Plant fall tomatoes this week

It’s hard to imagine that August, with its wretched heat, is the right time to do anything in the garden, but if you want a crop of fall tomatoes, we’re nearing the end of the window to get them in the ground. Our venerable LSU AgCenter recommends planting fall tomatoes between July 1 and August 15. In fact, there are lots of fall crops that should be going in the ground soon, so it’s worth a look at the AgCenter’s well-organized Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide, available on the website.

Among my summer tomatoes, the best specimens were two plants that weren’t from nurseries or seed catalogs, but were volunteers from our compost pile. Lots of other volunteers came up this year as well, most of which were sadly weeded out for space constraints. I decided to let these particular plants do their thing because they sprouted up in open, advantageous spots. One plant produced a high yield of scarlet grape tomatoes. I think these were the result of a winter’s reliance on store-bought fruit, some of which ended up in the compost heap before I could use them. The other plant produced a huge tomato akin to a Beefsteak. Both were nicely disease and pest resistant, which was certainly due to luck, not skill.

If you don’t already have a compost pile, the AgCenter’s Basic Principles of Composting is an accessible guide to starting one. It’s an incredibly satisfying backyard activity for anyone and will ultimately supply you with nutrient-rich soil for your beds (and some surprise plants along the way).

As for your fall crop of tomatoes, expect them to yield within 60 to 75 days.