Any chance for (outdoor) winter tomatoes?

I've spent the past few summers in Montana, and have sadly missed out on the bulk of tomato season in southern California as a result. I am now-- probably foolishly-- trying to grow some winter tomatoes. Some of the plants are actual winter varieties, but some are regular hot weather types that I couldn't resist planting at the end of August. I figured I'd still have plenty of hot weather left (it's hit 100 degrees the past few days), but I just read that tomatoes won't set fruit no matter how hot it is during the day if it drops below 55 at night.

To my fellow SoCal gardeners-- have you found a way around this? Any tips for getting my tomatoes to set fruit and ripen? I'm in Riverside, CA-- still pretty hot during the day, but hitting the 50's at night now. Some of the plants are up on a second story deck, which I'm hoping will keep them a bit warmer; the others are in a raised bed surrounded by concrete.

right now i have beefsteak and money maker with lots of green tomatoes on them but dont know how long it will last. they were also planted in early aug. i imagine the first frost will do them in.

Hi fritchie,
Welcome to CA, and my old stomping grounds. : - )
I used to live in Riverside and Mom kept her tomatoes growing into November. She had them planted on the south side of the house in a sheltered corner, which you probably don't have.
I would suggest mulching the plants in the ground and covering them at night, especially if the temps drop below 50 degrees at night. I have used old sheets to cover frost sensitive plants, and built a mini green house using heavy, clear plastic. If you can staple or otherwise attach the plastic to enclose your balcony, you won't have any trouble at all with your tomatoes. Otherwise, fill the pots on the balcony full of mulch and cover the same as you do with the ones in the ground.
The weather has been very weird this year. Colder summer and don't know what to expect this winter except rain. The good news is that we haven't had the Huge wildfires like we have in the past few years. Yes, I know we've had a few, but we had fewer this year than last year or the past 3 years for that matter.
Also, a suggestion to call UC R'side, they do have a Master Gardener's program there and a great Botanical Garden too. They may have better ideas on how to bring those tomatoes along til the fruit is ripe enough to harvest.
Do keep us posted, I for one am always curious. : - )
Walk In Beauty~
SingingWolf

Hi SingingWolf--

Thanks for the advice. These late tomatoes are very much an experiment-- I'm glad I'm not too emotionally invested in them! Now that it's dropping into the 30's at night I have very little hope for more fruit, but I'm trying enclosing some in plastic. I may try to overwinter the plants that haven't produced at all yet. I've done that successfully with eggplant before, and I have a friend who's managed to do it with tomatoes, so we'll see. My hope is that if I can keep them alive til March rolls around again they'll go crazy producing fruit! I'll definitely keep you posted.

I'm actually very aware of the UCR botanic gardens and Master Gardener's program! I'm a grad student in the UCR biology department. I thought about applying to the MG program, but I only have about a year left in Riverside, and really need to focus on finishing my dissertation. Gardening is already my biggest distraction, so I don't want to make it even worse (or better?)!

Fritchie21

Hey Fritchie,
Good luck with your dissertation, and if you get a chance let me know when the Botanical Garden is having it's annual sale. DH "forgets" to tell me so I can go. He just doesn't want me to spend the $$. : - )
Mulch like crazy, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for your tomatoes. We lived in Rubidoux when my Mom's tomatoes seemed to be a year long event. Seems to me the ones that got the piles of mulch/yard cuttings, did overwinter and grew even more prolifically the following year. Especially that cherry tomato. : - )
My G.ma once told me that she would make little tipis out of newspaper for sheltering early seedlings from frost. She place a tipi over each seedling so it wouldn't freeze. Of course she had to put them on every cold night and take them off during the day if it was warm enough.
Sorry I digress, but it seems like the subject of raising tomatoes takes me down Memory Lane. : - )
I don't know if gardening is a distraction, zen mediation or exercise, but it's all good and it is good to stay in balance, and in touch with nature. If you can't garden, do make time to stop and enjoy the gardens. : - )
You'll do fine with your studies. Just try to read a chapter ahead if you can. Then stay on top of your assignments and speak up in class. May I ask what your Major is?
Do keep us posted.
Which reminds me, I should probably bring in my pineapples, to the gh. I'm breeding pineapple puppies, because I want to try growing them outside. I am pretty sure it can be done, but got to quit giving away my pups. LOL!
I also grow Bananas and strawberries in my gh, but I am a zone pusher. Most of my berries seem to like it on the north side of the gh, which is kind of sheltered.
Best of luck with your tomatoes, do keep us posted. : - )
WIB~
SW

Hi SingingWolf-

I've got the tomatoes and peppers heavily mulched and under plastic, and in spite of the cold weather they are starting to produce fruits! It's a very primitive greenhouse, but seems to be doing it's job ;-) Thanks for the suggestions.

Unfortunately, you've already missed the UCR botanical garden's fall plant sale-- they had it the third week of October. The spring sale is usually in early April.

Fritchie21

P.S. I'm getting a PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (formerly just "Biology"). I study American Pipits-- birds that breed in alpine tundra!

How are your tomatoes doing now? Yesterday I just clipped a sack full of green tomatoes, large and small, that all started growing after the flux of summer heat. I stopped tying them up to the fence supports at the end of summer and now they are even more prolific are a huge bushy mass (all varieties intertwined) crawling all over their pots and several feet along the ground. With low 30's forecast and cool days, I figured they will soon be toast! I also clipped the last of the viable peppers and my funny eggplants and the tomatillos. I heard peppers are the first to turn to mush. Last year, on the Pepper forum, there was talk of overwintering and there was a gal nearby that was successful. Not that they kept producing, but the plants survived the winter to go on to produce again the next spring. I have a friend in Thousand Oaks with ONE tomato plant and it is in a Topsy Turvy hanging thing. She planted it summer of 2010 and it has produced continuously since then. In the winter she moved it from hanging from her patio cover to hanging from a tree further out in the yard. Funny thing is when they moved to T.O. from the South Bay, I used to chide them about how hot and cold it was where they now lived, compared to my comfortable San Pedro (of course they did not wear sweaters for the 4th of July like I did). But now that I live here (not far from Singing Wolf) I see they are more temperate than us.

I will have to soon deal with the cool weather in respect to 2 new citrus planted. I read that the Mandarin and Meyers Lemon are both only rated to 32 degrees. The Lemon is a dwarf and has 2 tiny lemons on it now and the Mandarin was doing great with all sorts of buds even and now it has lost all it's leaves, wonder if it will survive.

In areas with cold early winters, some people cut the entire tomato vine with green tomatoes on it, and hang it inside. Not sure if it has to be in front of a window, or just kept warm. Not sure of the flavor, but the tomatoes do turn red. My sister did that every year.

I am hoping to get the name of a good tasting, tender skinned tomato that will ripen here in Vista. I planted Heirloom varieties last summer, and did not like the flavor of any of the full sized ones.

My tomato plants are 'toast' after the 28 degree morning today. No more green leaves, all very dark saggy leaves. Very sad looking. Found another 18-24 green tomatoes that are ok though and picked those. Since the tomato plants had grown so much surrounding the basil, surprisingly the basil underneath still looks good!

Some of those little green tomatoes are turning yellow and red sitting on the kitchen island.

DH's tomatoes out in the garden have died. No mulch, no nothing. My topsy turvey tomatoes faired about as I expected. One died and one survived. I moved it into the gh just before the cold winds hit. It's still got green 'maters growing on it. : - )
Nice crop you got there, QG. : - )
WIB,
SW

Ahhh, that wonderful greenhouse, SW! Still have bananas growing?? That is an ideal place this time of year, but wayyyy too hot for me in summer. Probably still cozy for you then though. Actually, SW, my DH has joined your temperature tolerance or lack of tolerance for cold. Since his surgery he is "FREEZING" all the time. Lucky me, it hit about the same time as my age's 'power surges' and we are NOT compatible in the same room or car or outdoors or......

I have friends in Thousand Oaks whose topsy turvey tomatoe plant has been blooming and producing for over a year now, no matter the weather. I would have thought they were too far inland for that.

So far my tomato plants are still looking fine-- both the ones up on my deck that are covered in plastic, and the uncovered ones in a raised bed on the south side of my house. They're producing tomatoes (green ones at least), but oh so slowly! My hope now is that they'll survive the winter and then go gangbusters in March.

Hey QG,
My GH is out of control, but the bananas are doing fine. Except for the big stalk with ripening bananas that fell over while we were on vacation. I can't drag it out by myself and the guys have been too busy so it's still lying there in my way. I still have several other banana stalks with fruit growing on them. I'm not complaining, but am amazed.
My strawberries aren't blooming yet, and I hope to transfer them into those topsy turvy bags, just to get them away from the lousy cut worms. Futile hope, but the cut worms are due for another visit soon. I need help rigging that up too.
Tomatoes are happier in gh. Note to self, make sure that they get watered today! I'm not surprised your friends are doing well. Put them in the right spot and they'll bloom forever.
They pretty much suck the water out of the pool this time of year, and I have condensation raining down from the roof when I open the gh door.
Hoping I can deal with the cold and get some clean up work done, or supervised! LOL!
Miss you all.
Fritchie, I know it's a pain, but it will be worth it. : - )
You can use plastic nailed over the raised planters on stakes to help ward off the frost on them. Just place the posts in the corners, and leave some room for the plants to grow up, then attach the plastic to the posts, you can drape it down the sides but you don't have to.
A good mulching also helps keep 'em warm. : - )
Good luck with all your tomatoes. : - )
WIB~
SW

I need to protect a new dwarf meyer lemon as I saw it said only down to 32 degrees. There are two tiny lemons on it. The Mandarin Orange orange I got from Heather at the RU got planted and was doing great, even getting blossoms last month and now there are no leaves! I hope it didn't die! It is rated at same temps as that lemon. The desert peach still has some leaves but not the pomegranate. Cut down all the tomato plants today and piled their carcases near the lemon to maybe protect it and also cuz I was too tired to drag them all the way to the compost pile. I will really need to try fried green tomatoes this year as I sure have a bunch!