2024 has had 98-99 degree temps, and a 105 degree heat index for several days, at the longest daylight time of the year. I've never experienced that before, because most years seedlings have been transplanted by the 1st week of June. This year, I have plants in about three different states of growth, those that need to be transplanted after the heat and thunderstorms go way, plants that are slightly bigger than 1/8 inch in diameter, and very young plants under an 1/8" in diameter.I decided to keep everything outside to see what would survive the heat. All very large plants did fine.I lost about half of the plants just over 1/8" in diameter, and I lost all of the plants under 1/8" in diameter. Total lost plants weren't that many, maybe 15 out of a total of about 125.

It was worth the learning experience, as I now know what to do, if I ever have the same situation.

Yep typical Texas weather.

High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:09 am High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

Probably why I tend to have a hard time with fall tomatoes. The planting Calendars here have the tomatoes going into the garden in August and if I put out the starter plants then in the inevitable August heat those plants suffer and often die. But, if I can manage the Spring planted tomatoes through the summer, then those might perk up in the fall and produce a pretty good fall crop.

If I wait too long to set out starter tomatoes in the fall so that the transplants don’t suffer in the high summer heat, then the calendar works against me as the tomatoes have a tough time ripening at the end of fall or into the winter.

I wonder if shading them during the high heat would increase the survival rate.

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 7:31 am I wonder if shading them during the high heat would increase the survival rate.

Could be true, although my tomatoes are getting a goodly dose of overhead oak leaf filtered light in the afternoon in August. One issue might be the soil temperatures are a little unfavorable then for establishing new transplants, especially in my raised beds as the early spring deployed thick layer of leaf mulch has degraded by then. I’d have to scrounge up from somewhere or, horrors, buy some new mulch for the fall tomatoes to attrmpt to insulate them from the scorching heat and I’m not even sure it would work.

In my experience, mostly the tougher hybrids do better in the fall as transplants and also potentially making it across the worst of the summer heat from the spring plants. I had an August purchased from a nursery and transplanted Bella Rosa tomato plant survive the transplant last year (Cherokee Purple and Heatmaster died) and Bella Rosa made a lot of tomatoes last fall, but they did it so late in the year and they just weren’t very good. Two seasons ago, spring planted Big Beef and Beefmaster survived summer and produced again in the fall and the tomatoes were good. Last summer, only Coyote made it across the summer.

I think the cooler late fall into winter weather isn’t conducive here for producing tasty tomatoes. Once upon a time, I had some good fall and winter tomatoes in inner city Houston, but the late fall and winter weather there has much more overall warmth than I get here. Anyway, I don’t want to put the effort necessary into the process if the tomatoes are just going to be mediocre tomatoes.

I guess we all have to figure out what works in our own area and be adaptable to the situation. For now, I think I’ll focus on the spring crop, but if our late fall and winters get substantially warmer, then I might revisit the late summer planted fall crop tomatoes .

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:09 am High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

There's an easy solution, for me. It's moving plants indoors after about half a day outside. I just wanted to know what size of plants, and I now found out.

I’m really sorry you lost your plants.. it seem these heat waves and thunderstorms are moving around cause were getting them to .. just keep trying all we can do

I wonder how Aunt Ginny, Aunt Gertie, Aunt Ruby and the like got it done way back when without all the specialized starting mixes, LED grow lights, humidity domes, plastic everything, Solo Cups, A/C, Miracle Gro, Master Blend, and all the rest of our modern ways?

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 6:45 am

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:09 am High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

Probably why I tend to have a hard time with fall tomatoes. The planting Calendars here have the tomatoes going into the garden in August and if I put out the starter plants then in the inevitable August heat those plants suffer and often die. But, if I can manage the Spring planted tomatoes through the summer, then those might perk up in the fall and produce a pretty good fall crop.

If I wait too long to set out starter tomatoes in the fall so that the transplants don’t suffer in the high summer heat, then the calendar works against me as the tomatoes have a tough time ripening at the end of fall or into the winter.

High air temps? High soil temps?

AKgardener wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:14 pm I’m really sorry you lost your plants.. it seem these heat waves and thunderstorms are moving around cause were getting them to .. just keep trying all we can do

I'm not sorry, as I learned what to do in the future, if the same situation arises. A dozen plus plants is almost nothing, in my garden.

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 1:00 pm I wonder how Aunt Ginny, Aunt Gertie, Aunt Ruby and the like got it done way back when without all the specialized starting mixes, LED grow lights, humidity domes, plastic everything, Solo Cups, A/C, Miracle Gro, Master Blend, and all the rest of our modern ways?

I'm living in way back when.

No grow lights, no seed starter mix for two years now, as I've been using garden waste compost/leaf mold. It's been better than any store bought, so far. Pots would likely have to be clay, twine-sisal, fertilizer-compost tea (which I need to read up on for next year).

And, on the subject of killing plants, starting a couple of seeds of spinach does not work at all in hot weather.

Tormato wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 5:37 pm

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 6:45 am

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:09 am High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

Probably why I tend to have a hard time with fall tomatoes. The planting Calendars here have the tomatoes going into the garden in August and if I put out the starter plants then in the inevitable August heat those plants suffer and often die. But, if I can manage the Spring planted tomatoes through the summer, then those might perk up in the fall and produce a pretty good fall crop.

If I wait too long to set out starter tomatoes in the fall so that the transplants don’t suffer in the high summer heat, then the calendar works against me as the tomatoes have a tough time ripening at the end of fall or into the winter.

High air temps? High soil temps?

I don’t know what kills or damages my August tomatoes transplanted into the garden. I guess I assume it is related to the extraordinary heat. I wish I knew exactly then maybe I could take corrective measures. I’ve carried over the summer spring planted tomatoes so that they produced in the fall, but have only had a couple of good seasons of late summer transplanted tomatoes and that was in the inner city of Houston where it was during our warm winters of the 1990s in an especially warm location within the city. And, if I remember correctly, those tomatoes were transplanted in around October 1st.

Here, out in the rural area, the nights get too cool in the winter to get decent tomatoes. I may still try again this year and put in the transplants much later. The August transplanted ones, whatever is causing them serious damage and death by mid September, have perked up in October, but it’s like they lost six weeks of growth. Might as well delay the transplantation until I know the weather will be much closer to the temperatures tomatoes apparently prefer.

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 6:08 pm

Tormato wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 5:37 pm

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 6:45 am

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:09 am High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

Probably why I tend to have a hard time with fall tomatoes. The planting Calendars here have the tomatoes going into the garden in August and if I put out the starter plants then in the inevitable August heat those plants suffer and often die. But, if I can manage the Spring planted tomatoes through the summer, then those might perk up in the fall and produce a pretty good fall crop.

If I wait too long to set out starter tomatoes in the fall so that the transplants don’t suffer in the high summer heat, then the calendar works against me as the tomatoes have a tough time ripening at the end of fall or into the winter.

High air temps? High soil temps?

I don’t know what kills or damages my August tomatoes transplanted into the garden. I guess I assume it is related to the extraordinary heat. I wish I knew exactly then maybe I could take corrective measures. I’ve carried over the summer spring planted tomatoes so that they produced in the fall, but have only had a couple of good seasons of late summer transplanted tomatoes and that was in the inner city of Houston where it was during our warm winters of the 1990s in an especially warm location within the city. And, if I remember correctly, those tomatoes were transplanted in around October 1st.

Here, out in the rural area, the nights get too cool in the winter to get decent tomatoes. I may still try again this year and put in the transplants much later. The August transplanted ones, whatever is causing them serious damage and death by mid September, have perked up in October, but it’s like they lost six weeks of growth. Might as well delay the transplantation until I know the weather will be much closer to the temperatures tomatoes apparently prefer.

If it was me, I'd do a limited number of plants, two of each variety. I'll assume that you grow on bare ground? With each variety, I'd do one on bare ground, and the other with about 6" of mulch. Other variables should try to be as consistent as possible. If you're familiar with heat tolerant varieties, I'd go with the best tasting one that you know of or heard of. Also, perhaps the best tasting extra early variety that you know of or heard of (I don't know of any). It could be grown in a shorter time frame of your best fall weather.

Tormato wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 8:41 pm

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 6:08 pm

Tormato wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 5:37 pm

karstopography wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 6:45 am

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 12:09 am High heat like that just kills a high percentage of young plants. Just need to accept it and keep an extra large supply of replacement plants around all spring and summer.

Probably why I tend to have a hard time with fall tomatoes. The planting Calendars here have the tomatoes going into the garden in August and if I put out the starter plants then in the inevitable August heat those plants suffer and often die. But, if I can manage the Spring planted tomatoes through the summer, then those might perk up in the fall and produce a pretty good fall crop.

If I wait too long to set out starter tomatoes in the fall so that the transplants don’t suffer in the high summer heat, then the calendar works against me as the tomatoes have a tough time ripening at the end of fall or into the winter.

High air temps? High soil temps?

I don’t know what kills or damages my August tomatoes transplanted into the garden. I guess I assume it is related to the extraordinary heat. I wish I knew exactly then maybe I could take corrective measures. I’ve carried over the summer spring planted tomatoes so that they produced in the fall, but have only had a couple of good seasons of late summer transplanted tomatoes and that was in the inner city of Houston where it was during our warm winters of the 1990s in an especially warm location within the city. And, if I remember correctly, those tomatoes were transplanted in around October 1st.

Here, out in the rural area, the nights get too cool in the winter to get decent tomatoes. I may still try again this year and put in the transplants much later. The August transplanted ones, whatever is causing them serious damage and death by mid September, have perked up in October, but it’s like they lost six weeks of growth. Might as well delay the transplantation until I know the weather will be much closer to the temperatures tomatoes apparently prefer.

If it was me, I'd do a limited number of plants, two of each variety. I'll assume that you grow on bare ground? With each variety, I'd do one on bare ground, and the other with about 6" of mulch. Other variables should try to be as consistent as possible. If you're familiar with heat tolerant varieties, I'd go with the best tasting one that you know of or heard of. Also, perhaps the best tasting extra early variety that you know of or heard of (I don't know of any). It could be grown in a shorter time frame of your best fall weather.

I’m thinking about outsourcing this fall transplant tomato effort to my daughter. She called me earlier today about fall tomatoes and some of the particulars. She’s got access to tractors with the attachments, front end loaders, lots of youthful energy, a strong back, and a BF to do the heavy lifting. He and his brother own a sawmill and he has virtually unlimited access to bark mulch and other forest products. I’ll try to relay your advice to her and see what happens. My daughter has an in the ground large garden currently, but their tomatoes were mostly wiped out by the massive rains they had in May. They are 80 miles north of me, but had a year’s worth of rain in a week. I think they specialize in watermelons and cantaloupe. She said they have 100 watermelon plants and tons of cantaloupe. A lot of the commercially available watermelons around here are grown near where they are living.

I did notice today my Black from Tula or the imposter posing as BFT has recently set more fruit. I might try to carry this tomato across summer into the fall. The foliage is still very healthy and this was one of the plants blown completely over in May, but it has recovered nicely.

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2024 7:31 am I wonder if shading them during the high heat would increase the survival rate.

I think the high solar load is partly responsible for tomato demise not just the high temperatures. I think shade cloth will help, at least here in Texas where we don't see many cloud in summer.