Latest You Plant Tomatoes

[Country Breeze]

I know there are many zones across the globe. Southern US don't like to grow in summer, it's going into winter south of the equator, and some can grow year round.

Seems like us here in the north are always trying to get the tomatoes in as early as possible in the spring, but I've never really talked to anyone about getting a crop from late plantings.


Here in 6b I planted in mid June one year. Got a nice harvest of Yellow Pear, but the mortgage lifters were all green when the first frost hit in September. That was the only two I got into the ground that year.

So when is the latest you've planted and still got a decent harvest?

[Tormato]

Near the Mass/Conn line, here. The earliest I plant out is about June 1st (May 1st sowing), latest I plant out is about July 1st (June 1st sowing, or very slow growth on May 1st seedlings).

I've been extremely lucky, as late plantings have always coincided with great summer weather and a late frost. I still have a few seedling left over, so I might go beyond July 1st this year, just to see what happens

[NarnianGarden]

I've planted some toms in July - they were grown on a sunny balcony. True that many didn't get ripe in the fall, but they ripened very nicely when picked green and stored inside a box.
Not that I would recommend anyone do that... Unless in a small container that can be easily taken inside for the night when it gets too cold.

[carolyn137]

it depends on which year as to what condition the seedlings are in as to weather and how late I ever put out seedlings.

So for me in roughly a zone 5b it's different every year and not just at the beginning of the season but also how early first killing frosts can appear, which also can be highly varieble.

So no way to predict for any one year.

Carolyn

[HBKitmitto]

I'm in the Kansas City, MO area (not sure what zone that is). I set out my first bunch of tomatoes in mid April but had been kicking myself for not planting more so I set out 6 more plants last week. I figure they should be giving me ripe tomatoes in September. I believe our first frost comes in October. I figured it was worth a shot! I had the extra space.

[Father'sDaughter]

Last year I had extra dwarf project plants that I put out just after July 4th after the garlic was harvested. They did great and produced a good number of tomatoes.

I'm about a week away from this year's garlic harvest and again I have about four or five super healthy dwarf project plants hanging out in my mini greenhouse.

[AlittleSalt]

The latest I have planted was for a fall garden. Everything I read at .edu sites and others was to start seeds the first week of July and plant out in August. The Texas soil is too hot in August to transplant out in. (90 - 95F)

[b54red]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

The latest I have planted was for a fall garden. Everything I read at .edu sites and others was to start seeds the first week of July and plant out in August. The Texas soil is too hot in August to transplant out in. (90 - 95F)

Mulch the ground well before you plant and you can plant in weather hitting over 100 as long as you set the well hardened plants out in the late evening or during a rainy spell. I set out 21 plants the other day and it was 95 by 2pm but they didn't even wilt.

The latest I ever set out a tomato plant and got a ripe fruit off it was Sept 1st and it only happened once and I only got a couple before the plant was frozen. August is pushing it so I try to get my last ones in no later than the first week of August that way there is a good chance of getting a decent amount of ripe fruit before the first killing frost.

Bill

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by b54red

Mulch the ground well before you plant and you can plant in weather hitting over 100 as long as you set the well hardened plants out in the late evening or during a rainy spell. I set out 21 plants the other day and it was 95 by 2pm but they didn't even wilt.

The latest I ever set out a tomato plant and got a ripe fruit off it was Sept 1st and it only happened once and I only got a couple before the plant was frozen. August is pushing it so I try to get my last ones in no later than the first week of August that way there is a good chance of getting a decent amount of ripe fruit before the first killing frost.

Bill

That was in 2014. I didn't know to mulch then. I didn't even think about ground temperature. That's when I started understanding that online sites don't tell all the facts and things you need to know.

I started some tomato seeds a few hours ago in a 2"x2" transplant container almost filled with wet pro mix. It was the Sweetie Cherry that I wrote about on the Fusarium Wilt thread. I picked a tomato and squeezed some seeds into the container. I looked down to see a buzzard feather that I used to separate the seeds with, and then lightly covered them with more wet pro mix. It'll be pushing it to get them planted out by August 1, but that's the day I'm aiming for.

[BigVanVader]

I try to not go past mid July.

[mjc]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

it depends on which year as to what condition the seedlings are in as to weather and how late I ever put out seedlings.

So for me in roughly a zone 5b it's different every year and not just at the beginning of the season but also how early first killing frosts can appear, which also can be highly varieble.

So no way to predict for any one year.

Carolyn

Same for me...I've had first frost as early as the second week of September and as late as the first week of November...all within the last 10 yrs!

Waiting until November is really nice...that early in September really sucks.

[SueCT]

I checked my garden journal. The latest I have put plants into the ground in the last 10 years anway, was June 7th. The latest I have planted them out in pots was June 20th. Just to show how different it can be from one year to the next, on August 16th 2013 I had my first tomato sandwich of the year, and on August 16, 2014, I canned a batch of tomatoes. So from one year to the next it went from what was likely my first ripe tomato of the year to having enough for a canner batch. In 2014 I started fall cleanup on Sept. 28th. In 2013, I wrote still "lots of tomatoes but not enough at one time to can a batch" on October 10th, and October 22 I wrote "Picking Linnies Oxheart at first blush almost daily to finish ripening inside. First frost expected in a couple of days." So if you would like to give it a try, just go for it and see if you get anything. If I didn't have any planted, I would at least try in pots, which are easier to protect from a light frost or two, than miss out, and hope for a late fall frost. What do you have to loose?

[MadCow333]

Since I've only been at this for 3 seasons, I'll have to say Jun 26 - Jul 1 is going to be the new latest. Haha. The weather has been hostile. Frost, torrential rains and flooding, hail, funnel clouds. Seedlings got started late and are growing like mad on the covered porch. I hope to get them all planted Monday and Tuesday.

I group my containers in the fall and cover with frost blankets. I have kept tomatoes growing well into November and use those tomatoes for cooking and sauce. I set up racks in the basement for ripening.

[kurt]

For the last couple decades,after trials here in 10b we have settled into maybe three "sets".Germinations at beginning of sept,in whatever ground two three weeks transplanting.This we do twice or three times a year dependent on varietys of plant,cash flow,weather and pure laziness if I might add,and of course the wife's wishes.Thanks to the NO FREEZING,EARLY LATE FROSTS ETC.we can do this here in sunny Florida.But on the down side,this is when the race starts,against the bugs,4 legged human garden afficianados,molds,mildews the array of pathogens,throw in a hurricane maybe,90 plus weather in Xmas time.Same as you guys up there,different vectors.

[Nematode]

Seed in March
Into heated tunnel mid April
Into garden end of May, depending on weather.
No sense planting later here, the season is too short.
Things slow dramatically mid September and stop in October, that is if you make it through the blight.