What can I plant next year? - coastal foggy climate

[Moth1992]

Oh dear the season is almost done
And it was not too successful. So want to start thinking in next season ( and the swap!!).

Id love to have suggestions from people in similar climate.

So these are my conditions:

I have a mild climate, next to the ocean. My summers are very foggy in the morning. Usual high/ lows of 24/9C 75/48F.

My semi determinate micros started ripening end of july but my indeterminates usually dont ripen until september/october and then die of disease shortly.

And I just have a small balcony for about 4 or 5 plants (other than micros).

So things im looking for:
- Taste: I like reds, pinks, purples and chocolates the most but i will enjoy a good orange or yellow.
- Productivity and earliness for my climate : with so little space I need them to give me more than a few tomatoes to be worth it.
- Container friendly tomatos ( for 4 to 7 gallon pots).


Some I have written down so far from reports here. But dont know if they can handle my climate?

- New big dwarf - late though so probably not good
- Dwarf Mallee Rose - mid season
- Rosella Crimson - mid season
- Boronia - mid season
- Fred tye dye - mid season
- Pink passion - earlier
- Firebird sweet - earlier.
- Russian saskachewan - early. Productive?
- EM champion - early
- Maglia rosa


I also dont know if i should bother with dwarves after tbey gave me terrible productivity and just plant normal tomatoes and let them be stumped but be more resistant to pests.

All thoughts appreciated. Any i should cross off, any I should add?

Thankyou wise tomato oracles!!

[Tormahto]

With container friendly, productivity, earliness, and taste, those requirements are tough to match with almost all varieties.

Early Wonder Pink is the only variety that I currently recommend.

[Toomanymatoes]

Maybe Black Sea Man? Really productive and tastes good.

What about cherry tomatoes?

Gardener's Sweetheart is one of my favorites. Firm and fleshy reminiscent of a small oxheart, so not what everyone wants in a cherry tomato.

My experience with dwarf tomatoes thus far has been meh.. Some good tomatoes, but productivity really suffers for most of them.

[PlainJane]

Lime Green Salad and Maglia Rosa are 2 that I can recommend.
I’m warmer than you but I grow all my tomatoes in containers and these 2 are pretty forgiving.
Seeds should be available in the MMMM swap.

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[eyegrotom]

Dwarf Orange Cream I grow it every year get at least 20 to 25 tomatoes from it

[Moth1992]

With container friendly, productivity, earliness, and taste, those requirements are tough to match with almost all varieties.

Early Wonder Pink is the only variety that I currently recommend.

Its fine if they are not early if they can handle a cool humid summer to pollinate and ripen. Otherwise they dont give me toms until the season is almost done and the plants are all sickly.

[Moth1992]

Maybe Black Sea Man? Really productive and tastes good.

What about cherry tomatoes?

Gardener's Sweetheart is one of my favorites. Firm and fleshy reminiscent of a small oxheart, so not what everyone wants in a cherry tomato.

My experience with dwarf tomatoes thus far has been meh.. Some good tomatoes, but productivity really suffers for most of them.

I havent trued cherries ( other than micros) but yeah why not? Dont care about the shape as long as they taste good

You think they can handle my mild foggy conditions?

[Moth1992]

Dwarf Orange Cream I grow it every year get at least 20 to 25 tomatoes from it

What are your conditions?

[Seven Bends]

The 75/48F average temps you listed -- is that for your warmest month of the year? It seems like you would have trouble getting any tomato varieties to set fruit with 48F nighttime lows; general guidance is they won't set with low temps below 55F. So, if most of your weather involves nighttime temps at/near 48F, I'd definitely focus on the northern/cold-tolerant varieties, or look for a way to warm up my growing spot (turn it into a semi-greenhouse?).

Are you open to hybrids, or is it OP only for you? With cold tolerance, plant size, taste, and production as main factors, I'd consider these varieties:

Heirlooms/OP: Oregon Spring, Aurora, Stupice, Glacier, Grushovka, Kimberly, Prairie Fire, Early Wonder, Koralik, Sub-Arctic Plenty, Sub-Arctic Maxi, Manitoba, Legend, Sasha's Altai, Scotia, New Yorker, Sprite; any of the Quebec determinates like Canabec, Yorkbec, Precocibec, Superbec

Hybrids: Siletz, Mountain Magic, Mountain Merit, Ace 55, Tidy Treats, Patio, Galahad, Fourth of July, Bush Beefsteak, Better Bush, Bush Champion, Bush Goliath, Celebrity, Bush Early Girl.

Is your climate the type where it's warmer in September/October than July? If so, maybe you can try altering your planting schedule. I've seen discussions about foggy, coastal tomato growing where they get better results with a later planting. And if your best tomato weather is late in the season, planting a lot of early, determinate varieties might not work out well. In that case, I'd plant a couple of early, cold-tolerant determinates and also some later varieties (or a second planting of short-season varieties later in the season).

Have you tried an Earthbox or similar? That might give you better results than regular pots/grow bags, especially with larger plants.

How many hours of sun per day do you get in your growing spot? Could hours of sunlight be your limiting factor for production?

[eyegrotom]

@Moth1992 the last 2 years they were part of my Fall garden. I put them out in mid August and have ripe tomatoes by Turkey day. Planted in 15 gallon buckets. I am in Southern California so I have to plant early and then again in the fall. P S if you want some seeds send me a message Mike

[Moth1992]

Wow thanks for all this info!

The 75/48F average temps you listed -- is that for your warmest month of the year? It seems like you would have trouble getting any tomato varieties to set fruit with 48F nighttime lows; general guidance is they won't set with low temps below 55F. So, if most of your weather involves nighttime temps at/near 48F, I'd definitely focus on the northern/cold-tolerant varieties, or look for a way to warm up my growing spot (turn it into a semi-greenhouse?).

So looking at google, lows in the summer are 51-54 between july and september. But im very close to the ocean so I would say its a few degrees lower than that plus a lot of fog in early summer.

Are you open to hybrids, or is it OP only for you? With cold tolerance, plant size, taste, and production as main factors, I'd consider these varieties:

Heirlooms/OP: Oregon Spring, Aurora, Stupice, Glacier, Grushovka, Kimberly, Prairie Fire, Early Wonder, Koralik, Sub-Arctic Plenty, Sub-Arctic Maxi, Manitoba, Legend, Sasha's Altai, Scotia, New Yorker, Sprite; any of the Quebec determinates like Canabec, Yorkbec, Precocibec, Superbec

Hybrids: Siletz, Mountain Magic, Mountain Merit, Ace 55, Tidy Treats, Patio, Galahad, Fourth of July, Bush Beefsteak, Better Bush, Bush Champion, Bush Goliath, Celebrity, Bush Early Girl.

wow thanks! this is awesome!
I prefer OP because they are more fun but if hybrids can handle better my restrictions then be it. Beggars cant be choosers.

Is your climate the type where it's warmer in September/October than July? If so, maybe you can try altering your planting schedule. I've seen discussions about foggy, coastal tomato growing where they get better results with a later planting. And if your best tomato weather is late in the season, planting a lot of early, determinate varieties might not work out well. In that case, I'd plant a couple of early, cold-tolerant determinates and also some later varieties (or a second planting of short-season varieties later in the season).

Yes, but just slightly (my whole summer is very mild). So I tried this with the micros (semideterminates) this year to see how two plantings did. My early planting gave me a small harvest in end of july and then a big harvest now in mid october. My second plants (started a month or two later) havent catched up in size (and look much greener and healthy and not mangy and plague infested like the fisrt ones), but they are only giving me a smaller harvest now.

I dont know how this would translate to indeterminate plants...

Have you tried an Earthbox or similar? That might give you better results than regular pots/grow bags, especially with larger plants.

as in a self watering container? no i havent, I have looked into making some sort of self watering system but its going to be tough in my space. I havent had too many problems with watering though this year (other than an overwatering incident that gave me bland tomatoes and some cracking).

How many hours of sun per day do you get in your growing spot? Could hours of sunlight be your limiting factor for production?

Could be, I get direct sunlight for 8-10 hours but when the fog comes in thats reduced.
I know, my conditions suck... but i just love tomatoes and growing food.

Thanks again for spending your time giving me all this info!

[Seven Bends]

How many hours of sun per day do you get in your growing spot? Could hours of sunlight be your limiting factor for production?

Could be, I get direct sunlight for 8-10 hours but when the fog comes in thats reduced.
I know, my conditions suck... but i just love tomatoes and growing food.

Thanks again for spending your time giving me all this info!

Sounds like sunlight probably isn't your issue; direct sun for 8-10 hours when not foggy should be fine.

I should have been clear in my post that I have no personal experience with your growing conditions, so take my suggestions with a big grain of salt and enjoy the research! Hopefully others from foggy, cool climates will chime in. Have you seen this old post from Tville? Seems to speak to your situation but I didn't read most of it. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.p ... ight=foggy

[Moth1992]

How many hours of sun per day do you get in your growing spot? Could hours of sunlight be your limiting factor for production?

Could be, I get direct sunlight for 8-10 hours but when the fog comes in thats reduced.
I know, my conditions suck... but i just love tomatoes and growing food.

Thanks again for spending your time giving me all this info!

Sounds like sunlight probably isn't your issue; direct sun for 8-10 hours when not foggy should be fine.

I should have been clear in my post that I have no personal experience with your growing conditions, so take my suggestions with a big grain of salt and enjoy the research! Hopefully others from foggy, cool climates will chime in. Have you seen this old post from Tville? Seems to speak to your situation but I didn't read most of it. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.p ... ight=foggy

Oh awesome ill check it out!

[Toomanymatoes]

Maybe Black Sea Man? Really productive and tastes good.

What about cherry tomatoes?

Gardener's Sweetheart is one of my favorites. Firm and fleshy reminiscent of a small oxheart, so not what everyone wants in a cherry tomato.

My experience with dwarf tomatoes thus far has been meh.. Some good tomatoes, but productivity really suffers for most of them.

I havent trued cherries ( other than micros) but yeah why not? Dont care about the shape as long as they taste good

You think they can handle my mild foggy conditions?

No idea. My assumption was that if the plant is vigorous, it would hopefully grow reasonably well in less than ideal conditions. Could be wrong though.

[wykvlvr]

I would check out Pineapple Fog and San Francisco Fog tomatoes.

[Moth1992]

I would check out Pineapple Fog and San Francisco Fog tomatoes.

Dang, hope those are true to their names! Thats perfect thanks!

Edit: could not find anything on pineaple fog.

[karstopography]

Consider Gregori’s Altai, an early-mid seasoned pink. I set mine out in February when it is relatively cool here and sometimes foggy and it shot up quickly well ahead of the nine other peers in the same raised bed. It flowered and set fruit early relative to the other tomatoes in the same bed. Gregori’s Altai is a mid sized pink, flattened oblate in shape. Definitely not a dwarf or determinant, but I pruned my one plant to one stem and it seemed to tolerate that. Seems like it could work in a container if given enough attention.

Japanese Black Trifele is a small dark pear shaped tomato that growth habit is smaller than most indeterminates and it can handle cooler conditions. I loved that tomato for salsa.

[worth1]

Sounds like the west coast where its always foggy in the morning.
I could always see the fog banks moving in each day.
If memory serves me the sun didn't break through until mid morning sometimes.

[wykvlvr]

Pineapple Fog is harder to find information on but here is a little bit. I first learned of it from a seed site I was exploring but they no longer carry it... it is an indet so may not work well for you but since it was developed on the fog coast in CA it is worth a look at.

0http://plantswithstories.com/tomatoes/pineapple-fog
https://sunshinefarm.net/product/pineapple-fog/
https://organicseeds.top/shop/11649/des ... t%20longer.

[Moth1992]

Adding all to the wishlist see if there is any