Tomato turning before it gets big

[Brown Thumbs]

What causes tomatoes to begin turning orange/red when it is only half the size it should be when ripe? We've had warmer than normal temps this year, with 90's over the past couple of weeks. Will this affect when they ripen? We planted better boys.

[cynthia_h]

Those tomatoes are smart. They're trying to get finished before the temps hit 95 degrees, because that's when tomatoes stall out and simply wait for the thermometer to come back down before they start to grow again.

The Florida tomato growing season (and hot areas of Arizona) is different from the traditional growing season. Plant your tomatoes so that they'll be *finished* before the temps go into the 90s. Gotta run right now, but that's one reason why people in other parts of the U.S. purchase Florida-grown tomatoes in the early part of the year: Fla. has the sun and the temps then, when most others don't.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Richard L.]

I'm sure it's the heat, down here in South Texas we have the same problem, many are half the size & already 80% ripe. So far this year we had three days of 100 and many days in the high 90's with a lot of hot Sun beating down. (96 right now at 7:30PM) I already pulled out all my cucumbers, all my bush beans and watermelon. I replanted watermelon again. Good luck!

[Brown Thumbs]

Guess that's it. We went from mild winter to summer this year. It was 90 by time the tomatoes produced their first fruits.

[rainbowgardener]

cynthia is right about Florida seasons being different. You probably needed to start your tomatoes in Jan, and then give up on them about now. But then you can start more in August to grow through fall and winter. So you still have tomatoes more months of the year than I do, just the opposite months.

[Brown Thumbs]

cynthia is right about Florida seasons being different. You probably needed to start your tomatoes in Jan, and then give up on them about now. But then you can start more in August to grow through fall and winter. So you still have tomatoes more months of the year than I do, just the opposite months.

Thanks for the information. I'm in Mississippi, which is 1 - 1 1/2 zones above. We've just been experiencing hot weather quick this year. Most people plant their tomatoes (and most other plants) on or after Easter here. Just the way folks have done for many years as that is known to be our last chance of frost. Anyway, I planted ours around the first part of April and they are just now having their first fruits turning. Bad thing is they are not what I'd call "full size", but around 3/4. There's also not a lot of future tomatoes on the bush, which I've read on hear can be due to hot weather not allowing blooms to set. Guess this isn't going to be a good year for me. I did put some hay around the roots to keep cool and help conserve water.

[mattie g]

Thanks for the information. I'm in Mississippi, which is 1 - 1 1/2 zones above. We've just been experiencing hot weather quick this year. Most people plant their tomatoes (and most other plants) on or after Easter here. Just the way folks have done for many years as that is known to be our last chance of frost. Anyway, I planted ours around the first part of April and they are just now having their first fruits turning. Bad thing is they are not what I'd call "full size", but around 3/4. There's also not a lot of future tomatoes on the bush, which I've read on hear can be due to hot weather not allowing blooms to set. Guess this isn't going to be a good year for me. I did put some hay around the roots to keep cool and help conserve water.

Last year, I had massive plants (upwards of 10' easily) with a good amount of fruit on them by early July. I had harvested quite a few lbs of maters at that point, some individual fruits getting close to a lb each.

Then the heat hit. We had a prolonged period of temps well into the 90s, which basically shut down all fruit production until things broke in mid-late August. By that point, we had had a lot of humidity and rain along with the heat, so the diseases started to really take their toll on the plants. Thus, my late-season harvest was pretty pitiful. Any of the fruits I harvested after the heat hit were small and/or were on the verge of rotting on the vine because of disease and general growing conditions.

[rainbowgardener]

That's why people start over planting new seed in August. Fresh young plants are much less vulnerable to all the diseases than old plants that have been stressed by going through the months of heat. And by the time they are fruiting the heat and humidity are likely to be breaking at least somewhat, so fewer problems. Starting with new plants, your fall harvest will probably be much more productive.

[Brown Thumbs]

We planted the Better Boys because a nursery told us it would be better in areas that may not get full sun and they're more disease resistant. Don't know if that's true or not; just what we were told. They get around 5 or 6 hours of sun a day (mid day). Our temps are running low 90s now, so this may just be a bad year.

As far as cutting the plants back in mid summer, I've never heard of that before. In the past we used to pull them up in late July cause they looked pitiful, but sometimes I'd root a 6-8 inch long sucker and plant it in early fall. Can't remember ever getting many tomatoes off them though; they usually didn't do real well and may have been my lack of enthusiasm by that time of year with caring for them.

[rainbowgardener]

Seems like if you planted tomato seed around 1st Aug, it would be fruiting by October, which would give you plenty of time yet before freeze. I know it is still real hot in August, but that doesn't matter so much for growing the seedling as long as you can keep it well watered. By the time it is fruiting in October, I would hope conditions are better for it.

But I have never gardened in your climate, so I could be all wrong...

[Brown Thumbs]

It varies from year to year down here, but I'd say a normal first frost is late Nov, early Dec. We usually get a cold snap around Thanksgiving, but it may not last long.

I've never tried growing a tomato from seed before. As stated previously, I have rooted sucker stems before. Basically I just snip them off when they get 6-8 inches long, stick them in a glass of water, and place in a south facing window until the grow roots (maybe 2 weeks?). Will this work just as good and plan to set them out late July, early August? Can I grown better boys from seed? I thought they were a hybrid and might not be able to do that.

[rainbowgardener]

I don't have experience trying to root and grow suckers, but I have seen other people here say they do that, it should work.

Re the Better Boy from seed. If you mean seed you saved, it should certainly grow and produce a tomato plant and tomatoes. You wouldn't be able to call them Better Boy any more, because they won't be identical. But they will have the same family resemblance a child has to its parents and probably be pretty similar. Or you can just buy more seed and then you will have Better Boys.