Re: [gardeners] tomatoes in February

Shirley,George (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 03 Feb 2001 08:27:33 -0600 

In central and south America tomatoes are perennials. I have had them last two
and even three years here when there was a series of mild winters. I would keep
them and feed them regularly if you want them to continue producing. 

Checked my two Thai Hot plants yesterday and the last frost hit them pretty hard
so pruned them back to green "wood" and hope they recover. Have had chiles do
that before so I might jump start the hot sauce season.

Best advice I was ever given on tomatoes said to stick with those varities
either developed for or adapted to your area. I usually do that and then "play"
with a couple of other varieites each year looking for more standards. Take a
shot at whatever you would like to try. Yellow Bell has become a standard with
us now, a moderately sized yellow tomato shaped like a bell and it is basically
hollow. Great for stuffing. We also like the small but tasty Yellow and Red Pear
tomatoes. The yellows are my favorites and I often eat a handful as I work or
walk in the garden. Even the dog likes them.

George, who wishes he had a fresh home grown tomato

"Carol J. Bova" wrote:
> 
> I couldn't bring myself to pull out my plain old Roma tomato vines while
> they still had flowers on them, so I thought I'd wait 'til winter did them
> in. But it never happened! With the La Nina effects, rainfall was greatly
> delayed, and we even had temps in the 80's in December. Well, all those
> little tomato flowers took advantage of those summery days, and the rains
> since then, and set fruit. A few have ripened (and tasted great),  and more
> look like they're going to make it all the way to ripe.
> 
> Now here are the questions: am I risking creating a bad situation for next
> season by not removing them? (diseases or bugs -- I have been picking off
> dead leaves, and new ones are growing at the original nodes on the stems)
> 
> Can they go more than one season if the weather stays moderate?
> 
> Should I feed them now? (been using Miracle-Gro for tomatoes)
> 
> And any suggestions for heritage or exotic tomatoes for spring planting?
> 
> Will appreciate your advice,
>          Carol
>          In Sunland, Cal Sunset Zone 19
> 
> tomato picked on January 5th, 2001
> http://www.bovagems.com/gems/2001%20first%20tomato.jpg