Question:
I’m not going to get around to planting my Tomatoes until next month. Are there varieties that do better when planted late? I’d like a large slicing variety like Beefsteak.Answer:
- May is an ideal month to plant tomatoes along with hot peppers, eggplants, and melons.
- Tomatoes have a maturity or ripening date that ranges from sixty to ninety plus days. This is how long it takes a variety to ripen when started from seed under optimum conditions.
- The information is found on the seed package or plant label. The days associated with each variety should be used only as a guide as to which variety matures early or later than another. Typically, the weather is the variable that affects the ripening.
- The maturity date remains that same regardless of when the seed is sown. This especially true with Beefsteak. It’s one of the latest maturing varieties at ninety-six days. So you’re better off waiting until late May to plant to avoid having your plants start off slowly due to Mother Nature. I believe tomatoes are planted too early in our area.
- Those planted in March and early April often suffer from the cool, wet conditions from the end of the rainy season. Tomatoes are a warm-season vegetable that likes warm days and nights that are somewhat consistent.
- Quite often flowers form and then fall off before the tomatoes form. Tomatoes need warm days and nighttime temperatures above fifty-five degrees for fruit set.
- It’s widely believed that the early planted tomatoes will take off when the weather stabilizes. Unfortunately, they don’t, as there is ‘No Catch Up’ gene with tomatoes.
- These plants will continue to disappoint all season long. By mid-May, you should have a good idea as to how they are performing.
- At that time you two options with those that are struggling. First, you need to lower your expectation or start over with new plants. It’s not too late to plant at Memorial Day.
Question:
Is now a good time to prune my orange? I’m also looking for some advice on how to plant a midget grapefruit tree.Answer:
- Now is an excellent time to prune citrus.
- They’re pruned annually to remove the winter damage, eliminate any dead wood, and shape the plant.
- This ensures that the fruit production remains pretty constant. If you prune irregularly, you often have to sacrifice the yield to get the plant back inbounds.
- Hence, you get lots of fruit one year and a few the next
- It's also an ideal time to plant a dwarf orange and any other type of citrus
- I would dig a hole twice as wide and six inches deeper than the container it's already in and prepare the backfill with half soil conditioner and half native soil. Plant the new citrus, so the original ball of soil sets up one inch above the final grade. This allows the plant to settle without being buried too deep.
- You then construct a watering basin around it. Citrus is water two to three times per week.