If you grew tomatoes this spring, then you’ve probably been up to your ears in fruit up until recently. As of today, you’re probably still left with some green fruits on the vine that just won’t ripen. Well it’s time to yank those plants out and start all over again.
Here in Dallas we’re lucky enough to have two tomato growing seasons; summer harvest and fall harvest. Most of your harvesting from spring plants will happen through the month of June. By July, temperatures are typically too hot for remaining fruit to ripen. Your best bet is to harvest the green fruits and make some green tomato pickles, then pitch the plants into the compost pile.
You’ve got about one more week to plant your fall tomato transplants. I know, it’s hot outside…but timing is everything with tomatoes. In spring, you can’t wait until after the last frost to plant tomatoes and in summer you can’t wait until the heat has passed. You can purchase some floating row cover or shade cloth to cover your tomato transplants for the first couple of weeks in the summer garden. Proving a bit of shade this time of year will help plants acclimate to the intense sunlight.
The selection of varieties will be smaller this time of year at the garden center, but most will be heat tolerant varieties. Look for plants in larger containers, such as quarts or gallons. Be sure the transplants you purchase don’t look like they’re left over from spring; transplants should be from a new crop and look fresh, healthy and pest-free. Be sure to mulch plants to help conserve moisture and fertilize at planting time.
