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I think cherry tomatoes would be fine in 4 hours of sun. I once found a volunteer cherry tomato plant next to my house that didn't get much sun at all and it had a lot of tomatoes on it.
currently I have a cherry tomato plant inside in my mostly southern exposure window that is over 6 foot high. I started this plant as a 4 inch, water rooted cutting from an end of season outside plant last October. I gently shake it every day to pollinate and so far over 50 tomatoes are on it. I don't think it is getting a lot of sun but so far it is doing OK.
in our Zone 4 area, 4 hours of sun aren't enough for tomatoes. It's simply way too cold, even in a high tunnel, with the number of hours overnight that the soil and growing environment cool off.
OTOH, if you're further south and at lower elevations, then a sheltered area receiving 4 hours of sun may be well more than adequate for good tomato growth.
Well, I'm in zone 9a and even though it is warm enough for tomatoes through September, they just quit producing.
Zones have nothing to do with it. The zones are based on the coldest temperatures of the year. I'm in zone 9a, and the lows fall between 21-25 almost every year, but typically only in December and January. There are other places in zone 9 that receive freezing temperatures much earlier in the season and that definitely will put a stop to the growing season.
It is generally warm enough here through some point in October. The tomatoes just don't like the shorter days.
Well, I'm in zone 9a and even though it is warm enough for tomatoes through September, they just quit producing.
Zones have nothing to do with it. The zones are based on the coldest temperatures of the year. I'm in zone 9a, and the lows fall between 21-25 almost every year, but typically only in December and January. There are other places in zone 9 that receive freezing temperatures much earlier in the season and that definitely will put a stop to the growing season.
It is generally warm enough here through some point in October. The tomatoes just don't like the shorter days.
Really? You don't think it has anything to do with the variety, climate tolerance, and hardiness of the variety of tomato you're planting in your local climate?
My zone 4 grown tomato plants are still producing in 21-25 F overnight temps in October if I cover them at night to capture the soil heat from the daytime sun exposure. IF I don't cover them and the plants get to freezing temps, then it's all over for the season.
As has been said it's really dependent on what kinds of vegetables you want to grow and the climate zone in which you reside. I don't think you can really get a truly definitive answer and I've always found that trial and error is the best teacher! Some areas in some zones have particular soil conditions which are good for some veggies but not for others and may need supplementation but you just need to read up as much as you can and then give it a whirl.
I used to grow tomatoes here where we have intense sun year-round but it was always a trial and error routine. I built box beds and supplemented the basic volcanic soil with organic manure but then there were transient infestations of pests to deal with (planting the marigolds as another poster mentioned absolutely helped but then a new strain came in one year from down-island which didn't find them repulsive!) I also invested in shade netting when they frizzled in the heat at certain times of the year and the netting also kept away the trashy birds which loved to swoop down and gobble the fruit even with a yard full of cats waiting in the wings and with hope springing eternal. The trashies always won anyway where the cats were concerned... And then I surrounded the boxes with chicken wire to fend off the iguanas ...
I finally "got it" and now buy plant seedlings from local nurseries who propagate them from their own thriving specimens which are proven to survive and foster in this particular environment. I wasted a lot of time and money trying to introduce allegedly "tropical tolerant" zone-compliant species from elsewhere.
I'm sorry not to be of more help but hope this assists just a little. Happy planting and may your garden prove bountiful!
Really? You don't think it has anything to do with the variety, climate tolerance, and hardiness of the variety of tomato you're planting in your local climate?
My zone 4 grown tomato plants are still producing in 21-25 F overnight temps in October if I cover them at night to capture the soil heat from the daytime sun exposure. IF I don't cover them and the plants get to freezing temps, then it's all over for the season.
If you read my previous posts I suggested several varieties of tomatoes that have done OK for me with less light, so yes, there are differences between the varieties. There is a variety of an average-sized tomato called San Francisco Fog that does OK in very cool humid conditions. There is another one grown in the Northwest, but I can't remember the name at this time.
My experience has been once the temperatures drop below about 40 degrees, they are done. They are done sooner if they are in the shade part of the day. This is for the varieties I have grown which are usually beefsteak types. I've tried other varieties for the winter and have had minimal success. I don't have room for a hothouse, although I see people growing tomatoes in hothouses over the winter here, supplemental light required as it is typically grey here in December through February.
I also live in what is considered the best location in the country for tomatoes. Farmers don't bother trying to extend their growing season here past September.
Mine did great last year here in Murfreesboro, TN with 4 hours of sunlight in a 4×4 square foot garden and it was my first time ever having a garden. I only get sun from 11am to about 3:30ish. I had so many tomatoes I didn't know what to do. Two plants in garden 3 in pots maybe they would have done even better with more sun but for my family it was good enough for us. I say trial and error that's really all you can do bc different places, different soil and different ways people garden all play a role on how your garden does. Also try and keep a garden diary and take pictures through our the season then you will hopefully have a better year the next bc you will have a better idea of what will grow in your garden and in your area.
Last edited by Bri1984; 04-11-2017 at 08:58 AM..
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