Question:
I won't get around to planting my Tomatoes until next month. Are there varieties that do better when planted late? I want a large slicing variety like Beefsteak.Answer:
- May is ideal for planting tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplants, and melons.
- There are no early or late varieties of tomatoes; they are just determinate and indeterminate. (the March 17 column details the differences) However, some varieties mature earlier than others. More on that in a moment.
- Your independent garden center offers the largest selection of varieties from mid-April to mid-May. It’s not unusual to find seventy to eighty different varieties. The variety available is reduced in June.
- Tomatoes have a maturity or ripening date that ranges from sixty to ninety-plus days. This is how long a variety ripens 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 for which variety matures early or later.
- Typically, the weather is the variable that affects the ripening. The maturity date remains the same regardless of when the seed is sown.
- This is 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 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 at 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. The early planted tomatoes are widely believed to 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 of how they perform. At that time, you have two options for those who are struggling. First, you must lower your expectations or start with new plants.
- It's not too late to plant after Memorial Day.
Question:
Is now a good time to prune my orange? I'm also seeking 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 dead wood, and shape the plant. This ensures that fruit production remains constant.
- If you prune irregularly, you often must sacrifice the yield to get the plant back in bounds. 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 soil ball is 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 watered two to three times per week.