Tomatoe questions

Here in Zone 5 Chicago we start getting red tomatoes around the beginning of August. I've been harvesting, eating, and giving away tomatoes all month. The plants peaked about a week ago and now my patch seems to be in a lull with lots and lots and lots of green tomatoes waiting on the branches. It might have been the rain or sudden change in weather that caused them to stall but if the green ones start to ripen, and we usually have good weather all throughout September, I expect another wave to start in less than a week.

Opinions vary on this but I just leave them be and let nature take its course. IMHO, unless you're a botanist and really understand what you're doing you'll probably end up making things worse. That's why I don't prune in June anymore.

Any idea where you live? That would be useful information.

Heh - I keep forgetting that, sorry :P. I live in Lebanon, Oregon, 97355. About 25 miles SSE from Salem, Oregon. In the middle of the Willamette Valley.

I'm in the same boat. I'm in Northeast Massachusetts. Supposedly its hardiness zone 7, but I must have a separate zone in my yard - everything blooms at least two weeks later than around the neighborhood.

My tomatoes are green and still growing, even the grape tomatoes. I did pinch off the tops of the plants to stop new growth there. Otherwise, am thinking I'll have to develop a taste for green tomatoes.

Adelle

I also live in Chicago area. Had the worst tomatoe plants ever this year. They were short and very thin. We got tomatoes but not large or near as many as previous years. I really can't rotate location of plants. I put most of my mulched leaves on top of the garden last year and tilled them in this spring. What should I do to prepare for next springs tomatoe crop?

Till your leaves in this fall instead of in spring so that your soil warms up earlier in the spring?

Andrew