they are about 24 inches tall. Indeterminate tomatoes grow as a vine, whereas determinate tomatoes will grow as a stocky bush. You should be able to tell the form by that point, generally speaking. Determinates will have a lot of suckering down low, whereas indeterminate tomatoes will sucker less and prefer vertical growth more.

[@Patricia-v7z]

Thanks for sharing secrets for success growing tomatoes in fall. Unfortunately, I am late to start fall tomatoes but will definitely refer back to this video for next fall. Great video.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I hope it was helpful. It is always bittersweet to see the season wind down.

[@erikahuxley]

Order some microdwarf tomato seeds and grow them indoor through the winter.

[@Patricia-v7z]

@@erikahuxley would that require a certain amount of sunlight to grow indoor?

[@erikahuxley]

@@Patricia-v7z yes growing fruit plants indoor require a full spectrum led light. I recommend the TopoGrow UFO light, there are others similar. It's good to have one for starting seeds indoor as well.

[@chi4life61]

You are awesome

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@TheNegative]

I planted some heirlooms in like May and they survived the summer but weren’t producing, they’re still alive now and finally thriving and producing. Zone 9B

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Are you a western Zone 9? If we planted tomatoes in a southeastern Zone 9b in May, we'd have no fruit 😅 If you have a drier climate with less humidity, they'd likely last longer.

[@killodendron]

Still waiting on mine to wake up, not sure if they will at all this year :( It's been a miserable sweltering summer on the Texas coast. My raspberry drop tomato plant actually just started producing many baby tomatoes, but that's it.

[@stevenseagal26]

@@killodendronwhat did you think of the razz drop?

[@kellenphillips5986]

Thanks for the shade cloth recommendation, perfect for my garden here in N. Georgia. Is there a point in the season where we should take it down to increase the sun exposure as we come into fall? BTW I love your first principles approach to gardening!

[@hazeysgarden]

I have a bed with 9 determinate Roma tomato plants in it, and I’m kind of surprised by how slow they’ve been growing. They’re definitely growing, but just much slower than my indeterminate SS100 cherry tomato plants. I got all my tomatoes in the ground in early July for my fall garden. The drought and heat wave is the worst in recorded history here in Lafayette Louisiana, but thankfully my new raised beds with shade cloth are keeping the plants looking healthy.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You can't really compare a cherry tomato to a roma tomato. An entire cluster of cherry tomatoes is like one roma tomato. It takes very little energy to ripen a cherry tomato by comparison. If your plants are under stress from heat, you really should invest in shade cloth. It will help them maintain their health longer, and healthy plants will naturally perform better over the long haul.

[@Pinochet1969]

DALE!! 🐶❤❤❤

[@TheMillennialGardener]

He’s a quick one 🏎️

[@darceyschultz2370]

I plant my tomatoes carrots pepper green beans each winter im zone 10 south Florida

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you’re frost free, things are different. Though I remember Cape Coral got frost the last few seasons, so you never can be too careful.

[@BritInvLvr]

I had to move all my Floradale tomato plants in a separate area of my yard because my dog Odie kept knocking over other plants to get to them. He’s obsessed with tomatoes. I lost a lot of brandy wines because of him. I hope my pepper plants survive Odie’s rampage. He is like Godzilla in Tokyo.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Interesting. A dog that loves tomatoes 🤔 Dale won’t eat them anymore. He used to eat anything, but now all he wants is his special homemade meals. He is now spoiled. A fence may be worth it.

[@TexasNana2]

😂 My little senior dog also loves tomatoes 🍅 She will even eat the green ones 😊 I have to watch her because I don't want her to become. sick.

[@emkn1479]

@@TheMillennialGardener another gardener I follow also has dogs who love garden tomatoes and in fact refuse storebought … tomato snobs 😂

[@killodendron]

I have only one determinate plant going this season, after getting an assortment of free tomato starts from my local nursery in late spring (it got too hot too early, so I assume they were just trying to get rid of them before they cooked). It's called a 'carolina gold' and it's supposed to make fruits that are pretty large, but it has only given me two TINY ones. They ripened no larger than a cherry or currant type tomato, lol. Not sure what I did wrong there, but it's actually growing more leaves again so we'll see what happens. I've also been holding onto some native potted plants and a tree I got really cheap...not sure how long I should wait before putting them in the ground. They would probably melt if I planted them now, and we've been experiencing a drought so bad that there are huge cracks all through the ground.

[@smas3256]

We mulch heavily. Garden stays moist longer. I think that's why our Roma Tomatoes survived 2 downpours. One was: 1 hour of 3.5 inches rain. Plus we tied doing Florida weave. We also had winds. Pray for better yields and the weather we need for our gardens.

[@valjalava1951]

So do you put the dirt inside the straw bails what a great idea

[@TheMillennialGardener]

A small amount. I have a playlist dedicated to straw bale gardening here: kzbin.info/aero/PL1gY7BoYBGIHSGzSTntDC8ToTvOBuCCN_&si=fck1VZZ8SXocGElE

[@slamdunk58]

I have a question. A little while back a friend gave me some of his San marzano tomatoes. They were hugh! Never seen anything like them. I took three of them and took the seeds out and put them in a mason jar to ferment. Unfortunately, I forgot about them for over a month and when I tried to save them they had gone to mush. I was more then a bit disappointed until I remember that I had taken one of this tomatoes and stuck it in the freezer (with the San marzanos I grew) I'm wondering, can I retrieve that tomato, thaw it, and get the seeds out of and still use those seeds in the spring? Do you think they still germinated? Let me know? Thanks

[@lisazappolo9989]

What happened to Siletz? I bought the seeds based upon your recommendation and have the seedlings started. I thought you said that they were the best for fall gardens.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I grow Siletz in the spring. Fall where I live does not have the right conditions for Siletz. Siletz is a very early tomato that loves cool weather, but it is very prone to disease and suffers in heat. Tomato diseases aren't active in early spring, so that's why I grow it in the early season. It's too hot and humid for Siletz to endure summer temps and survive into fall where I live. Legend is from the same breeding program as Siletz, but it is more disease resistant.

[@lisazappolo9989]

@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you!

[@mistervacation23]

I've heard just about enough of that tomato 🍅

[@djjohnson6373]

I enjoy watching and learning from your channel. I went to your Amazon store to look around but I didn’t see where or what seeds you use? Where and what brands do you use?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I buy my seeds from all different locations. I don't buy my seeds on Amazon. I use a wide variety of different seed exchanges: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpDSgIODYq-GfKMsi=lKbdijUIVU9Cl2Iz

[@adairsulhoff5405]

Could the shadecloth transfer disease spores from year to year?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I strongly doubt it. Soilborne diseases need an ecosystem to survive, and the soil provides that. A shade cloth sitting in a shed or garage will winter would have little to sustain the pathogens.

[@pdp8]

Thanks for the video! Question should we prune back the indeterminate tomatoes we planted in the spring to give them more energy to ripen the fruit? I am in PA and it will start getting cooler in the next few weeks. Thanks!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I stopped pruning my indeterminate tomatoes mostly, because I find it spreads disease. You can top them if you wish, but I find the best way is to remove fruits as soon as they start flushing color. That means they're mature. Pick them and place them in a dark spot on your counter indoors to finish ripening. Removing fruits will help the others ripen more quickly. You can also pluck off any baby fruits you know will never ripen in time.

[@MichaelRei99]

My Early girls are still so loaded I’m more concerned with getting those tomatoes ripe . The trees surrounding my back yard really block the sun more and more as the season gets later so fall tomatoes are really not an option. Maybe I’ll try a few in containers on the side of my house next year.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If the tomatoes are fully mature on the plants and just barely starting to blush, you can remove them. At that point, tomatoes ripen by self-generating ethylene gas, so there is no need to leave them on the plant any longer. You can accelerate ripening on a dark countertop by placing bananas or other fruits near your tomato, because they all release ethylene gas in-kind. By removing any fruits just starting to blush, that frees up more energy for the remaining tomatoes to mature.

[@BritInvLvr]

So lucky. My early girl produced very few tomatoes.

[@MichaelRei99]

@@TheMillennialGardenermost of the tomatoes are still green.

[@MichaelRei99]

@@BritInvLvrsorry to hear that.

[@tomdavis358]

Do you have a video about planting in hay bail

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I have a series dedicated to it here: kzbin.info/aero/PL1gY7BoYBGIHSGzSTntDC8ToTvOBuCCN_&si=fck1VZZ8SXocGElE It is straw. Not hay. They are quite different. Hay is full of seeds and is more likely to contain persistent herbicides.

[@Youkaikaze]

Hey, man. I love your channel and I'm new to growing food. My gf and I have some tomatoes growing and they seem to be determinant, but we've only got two little buds growing after almost two months. I hit their soil with peroxide once a week, they get full sun, and the leaves seem very happy. Any advice based on that limited info? *edit - We prune the bottom stems to let the top grow better. Again, they look mad happy. Deer have eaten some of the tops, but we've pruned them back

[@erikahuxley]

Not enough info to say, and hard to tell without pictures. But some variety are late season, or require 75 days or more from transplant to harvest. But the plants would have flowered more before that. Excess nitrogen fertilizer can grow more leaves and produce less blossoms. A good balanced tomato fertilizer from the start helps. Also if you follow the popular youtube advices of single stemming or excessively pruning the plant then there simply will be less stems and therefore flowers, especially if you are growing some variety that are less productive.

[@Youkaikaze]

by@@erikahuxley Hey dude, I really appreciate the reply. Can't post pics on yt comments though. We've got one baby tomatey growing nice, and another that's still tiny but looking healthy. Using black dirt soil from OC NY, so possibly high in nitrogen. Not really sure. I appreciates yous though

[@erikahuxley]

@@Youkaikaze Tomato is very diverse there are plants that set fruit 50 days from transplant, like cherries, bigger beefsteaks can require 90 days. So just try growing a few different variety and types of tomatoes, over time you'll find what work for you. I also noticed some variety grow better in one climate but not another, which is a bold claim but is what I experienced. Big Beef and Rutger are classics and a good start for example.

[@island-girl1180]

Can these tomatoes grow in the Caribbean do have a link for the seeds please

[@bdbeats7209]

My squash and cucumber have a weird white fuzz growing on their leaves. Is that something I have to worry about spreading to my tomatoes and peppers? My garden is pretty small. If they produce is it safe to eat still?

[@erikahuxley]

It's powdery mildew, a fungal disease, not as serious as some other types. Can be treated with fungicide, other alternative suggested are correctly diluted amount of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate (too much will kill plant), or neem oil. Some cucumber variety have resistance to it (not immune). Yes you can still eat the fruits. It can happen to tomato and pepper plants, but less often from my experience. Overall you want to keep the leaves of these plants dry and with good airflow to reduce the chance of getting it.

[@lzshow]

How do u have that tomato trellises on container

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I grow my tomatoes via string trellising: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nanVcq1ul7yAjq8si=XHkGjEhbd1jU9njp

[@SueKnigge]

All my garden plants were hit by broad mites in early summer. My bush cucumber plant is now dead too. I'm in KC Missouri is it too late to start another cucumber plant by seed? My tomato plants are trying very hard to come back from their attack.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Probably not. I grow 5 waves of tomatoes a year. You should easily be able to grow 3-4. Cucumbers go from seed to harvest in 60 days.

[@SueKnigge]

@@TheMillennialGardener what a blessing to hear! Thank you SOOOO very much!

[@lwallick5565]

How tall are your trellises? My indeterminate tomatoes took down my similar trellis in bad rainstorms and wind.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

About 8 feet. But because I string trellis, I simply lower them when the tomatoes outgrow them.

[@donnaadcock4253]

Have you ever grown watermelon-cherry tomatoes? This is my first year growing them. They are awesome!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

No, but most cherry tomatoes are comparable. Some larger ones take longer to mature, but 1 inch diameter cherry tomatoes are typically early.

[@donnaadcock4253]

@@TheMillennialGardener These are Chef Jeff's Watermelon Cherry tomatoes. They're half again as big as my other cherry tomatoes. They're sweet and juicy and a prolific producer. I think that's the only variety I'll grow from now on. BTW, thank you for all the knowledge you share. I use a Tower Garden but gardening is gardening. I've learned a lot from you and may return to inground gardening in the future.

[@fevaldes2716]

I have stray cats coming in and eating my lettuces, strawberries & tomatoes. Any suggestions, oh they come in the middle of night.

[@erikahuxley]

Never seen cats eating those things, more generally it's squirrel, rats and racoons. You can try those motion activated ultrasonic animal repeller, but ymmv, I haven't tried it myself. You can make a low tunnel to cover your shorter crops using pvc pipes or 'garden hoops' to create hoops and use garden mesh as cover.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Cats eating vegetables is very unusual. Are you sure it isn't something like a possum? Either way, I would recommend putting up a fence. Fencing is a gardener's best friend.

[@necoxus1061]

Anyone else in Zone 6B at around 1900 ft? My growing season is extremely short and many of the traditional garden crops don't do well.

[@erikahuxley]

I don't have experience growing at that height yet. But seems like you want to grow cooler climate crops, or do some research on high altitude vegetables. For tomatoes, I guess you want to buy variety that have shorter Days to Harvest, like 55 to 65 days.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

In your climate, you'll likely do better growing things like determinate tomatoes over indeterminate tomatoes, and learning how to grow your tomatoes under cover. It may do you well to use things like agricultural fabric to your advantage to create warmer micro-climates in spring and get warm weather crops a head start. The little hoop structures I build on my raised beds help a lot.

[@JohnnyZBeatZ]

Am from San Antonio is is still to late for me to grow fall tomatoes

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You can try. If you started seed now, you’d be looking at October 1 to transplant, though. You’d need warm weather thru January for a harvest, so it is probably unlikely. You can probably start a few determinates that you can over winter by carrying indoors though.

[@JohnnyZBeatZ]

@@TheMillennialGardener thanks 🙏

[@erichaskell]

If you haven't covered this subject: how about steps to force tomato plants to ripen tomatoes in the fall.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

All you can really do is plant early varieties, grow mostly determinates and remove fruits as soon as they begin to flush with some amount of color. A lot of videos claiming ways to make tomatoes ripen early aren’t as powerful as they make it sound. By removing fruits and growing early types, you can concentrate more energy, but there is no magic formula.

[@erichaskell]

@@TheMillennialGardener I have tried, with success, to remove flowers and growth tips starting mid August. One season I removed those plus all the leaves which again, appeared to work. I was hoping for either some new methods or confirmation that my methods had validity. Thanks for responding.

[@markf8256]

I have plenty of indeterminate tomatoes but they are not ripening-turning red, very slowly so.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

As I continue to gain more and more experience, I grow more and more determinate varieties. They are so much easier to manage and are more productive. Indeterminte tomatoes prioritize growing vines over tomatoes, so they're slow to ripen. Removing any fruits that will never ripen will speed up the process. So will harvesting fruits as soon as they start turning colors.

[@lauriehaley8591]

Heeelp my inderterminate tomatoes have had fruit for over a month and still producing new but they wont keep growing and color. Healthy plants pest free still putting out flowers on some so why arent they ripening?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Indeterminate tomatoes always put the majority of their energy into growing leaves and vines. Ripening tomatoes are not their priority, which is why they only ripen a couple at a time. It sounds like you're in a shorter season climate if you still don't have ripe tomatoes by now. Determinate tomatoes and varieties from the Dwarf Tomato Project would perform a lot better for you. All you can really do is be patient. You may be able to help a little by removing some of the tiny tomatoes up top that will never ripen, remove new flower clusters and cut the tops of the tomato plants off so they'll stop producing new vines. That should help some. You also should consider removing tomatoes as soon as they start to flush red and bring them onto your countertop so your plants don't waste further energy ripening them.

[@hyacinthABC]

The recommended fertilizers - Jack's, Grow More and Miracle Grow are not organic.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

They don't need to be. Tomatoes benefit from water soluble fertilizer. It will enhance their production substantially.

[@robertmoore661]

Can you flush your soil with hydrogen peroxide and re-use ?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I don't know, but consider how much hydrogen peroxide it would take to fully saturate soil. You'd need gallons and gallons, so even if it worked, it may be incredibly expensive.