Tomatoes and Heat Tolerant Varities

[jacobelias]

Hello,

I live in Bahrain which is in the Middle East.
I do have a balcony which would provide direct sunlight on the plants during the afternoon for about 3 - 4 hours and the tomatoes would be planted in containers.

In another couple of months, hot summer will be approaching with temperatures rise up to 45 degrees in Celsius.

Does the heat tolerant tomato variety survive the scorching heat of this part of the world?

Appreciate any insight.

Regards
Jacob

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry to tell you, but tomatoes don't produce in that kind of heat. It has been my experience that almost every variety that I try, drops blossoms at around 35-36° c. (mid to high 90s f) A few cherry tomatoes have made it to 100 f, but most stop producing, and start up again, as soon as it gets to the low 90s f (33-34 c). And I don't even live in the south - the hotter area of the US, where it's still not as hot as where you are! Sometimes I luck out, and we have a mild summer, and tomatoes produce all summer, but usually I get a period of 9 or 10 days of those super hot days that stop them - the tomatoes on them will ripen, but the larger varieties might not have enough time to ripen, once it gets cool enough to flower and fruit again. This is why I grow so many cherry tomatoes!

Many people in super hot areas, like Florida, grow two crops a year, but they have to get them out very early, when there is possible frost (do you ever get that?), and then the second crop in the summer, so once they are producing, the threat of very hot temperatures is over...hopefully.

[imafan26]

Some of the super heat resistant varieties can handle 100F but most will stop producing as they approach 90 (33 C).
Ways to mitigate the heat would be providing shade in summer and misting at midday to mitigate the temperatures. Planting in SIPs save water and the reservoir helps keep the tomatoes hydrated even on the hottest days.
Where we don't get snow and can stay above 50 degrees F (10 C) all year, we will grow most of the tomatoes in the fall and spring and solarize in the hottest months of the year. Cherry tomatoes are much more heat tolerant than large tomatoes.

[jacobelias]

Thanks for the insight and answers.

[Allyn]

In the very hottest parts of the U.S., we garden for three seasons: fall, winter, and spring because the summer is just too hateful hot. Even if you do find a variety that will tolerate your heat, a battle you will end up fighting is blossom end rot. With the tomatoes in containers, it'll be very easy for the soil to get very warm. Soil that gets that warm will cause BER big time. Think about double-potting the tomatoes so there is a dead-air space between the pots, use light/white mulch (I use white plastic as mulch on my containers), and try to keep the containers shaded as much as possible.

[jacobelias]

Alright, I will try your suggestions.

Thanks

[imafan26]

Shading may help. It might also help to use tomato varieties bred in hotter parts of the world. They usually are not that pretty but will take more heat than varieties bred for cooler climates. In the heat of summer it is sometimes better to consider other plants that tolerate heat a lot better like eggplant, hot peppers, okra, long beans, melons, squash, tropical spinach, and sweet potatoes.

[jacobelias]

Hi

Do plants such as eggplant, hot peppers, okra, long beans, melons, squash, tropical spinach, and sweet potatoes would be able to tolerate the heat of this part of the world?

Thanks for the information.

[applestar]

I think part of gardening is learning what to grow in which time of the year. Most likely you CAN grow those things, but question is when. During the hottest months, it's likely that you do have things that do grow and/or produce during those months that are native to the area or to other regions with similar climate.

I don't know from personal experience, but I think some of the crops you listed can be grown to some level of maturity before the hottest season, then they survive the heat to produce once things cool down a bit.

[imafan26]

Eggplant, hot peppers,sweet potatoes, melons, bitter melon, long beas, cowpeas, and tropical spinach prefer warm weather. Most are from the tropics and Africa so they can handle the heat as long as there is adequate water. SIPs and drip irrigation along with mulching and selecting the right potting mix or adding organic matter to the soil to retain moisture helps. Group pots together to insulate them and protect them from drying winds and reflected heat. Cover the outside pots with styrofoam sheets cut and wrapped around the pots to keep the pots from overheating and cooking the roots. You can try shading and misting in extreme heat. If you are gardening on a balcony, think about adding a misting fan during the hottest part of the year and putting down a mat on the balcony to prevent radiant heat coming off the floor and the walls and a rollup shade. If you can get one that lets in 50% light that is better so all the light will not be cut off; you will have to roll the shade up and down every day. Make sure you plant in large pots, they dry out slower than small pots. Use taller plants to help shade smaller ones.


Even heat tolerant veggies have their limits. Most will do fine up to 100 degrees but show increasing heat stress as the temps get higher especially if they are not getting enough water to replace losses. A drip system or watering may have to be increased to 3 or four times a day and the plants misted during the hottest parts of the day. We have high humidity which makes it feel hotter but the temperature has rarely gone above 101 degrees in the hottest parts of the island in August.
In summer I grow my greens under trees where it is cooler.