I live in Phoenix and would like to know how to grow tomatoes here..any suggestions?

Question

These are ALL really helpful..thank you and I don't kow who to pick for best answer right now :(

Answer 1

The best tomatoes to have are patio tomatoes that you can grow in a large flower pot. There is no digging and they do well in the high heat.

Answer 2

Add lots of organic material to the soil, Ideal is 36" deep

THere is a Southern Exposure Seed Exhange in SC that carries a lot of heirlooms that do well in the heat, Hillbilly is one I can think of

Answer 3

Check out heirloom tomato sites for plants that do well in heat, they have some specifically for hot climates.

Answer 4

Field tomatoes are harvested in early summer in Arizona. Since tomatoes stop setting blossoms at 90°F, we don't see the late end-of-summer tomatoes you find in many other parts of the country unless they have been raised in one of our Arizona greenhouses. Early summer is the time to enjoy local field tomatoes as the crop peaks through June.
1. CHOOSE SHORT-SEASON VARIETIES (LESS THAN 70 DAYS).
Seed catalogs list varieties by the number of days required to ripen fruit. Days are counted from when a six inch healthy plant is set in the garden until the first fruit is ripe. Experience of Master Gardeners in Coconino County indicate the following varieties produce good yields: Early Girl, Pixie Hybrid, Cold Set, Sweet 100, Galina, Olympic, and Stupice.

2. GET AN EARLY START BY PLANTING 6-INCH PLANTS BY EARLY-JUNE.
This is best done by sowing seeds in late April and growing plants under protection from cold. It will take about six weeks to grow good plants from seed. In June retail nurseries may have plants of the desirable varieties that are too large. When tomato plants are planted in early June they must be protected at night to prevent damage or stunting from cold (see step 3 for details).

3. ENCOURAGE RAPID GROWTH BY INSURING GOOD SOIL PREPARATION AND SOIL WARMING.
Soil fertility should be moderately high but should not have too much nitrogen. (Plants grown in soil high in nitrogen will be green and very lush with few fruit). Soil high in organic matter will improve growth. At planting, water with a starter solution that has a higher percent of phosphorus than nitrogen. Thereafter, do not allow the plant to dry out.

Select a warm, sunny, wind sheltered part of the garden. Cover the soil with plastic, clear does the best job, to warm the soil. Surround the newly planted tomato with one of the following; a tall cage made of construction wire with clear plastic wrapped around it, a ‘Wall-O-Water’, a plastic milk jug with the bottom cut out and the top open, or three to five plastic milk jugs filled with water and surrounding the plants. All of these methods creates a greenhouse effect around the plant. If a single plastic jug is used over the plant mound soil half way up the jug (Fig. 1).



Figure 1. Mounding soil half way up a plastic milk jug will moderate the temperature of the air inside the jug.


By growing tomatoes in five gallon cans or tubs, some flexibility is achieved. Plants can be moved into the sun during the day and moved to a protected spot during the night.

4. FLOWERS DO NOT SET FRUIT WHEN NIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW 55OF.
Blossoms which eventually turn into fruit are sensitive to low temperature. Fruit set can be initiated by spraying the young flowers with “Tomato Bloom Set” or by covering the plants at night. Bees are not necessary for pollination but it does help to manually shake the flowers by gently tapping the stem to promote self-pollination.

5. COVER THE PLANTS WITH FLOATING ROW COVER OR SLITTED CLEAR PLASTIC TO IMPROVE GROWTH AND FRUIT SET.
Row covers such as Remay, Tufbell, Agryl, and Kimberly Farms, can keep night time temperatures up to 10oF warmer. Clear plastic works well also, but must be slitted or removed daily to let hot air out. Optimum temperature for tomato growth and development is 65-80oF.

6. PROPER WATERING WILL GIVE A BIGGER HARVEST.
Tomato plants need frequent watering when young. When flowering starts it is best to reduce the frequency but increase quantity. When the first fruit can be seen, reduce both frequency and quantity of watering. Always add water if the plant is wilted.

Starting Your Own Plants from Seed