How to get the late season toms to come in earlier
 

I am sure this has been discussed so I apoligize for any repetition. I grew some great BW (see previous threads) this year. but they ripend last week- In New york September can be a fickle month with rain and some cold spells.

How do I get late seaon tomatoes like brandywine and others to ripen closer to August? Any tricks?

I transplanted them on the last weekend of May.

Is there something your supposed to do wiht the feeding schedule? i.e change over to high phos and potash after the fruit has set?

Any help would be appreciated for next year

I am a shorter season gardener, I am in the Chicago suburbs. My last frost date is May 20. I grow all of my plants under lights and start my long season varieties VERY early. I live in a Condo and have a light system in my bedroom in front of a window in my bedroom. Some of my friends have their grow light systems in the basement or crawl spaces. My long season varieties are started late Feb. to early March. When they get to big I put them in a 8 in. pot and keep growing them until the earliest date I can put them in the ground. I usually plant my transplants 12"-18" tall.

I grow at a community garden and am not allowed in until a certain date so some of my friends who have backyard plots are even earlier.

Around April 1st I put my hoops and greenhouse plastic out to warm the soil. You can also use a coldframe. Around April 15 to May 1, I put my plants out after I have a few warm days. My friends use wall-a-waters. I make sure to remove the plastic on warm days to prevent them from frying.

I was harvesting Brandywines, German Red Strawberries, The Dutchman, and a lot of long season varieties early to mid-August. Some of my long season tomatoes ripened before my mid-season tomatoes. I also am able to get a second batch of tomatoes in October before the frost hits. Its a lot of work to do it this way, but I think that it is worth it.

This has worked so well that I might try long season watermelons on May 1st with greenhouse plastic. I have really wanted to try Ali Baba. One farmer at the farmer's market told me that it could be done.

LoreD

I'm glad you brought this subject up; where_with_all.

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You might try growing them in a 5 gallon container - I find this provides ripe tomatoes almost 2 weeks ahead of those in the ground - plants not always as healthy, and sometimes BER rears its ugly bottom, but works for me.

Use clear plastic to warm the soil where you're going to plant. If the soil's to cold, plant roots will sit and wait for soil to warm up. Leave plastic down when planting. Also wrap clear plastic a couple feet up around cage. Remove plastic when soil and air warms up.

Agreed with Earl on what happens when the soil is cold. Warming with clear plastic can certainly help you to get a headstart, and wrapping the bottoms of the cages is also a great idea. I use row cover.

You might also consider trying a few in containers that are set on concrete/blacktop/etc. Like D., I also find that my container plants will produce a couple weeks earlier than the in ground ones. Soil is warm to start with and the concrete absorbs heat during the day, releasing it at night.

What about black plastic to warm the soil? Does Black heat up the soil any faster? Or is clear better for that? We got a new bed and I saved the heavy clear plastic from it to use in the garden somehow. My husband thought it was funny that I was carefully cutting the plastic, instead of just ripping it off. I used black plastic this season, but I left it on to help control the weeds. I know that isn't good for the soil, but we have too much wind to use news paper and straw, and I haven't gotten enough grass clippings to use yet. We have horrible weeds. They are evil.:evil:

Tyffanie

Clear plastic is definitely superior to black plastic!

At what point do you remove the plastic form the ground?

Thanks,
Tyffanie

I don't know what temp the soil should be when you remove the plastic, maybe 65? Cold soil slows root growth.

Raised beds and containers warm up faster.

Yes, the 65F temp is about right.

What about ferterlizer? Is there something about the feeding that changes when the fruit set? that makes them ripen faster. Like switching to high potash or something?