Shivering tomatoes? (flowers, growing, apple trees, cucumber)

[sushiqueen]

I got a little eager in March and planted some better boy tomatoes on a warm day. I live in zone 7b in NC. These tomato plants have doubled in size and are still producing new growth even though the lower leaves have brown cold damage. Some of the plants have flowers. What are my chances these tomatoes will produce? Should I keep them or discard them and replant new tomatoes at the end of April when our frost date has passed?

Just an FYI, my garden bed where these tomatoes are growing is covered with seedlings sprouted from last year's cherry tomato harvest. These seedlings seem to be doing just fine. So much for starting seeds inside! I am going to wait and see how these do. If they continue to grow I'll be potting and giving away many many cherry tomato plants!

Just wondering if these survivors will be good producers and be more hardy due to time hardening off in the cold?

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by sushiqueen

I got a little eager in March and planted some better boy tomatoes on a warm day. I live in zone 7b in NC. These tomato plants have doubled in size and are still producing new growth even though the lower leaves have brown cold damage. Some of the plants have flowers. What are my chances these tomatoes will produce? Should I keep them or discard them and replant new tomatoes at the end of April when our frost date has passed?

Just an FYI, my garden bed where these tomatoes are growing is covered with seedlings sprouted from last year's cherry tomato harvest. These seedlings seem to be doing just fine. So much for starting seeds inside! I am going to wait and see how these do. If they continue to grow I'll be potting and giving away many many cherry tomato plants!

Just wondering if these survivors will be good producers and be more hardy due to time hardening off in the cold?

If they are producing flowers and you have bees or any other pollen gathering insect you will get fruit. You and I are in the same region, my tomatos too are producing flowers, so are my apple trees, my plum tree is past the flower stage, with the exception of corn, (I'll do my first planting, an 80' row, this afternoon), my peppers, squash, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, three types of lettuce, onions, tomatos are above ground, the sunflowers, okra, watermelon, cantalope, cucumber haven't showed up yet. I have exactly one cherry tomato plant, the wife insisted. The rest of mine are Celebrity, Better Boy, German Johnson, Cherokee Purple, since these varieties, to my taste anyway, make the best tomato sandwiches, am trying one (two plants) called Black Prince, we'll see how it does. Tried the Cherokee Purple last year only planted one plant, this year I have six, it is right up there with the other really good sandwich tomatos!!

[Hemlock140]

Here in zone 8B I cannot plant before Mother's Day in May, or they will be killed by frost (30 this morning). Your tomatoes should be fine, but hold off a bit on cucumbers. If planted too soon they will grow and appear normal but have a bad crop, if any. They need warm soil.

Dusty, the Black prince are one of the best tasting tomatoes, with a unique color, I plan them every year.

[freezengirl]

In all of the years I have been gardening this is the first time I have ever planted tomato's from seed instead of starts. I was having a horrible attack of spring fever (my first in Alaska) and came across a packet of Heirloom Rainbow Blend from Ed Hume seeds. I saw Cherokee purple, Black Krim and some other varieties I had always wanted to try were in the mix so gave into temptation. Now I have 24 thriving tomato plants growing a good inch a day in my windows and weeks away from being able to put outside. Tomatos have to be planted in a green house here, so guess what I will be trying to build the next couple of weeks-penance for being impatient.