Second crop of TOMATOES in TX

This is my second year of vegetable garden in TX.
I had an unbelivable harvest of tomatoes in the spring of both years.
Last year I have planted my second crop of tomatoes a little bit late and we had so much rain all October - almost no tomatoes.
This year I have planted my second crop of tomatoes at the end of july - perfect time.
All my tomatoes plant grew fantastic. The indeterminate tomatoes left from the spring are huge.
I see some green tomatoes developing. I harvested maybe 10 ... but the flavor is not as tasty like the ones from the spring harvest.
I hope I am not wasting my time.

Does anybody has a good experience with their second crop of tomatoes?
I am just wondering if I am waisting my space ... while I should plant greens and other stuff for the fall garden.

We have a good fall crop every year.

I don't think you will be wasting your time and space. You might start other seedlings and have them ready to go in the ground when the frost kills your tomato plants.

I am to the southeast of you but still 8a and last year I harvested the last of my indeterminates on Dec. 1st. Of course every year is different. I hope the hurricane rains won't damage your crop today...

Thanks podster. You gave me hope !!
I have started indoor lots of stuff. No room outside right now.
Eggplants and Peppers perform their best in september and october for me. Also I am trying a second crop of zucchini too. SVB got my first crop.
I have transplanted already Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts and planted some garlic.
My lettuce seeds started to germinate , but half got washed away today by the storm Hermine. Yuk
Indoor I have Spinach, Kohlrabi, Swiss Chard ...
I look forward to my second tomatoes crop !!

Although we needed the rain, I am glad Hermine missed our area. We received a few light showers only which have really raised the humidity.

I leave the garlic bed in ground year around. In Oct it will start sprouting. That is a good winter crop in this zone. Also my multiplying onions are about 6 inches tall already. I had sprouted chard and mustard outdoors but it still protested the warm and died so I will reseed in a couple of weeks maybe.

Last winter was my first one in a GH. I hope to move four of the tomato plants in to the greenhouse and keep them going thru the cooler days. Experimenting only, I don't know what will or won't work there.

I was thinking to propagate some tomatoes from suckers in November, before the tomatoes plants will dye. I am dreaming that the cutting will root and give me a tomatoes plant to use in the spring.

I will encourage you to give it a try. It will root and if you are growing a cultivar you like, by all means experiment. It should give you a
jump on spring. Do you have somewhere you can over winter the plant?

I guess my laundry room. This is were I have my light and I grow my seeds indoor.
Any suggestions?

Not any valid suggestions. Like I said, this is my first experimental year at overwintering plants. We shall see. I wonder if your cutting will continue to grow or if you can maintain it till spring. Be interesting to follow.

Here are my HUGE tomatoes plants. My second crop this year.
They better make tomatoes ... I am giving them lots of my space.

I love the rocks and the path. That is a delightful garden spot. And HUGE tomato plants. What cultivar are you growing?

My favorite tomatoes varieties are:
Sweet 100
Sapho (amazing indeterminate that can take our TX heat - buy at www.NHG.com)
Celebrity
Golden Jubilee
BHN 444
Black Krim
Yellow Pear
Sun Gold
Sun Cherry
Early Girl

Good looking crop! Those will be some new ones to try. Especially the Sapho seeing as you are sold on it. Which ones are you going to try rooting?

The more experienced tomato growers on the tomato forum may be able to give you more information on rooting them. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/tomatoes/all/

I do know that you can lay a piece of the growing stem on soil and cover with dirt. It will develop roots and can then be separated from the parent plant. It will make a new plant on its' own. That may be an easier was to propagate rather than taking actual cuttings.

Here my "wild-crazy" tomatoes plants ...

This message was edited Sep 9, 2010 8:18 PM

and here a few green tomatoes ...

Wild tomatoes? As in volunteers? Or a certain type?

I have planted those tomatoes myself !!
I called them "wild" because they are huge plants and out of control.
I hope the second crop of tomatoes will be worth it.
I had such a bountry of tomatoes in the spring !!

Wild they are! I grew some that were called a Wild Florida Everglades tomato. The tomatoes were tart and the size of grapes or smaller.

I may be wrong but the fall crop may not be as prolific as the first season but they will taste just as good or better.

OK, I will be patience. You gave me hope. Thanks

Please continue to post as to your results?

I'm glad all those rubber snakes are red on black!

It'd be my luck to either go out and forget it was a rubber snake and have a heart attack, or reach for one and it'd be a real snake...

What's your square footage dimensions behind the boulders?

My veggie garden is about 60' x 3'

I dearly love my 2nd crop of tomatoes every year, and starting tomato plants from cuttings is the easiest thing in the world. Just take a piece, any size that make you happy, stick it in some potting mix, and in a couple of weeks it's ready to be put someplace more permanent. I found myself smirking when taking cuttings of my Porter tomato plants this week, as I've not bought nor planted a single Porter seed in 5 years...I just keep taking and planting cuttings. This is the first time I've been able to take cuttings of Costuluto Genovese, Brandywine, Opalka, Black Cherry & Japanese Black Trifele for the winter crop. Heaven knows why I did the trifele thing again, as I thought it tasted like mud...but I'll give it another whirl. My seedlings popping up on the lanai, but not yet ready to replant are Charlie Chaplin, Ceylon, Sungold, Purple Calabash, Coyote, Tlacula Pink, Federle paste and a few others. I'm trying that supposed monster trip-L tree tomato, too.

Other than being prime time to enjoy the outside here, it's the season with a bare minimum of bugs and fungal issues. Eating heirlooms in February is pretty darned nice.

You better move over, I'll be wanting to join you there on Pine Island! Sounds like my kind of tropical. Interesting to hear the types you are able to overwinter.

I going to wait one more week to decide if I want to keep these tomatoes plants !!
I need room for my brassicas and greens for the winter.
My second crop of tomatoes plants look very green and huge. Lots of small tomatoes, dinky green ones.
The one that do mature don't have a good taste like my spring harvest.
So instead to waste one month waiting .... I have the feeling that they will never do go.
SO NO MORE SECOND CROP of tomatoes next year !!

Thanks for everybody help

My tomatoes that survived the summer have suddenly gotten VERY happy. They're finally getting days under 90 and nights in the 60's, and are loaded suddenly with small tomatoes. The few that set in the dead heat of late summer are ripening beautifully, and I picked a couple of dozen Costoluto Genovese, Opalka and Black Trifele (yuck) along with about 1/2 gallon of chocolate cherries. Those chocolate cherries are the best of the year for those plants. I expect to put out my main crop in about 2 weeks since it look like the rains have petered out (I'm SO happy about that).

Do what you've got to do. You clearly grow differently than I.

That's strange my fall crop is usually the best of the whole year both in quantity and taste and far less pests.

I get confused about which is considered 1st crop and which is the 2nd crop, since we pretty much grow tomatoes year-round over here. They get a bit cr*ppy in July and August, but otherwise it's just tomato time all of the time. Anyway, I prefer the fall growing too.