In my part of Texas we have trouble growing tomatoes through the summer. Once the heat hits, the plants stop setting fruit and the plants get really stressed. Many people pull the plants in July and replant for a fall crop of early bearers. I've heard that there are some tomatoes that will set fruit even in hotter temperatures. What is your experience?
This year I planted 20 different varieties--many of which I'd read are "heat tolerant" but I don't really know. I also planted some that I'm told that don't do well in heat, but may produce early. That's the other option here--an early crop, before the heat sets in. I've planted some of these before, but never kept systematic records on results.
The tomatoes I planted this year includes both hybrid and open-pollinated. I have some determinate cultivars, but most are indeterminate. The one's with a " * " are the suspected heat tolerant. I'll know more after the summer. Here's the list:
Sophie's Choice, red, determinate, 55 days
Early Girl, red, indeterminate, 62 days
Bush Beefsteak, red, determinate, 62 days
Sweet Million hybrid,red cherry, indeterminate, 65 days
Sungold hybrid, yellow cherry, indeterminate, 65 days
Isis Candy, bi-color cherry, indeterminate, 67 days
Jetsonic hybrid, red, indeterminate, 68 days
*Porter's Pride, red, indeterminate, 69 days
*Phoenix hybrid, red, determinate, 70 days
Big Beef hybrid, red, indeterminate, 72 days
*Black from Tula, purple, indeterminate, 75 days
Ibsen's Gold, yellow, indeterminate, 75 days
Bradley, pink, determinate, 76 days
*Creole, red, indeterminate, 78 days
*Cherokee Purple, purple, indeterminate, 80 days
*Homestead 24, red, determinate, 81 days
Hillbilly, bi-color, indeterminate, 85 days
Kelloggs Breakfast, yellow, indeterminate, 85 days
*Arkansas Traveler, pink, indeterminate, 85 days
I think this year will be a good test, since we've been having warm temperatures for at least a couple weeks. This week I expect high temps in the upper 90's. The lows at night have been in the 70's.
