Whe do I pull up a tomato?

[Ladyhawke1]

I made up my mind. This week-end, I will pull it up. I will give the others a little more time to get some more yellow to them. Can anyone suggest other types of tomatoes that are impossilbe to destroy....oh, I forgot that is super market matoes with the fish genes.

I guess we all have to share with nature in order to get from nature.

 

[boggybranch]

I am new at all of this gardening stuff, so if I ask dumb questions please forgive me. Thanks.

No question is to "dumb" to ask...if you don't know the answer.

 

[Whitewater]

This past fall, my first time growing tomatoes, I was wondering the same thing you were, OP, about when to pull them. Because even into September my Early Girl and my 'Tomato' plant (seriously, I bought the plant at Home Despot and that was all they called it . . . the nursery's colors were yellow and green, can't remember the name of the plant grower -- but it was a really good plant, tons of tomatoes and they tasted a lot better than the EG . . . I digress) . .

Anyway!

My two tomato plants were producing well into September and even into October (green fruit left and right!) and I couldn't seem to get consensus on when to pull them -- but then the decision was taken out of my hands.

One day it was 65 and sunny, overnight the temp. plummeted to 25'F and the next morning, there was an inch of snow and some dead tomato plants. What a sad sight that was. Without warning, we'd gotten a killing freeze overnight and it killed my warm-weather plants stone dead. My green tomatoes were actually frozen solid on the vine.

The next day that it wasn't snowing and cold, I pulled all the plants that were left and put them on my compost heap.

But that's my climate, and I certainly don't live where you are -- not anymore, anyway, as a kid I lived in Poway (a suburb of San Diego) and we had beautiful lemon, lime and fig trees!

Why do you want to pull your plants? I saw online, when I was searching about tomato information last year, quite a few people who lived in warmer climates and they treated their tomato plants like a year round producer. One woman even had her indeterminate tomato trellised (or maybe, vined? Not sure how she did it) all around her front door to her home, it was really pretty -- and useful too!

I wouldn't have pulled my plants if I didn't have to, so I feel for you


Whitewater

 

[obsessed]

Where are you located?

You got to be in Southern Cali?

I don't know that you *have* to pull it. Tomatoes are annuals here but they could be perennials in warmer climates. but since they are vines then the plant would continue to grow and grow and grow longer with time. I know pepper are similar and there are a lot of people who overwinter their plants. But then they are more bushes not vines.

I say before you pull it take a cutting so that you won't have to start more seeds. And it is like a free plant.

 

[desertgirl]

 

[Ladyhawke1]

This past fall, my first time growing tomatoes, I was wondering the same thing you were, OP, about when to pull them. Because even into September my Early Girl and my 'Tomato' plant (seriously, I bought the plant at Home Despot and that was all they called it . . . the nursery's colors were yellow and green, can't remember the name of the plant grower -- but it was a really good plant, tons of tomatoes and they tasted a lot better than the EG . . . I digress) . .

Anyway!

My two tomato plants were producing well into September and even into October (green fruit left and right!) and I couldn't seem to get consensus on when to pull them -- but then the decision was taken out of my hands.

One day it was 65 and sunny, overnight the temp. plummeted to 25'F and the next morning, there was an inch of snow and some dead tomato plants. What a sad sight that was. Without warning, we'd gotten a killing freeze overnight and it killed my warm-weather plants stone dead. My green tomatoes were actually frozen solid on the vine.

The next day that it wasn't snowing and cold, I pulled all the plants that were left and put them on my compost heap.

But that's my climate, and I certainly don't live where you are -- not anymore, anyway, as a kid I lived in Poway (a suburb of San Diego) and we had beautiful lemon, lime and fig trees!

Why do you want to pull your plants? I saw online, when I was searching about tomato information last year, quite a few people who lived in warmer climates and they treated their tomato plants like a year round producer. One woman even had her indeterminate tomato trellised (or maybe, vined? Not sure how she did it) all around her front door to her home, it was really pretty -- and useful too!

I wouldn't have pulled my plants if I didn't have to, so I feel for you


Whitewater

Have you seen what this thing looks like? I keep wondering if there are any Nuclear power plants nearby.

I bought it at Home Depot. It is supposed to be a Mr. Stripy. I loved that it "tried" and did give me some very large tomatoes over an extended period. However, I have had to dissect every tomato before I can eat it. I think I have just answered my own question.


Ok, while I am here, does anyone use that insecticidal soap or that oil or pepper wax stuff. I intend to use Diatomaceous Earth around the perimeter of the beds and Home Depot sells those copper strips. Hey this year I want to be prepared. I have not seen any slugs or snails but I am sure they will get word from the aphids that have just descended on my cabbages. We are supposed to see some rain today. :bee

 

[silkiechicken]

Totally jumping in... and don't do any fancy types of tomatoes due to short cool growing season in the PNW, but that looks like what happens to tomatoes here if they get inconsistent water and hot/cold day nights. At least that's what happens to the ones here... most of which never ripen before frost.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Oh how I miss the weather 6 hours south of me...

A couple of comments.

When you have tomatoes on the vine and the temp are dropping, you can try to extend the growing season and cover them up with plastic or if the tomatoes are starting to turn yellow, just pick them and put them in a bag with some ripe apples and let them ripen on their own.

If the fruits are small and very green my next recommendation is you can get a couple years out a good tomato plant if it produced well for you, especially in southern california. Assuming you had no serious disease, which looks like you didn't, cut the plant back to the main stem and cut anything away that's not more than 1/4 of an inch thick (or 6-8 inches from the base if there was winter damage or stem/leaf issues) and give it a good watering and nitrogen feeding. This will get the plant growing again and it should come back nicely. Afterwards a good trim to get rid of any sections not leafing out is good too.

Now, I say this with caution, and others on this site may have strong words about this, since this may lead to a disease being carried by the plant. My suggestion is that if there was no soil-borne diseases present then go for it.

Good luck.

Carlos

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Oh how I miss the weather 6 hours south of me...

A couple of comments.

When you have tomatoes on the vine and the temp are dropping, you can try to extend the growing season and cover them up with plastic or if the tomatoes are starting to turn yellow, just pick them and put them in a bag with some ripe apples and let them ripen on their own.

If the fruits are small and very green my next recommendation is you can get a couple years out a good tomato plant if it produced well for you, especially in southern california. Assuming you had no serious disease, which looks like you didn't, cut the plant back to the main stem and cut anything away that's not more than 1/4 of an inch thick (or 6-8 inches from the base if there was winter damage or stem/leaf issues) and give it a good watering and nitrogen feeding. This will get the plant growing again and it should come back nicely. Afterwards a good trim to get rid of any sections not leafing out is good too.

Now, I say this with caution, and others on this site may have strong words about this, since this may lead to a disease being carried by the plant. My suggestion is that if there was no soil-borne diseases present then go for it.

Good luck.

Carlos

This sounds like a plan. The next time I am in doubt and cannot bring myself to execute the plant, I will try this. :watering

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

This past fall, my first time growing tomatoes, I was wondering the same thing you were, OP, about when to pull them. Because even into September my Early Girl and my 'Tomato' plant (seriously, I bought the plant at Home Despot and that was all they called it . . . the nursery's colors were yellow and green, can't remember the name of the plant grower -- but it was a really good plant, tons of tomatoes and they tasted a lot better than the EG . . . I digress) . .

Anyway!

My two tomato plants were producing well into September and even into October (green fruit left and right!) and I couldn't seem to get consensus on when to pull them -- but then the decision was taken out of my hands.

One day it was 65 and sunny, overnight the temp. plummeted to 25'F and the next morning, there was an inch of snow and some dead tomato plants. What a sad sight that was. Without warning, we'd gotten a killing freeze overnight and it killed my warm-weather plants stone dead. My green tomatoes were actually frozen solid on the vine.

The next day that it wasn't snowing and cold, I pulled all the plants that were left and put them on my compost heap.

But that's my climate, and I certainly don't live where you are -- not anymore, anyway, as a kid I lived in Poway (a suburb of San Diego) and we had beautiful lemon, lime and fig trees!

Why do you want to pull your plants? I saw online, when I was searching about tomato information last year, quite a few people who lived in warmer climates and they treated their tomato plants like a year round producer. One woman even had her indeterminate tomato trellised (or maybe, vined? Not sure how she did it) all around her front door to her home, it was really pretty -- and useful too!

I wouldn't have pulled my plants if I didn't have to, so I feel for you


Whitewater

Have you seen what this thing looks like? I keep wondering if there are any Nuclear power plants nearby.

I bought it at Home Depot. It is supposed to be a Mr. Stripy. I loved that it "tried" and did give me some very large tomatoes over an extended period. However, I have had to dissect every tomato before I can eat it. I think I have just answered my own question.


Ok, while I am here, does anyone use that insecticidal soap or that oil or pepper wax stuff. I intend to use Diatomaceous Earth around the perimeter of the beds and Home Depot sells those copper strips. Hey this year I want to be prepared. I have not seen any slugs or snails but I am sure they will get word from the aphids that have just descended on my cabbages. We are supposed to see some rain today. :bee

i believe the company that supplied HD last year was Bonnie. they are over on this coast and since we had sooo much rain in our area they decided to 'recall' their plants due to issues arising with black rot and other fungal issues.

i didn't buy those last year but i had issues with the ones i did buy from local garden centers that start their own too. same issues all over with inconsistent weather for them to grow well.