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Old December 29, 2010   #7
JackE
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Woodville, Texas
Posts: 520
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Stephen is right. Planting them close together will provide shade to protect the fruit from the sun - for vining varieties, but doesn't help much with bush varieties. Instead of the normal 36", plant them 30" or even 24". He is also correct about creating disease problems in block planting in our SE TX climate.

This will help sunscald, but I don't think it will help in setting fruit when the ambient temp passes a certain temperature at night. I can't remember what it is exactly - I want to say a nighttime low of 60 (I'll look it up) It's the overnight low that counts, though. I have no idea why. :-)

With our hot, muggy, mid-summer nights only specially bred, hybrid varieties can set fruit, with the possible exception of the old Pearson (my mother planted that one), which, as I recall, would make a few toms when planted in July if temps weren't too extreme. There may be others I never heard of.

But I can assure you, other factors aside, that Solar Fire will will set fruit with highs around 100 and nights in the seventies. However, those late plantings do not yield nearly as well as the early (3/15 for us) crop with cool nights and moderate highs - partly because they are subject to increased damage by nematodes and other pests.

If want some late, fairly decent tomatoes, I would urge you to go with one of the newer heat-set hybrids. None of the older ones worked for me - Cajun Fire, Hawaiian - it's long list and they all disappointed me except Solar Fire, and to a lesser extent Solar Set.

Jack
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