I'm wanting to grow a tomato plant on my patio, in some kind of planter. Is it too late in the year to grown one now?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Is it too late to plant tomatoes?
- Thread starter alleygirl
- Start Date
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,498
- Purraise
- 39
I think it depends on your zone, and how large of a plant you're getting. If it's a fairly large one already you should be ok. I'd also suggest something that produces/rippens quicker - like a roma, grape, or cherry.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I looked up my zone and I am in Zone 7 (Richmond, VA). I know nothing about types of tomato plants. I would be getting the tiny little plants they sell at Home Depot, etc. Probably just one or two. I don't have room for more.
So a large slicing type tomato wouldn't grow since its already June?
So a large slicing type tomato wouldn't grow since its already June?
You can certainly still grow tomatoes.
I just planted some here in zone 6. Try and buy some that already have the yellow flowers on them - that is a sign of a more mature plant, and one that won't need as much time maturing to the fruit stage.
If you don't find any with flowers you can still grow them. Your harvest time just might be a bit later, but you should still get fruit so long as they get enough sun and good soil. Fertilizing helps also.
If you don't find any with flowers you can still grow them. Your harvest time just might be a bit later, but you should still get fruit so long as they get enough sun and good soil. Fertilizing helps also.
I think it would be ok like others posted try to find bigger
plants that maybe have the yellow flowers. Also check on the
time till fruit.I get the "early girl" ones since they have the shortest
growing time to bear. Also like others mentioned I believe the smaller
types like the cherry have shorter growing times.
I would certainly go for it.
plants that maybe have the yellow flowers. Also check on the
time till fruit.I get the "early girl" ones since they have the shortest
growing time to bear. Also like others mentioned I believe the smaller
types like the cherry have shorter growing times.
I would certainly go for it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Thanks, I will take a look this weekend and see what is available. Might not be much left to choose from at this time of year.
No, it isn't too late. We just planted all our tomatoes last weekend. You'll have tomatoes a bit later than some but no big deal. I actually like it when there are still green ones late in the fall so I can have my fried green tomatoes. I have found that most folks that grow tomatoes won't give me any green ones - they want to keep them on the stalk to ripen.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,498
- Purraise
- 39
Well, that's just odd. It doesn't really decrease how many ripe ones a person will get if they pick some green. Usually sometime while waiting for them to rippen weather, insects, or even birds will get after them. Or around here the wild box turtles will take bites out of tomatoes.Originally Posted by Yosemite
I have found that most folks that grow tomatoes won't give me any green ones - they want to keep them on the stalk to ripen.
If you were near me I'd share green tomatoes with you!
Ask a nursery or maybe even see if Lowes (if there's one near you) has some. The last time I was at Lowes they had some larger tomato plants.
Since you're not that familiar with tomatoes, why not do a bit of searching for information online? You'll learn a bit about plant size (some plants may grow to big for a patio), how long the fruit takes to grow, and feeding schedule.
Aw, thanks. Even at our other house when my hubby had about a dozen tomato plants he wouldn't let me pick green ones. Grrrrrrrr.Originally Posted by strange_wings
Well, that's just odd. It doesn't really decrease how many ripe ones a person will get if they pick some green. Usually sometime while waiting for them to rippen weather, insects, or even birds will get after them. Or around here the wild box turtles will take bites out of tomatoes.
If you were near me I'd share green tomatoes with you!
Ask a nursery or maybe even see if Lowes (if there's one near you) has some. The last time I was at Lowes they had some larger tomato plants.
Since you're not that familiar with tomatoes, why not do a bit of searching for information online? You'll learn a bit about plant size (some plants may grow to big for a patio), how long the fruit takes to grow, and feeding schedule.
My FIL used to grow tomatoes (beefsteak) and he'd pluck the suckers. He had tomato plants that were 6-8 feet high. I do not exaggerate. The plants were taller than my hubby and he is 6 feet. I was always amazed as I grew up on a farm and my dad had tomatoes but they never grew like that.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,498
- Purraise
- 39
Sometimes it's just a good year for them and the right spot. My dad had some do that a couple times. One year, when I was around 6-7, we had huge plants and so many tomatoes that we were giving them away because my mother couldn't keep up with canning them. Another year we had beefsteak and cherries. The beefsteak plants did great and put out a lot of tomatoes... but the cherries sort of took over. Again, we were giving tomatoes away to everyone. I'd always get sent in behind and under the plants to fetch the tomatoes.Originally Posted by Yosemite
Aw, thanks. Even at our other house when my hubby had about a dozen tomato plants he wouldn't let me pick green ones. Grrrrrrrr.
My FIL used to grow tomatoes (beefsteak) and he'd pluck the suckers. He had tomato plants that were 6-8 feet high. I do not exaggerate. The plants were taller than my hubby and he is 6 feet. I was always amazed as I grew up on a farm and my dad had tomatoes but they never grew like that.
My FIL hasn't had that great of luck with tomatoes since they moved. The last year they were out in their old farm home they had an abundance of romas.
Its not late we just planted one last week.
Well we have had very cool weather so far and the tomato plants and other garden plants as well as annual flowers are just sitting there hibernating!
You should be just fine planting tomato plants. Your freeze date which is what you should be concerned about is several weeks later than mine. The plant label should give you some sort of fruit maturity date so count from the date you plant it to get an approximate harvest date.
I personally would. buy the plants from the mom and pop style greenhouses vs the big box store as you will be getting better plants plus supporting the local small business
You should be just fine planting tomato plants. Your freeze date which is what you should be concerned about is several weeks later than mine. The plant label should give you some sort of fruit maturity date so count from the date you plant it to get an approximate harvest date.
I personally would. buy the plants from the mom and pop style greenhouses vs the big box store as you will be getting better plants plus supporting the local small business
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,498
- Purraise
- 39
What I find really odd is that neither the smaller one - that the woman sets up a temp green house in town to sell her plants from, nor the larger one outside of town sell any vegetable plants. The small one sells mostly annuals flowers and decorative stuff - she was packing the rest of that up this morning.
The larger one has more perennials - and a lot of space dedicated to trees and shrubs... iirc they don't even sell fruit trees.
Most of them around here are like that, though.
