Greening Austin Daily

Fall Tomato Tips

15th June, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments

One of the great things about gardening in Texas is the long growing season.  If you’re interested in trying to grow some tomatoes for this fall, Renee Studebaker of the Statesman has some great tips from her gardening blog:

— Growing tomatoes in the fall can be a lot easier than growing them in the spring. Fewer bugs and more moderate temperatures. Set out transplants in late July so you can harvest before the first frost.

— Choose an area that gets plenty of sun. Keep in mind that the fall sun will be lower in the southern sky, so try to situate your plants so that they will still get about 6 hours of direct sun even in October.

— Give your seedlings a good start with a couple of big shovelfuls of good compost worked into the soil around the planting hole. (If you’re putting in a new garden, consider a layered-bed approach instead of tilling. For more details, visit my previous posts on tomatoes.)

— You will need to give your young plants a steady supply of water and a bit of afternoon shade to help them get established during the heat of late summer. Try to keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy. A 30-40 percent shade cloth draped over the western side of your tomato cages or stakes will help keep the plants and the soil a little cooler. A couple of inches of mulch around each plant and a weekly spraying with a dilute seaweed solution will help too.