I planted Aunt Ruby's German green, Big Rainbow, Black Krim, Black Prince, Brandywine, Caspian Pink, Cherokee Purple, German Johnson, Green Zebra, Jubilee, Juliet, Lemon Boy, Mortgage Lifter, Phoenix, Pineapple, Rambling Gold Stripe, Roma, San Marzano, Stupice, Super Sweet 100, Tomato Chello, and Yellow pear. Heirloom tomato season is short here in San Antonio. Today we were almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I will plant all the heat resistant type next month. I am growing them all really close together this year. I hope with proper pruning of the suckers I can get a decent harvest. ( photo / image / picture from rick162iq's Garden )
I have not heard of most of those either. San Antonio should have a longer growing season that we in NE Texas do and we can grow all summer till at least late August. Why so short? I am curious!
Last year was my first year growing heirlooms and they gave me a good harvest in spring. Then they just stopped producing tomatoes, however the plant grew really well and was very healthy. After some research and help from people on gardenstew, I found out the pollen on most heirlooms dies if the temps get above 90 degrees. Here in San Antonio we get hot quick. Lots of 100 plus days. They did start to give me tomatoes again in the fall, but they were just taking up space in the garden all summer. This year I will pull them up once it gets too hot and plant some hybrids. With all the hot days here it makes the heirloom growing season short.
Rick, Glad your heirlooms are doing great, although I don't think the hybrids will be any different in their ability to set blossom above 90 degrees if that is your reason for planting them later. Try putting a shade cloth over them to see if that will give them a little relief from the sum and heat.
I tried shade last year to no avail. I was told Hybrids like solar fire and heat wave I and II have good heat setting ability, but I don't know from experience. Perhaps I should leave the heirlooms in the ground till fall. This fall I was harvesting tomatoes all the way through Christmas.
We have those 100+ days too but mine set fruit all summer. I plant all hybrids. Not sure how close together yours are but the problem may be that either they are too far apart for wind to help or not enough insect activity for good pollination. I plant mine 2 ft apart and during growing season they actually intermingle. High humidity can also affect pollination since the pollen doesn`t travel as far by wind. Went back and looked at your pic,, yours are close enough but that fence may block air flow. You can root those suckers for fall plants.
We don't have the heat problem you do, so the two varieties you mentioned are not familiar to me (so they most likely are not marketed here) and perhaps they do withstand higher heat during pollination than the standard varieties available. Let us know how they do. Good luck.
Wind plays no part and insects very little part in tomato pollination, other than shaking the plant. Most flowers are pollinated by the time they're fully open. There are exceptions of course, and it is POSSIBLE for an insect to carry pollen and effect a partial pollination of a tomato flower. For the most part they are self-fertile.
http://njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/document ... matoes.pdf Everyone might find this interesting. I know it says "blossom drop" but that also involves pollination. Rutgers University has done quite a bit of study on tomatoes.
I thought so too. I know that some think that tomatoes just don`t need any help in pollination, but I totally agree with Rutgers. I plant my tomatoes 2 feet apart where they actually grow into each other and I don`t stake them. We also have a good population of bees and other insects. I think that is why mine produce all summer. Mine don`t quit till late August and by that time, I am getting tired of canning and freezing.
