Growing Tomatoes in the south

Fall Tomato Gardening in the South

Garden years are a lot like life. Some seasons are good and some seasons are not so good. This year in south Texas, it rained every day from Labor Day until the end of October. Then it got down to freezing twice. I know people up north are saying quit whining but we rely on the fall garden down here to be our better growing season.

In the Spring, you gamble on how early to put your tomatoes in as they could freeze. If you wait too long they won't produce because the summer is so hot. This year, I planted 30 tomato starts in August. They were attacked by bugs. You know the kind that cut them off at the base? So I replanted some in pots and others in the ground with aluminum foil at the base. Then came the rain. Blight and fungus attacked. I was able to nurse through maybe 15 tomato plants. Then it froze! I covered the tomatoes and protected them. The ones in pots I moved to the garage. So here it is December and I have tomatoes because it is getting in the high 60's during the day. I have learned a lot about keeping tomato plants. Using baking soda dissolved in water, about a tablespoon, in a spray bottle, to apply to leaves of tomatoes and other plants to mask the smell of the plant. That is how the bugs are attracted to them. It changes the ph level of the plants. Also, you can use hydrogen peroxide on the leaves once a week to prevent blight. If blight starts, you just remove the leaves that are affected.