Guest Columnist
If you planted determinant tomatoes (celebrity, early girl, marglobe, Homestead & others) in the spring, you're well aware that this year's crop is rapidly coming to a close, if not already there! There are several ways, however, to continue with a tomato crop until frost. Hopefully, you planted some Arkansas travelers or other hybrids which can produce during the summer heat. Also, your indeterminate tomatoes will come back with a second round in late September.
There are several other ways to get a second crop. One way is to clip an 18" stem off an indeterminate tomato plant, strip 2/3 of the length from all leaves, and plant in a deep pail. The portion of the limb within the soil will take root and can be transplanted in a few weeks.
An even more fun way is to plant tomato seeds yourself for a fall crop. You can do this yourself, but other organizations are available to do this for you. The Agriculture Department at NE TX Community College, for example, planted seeds for fall production that are now available for sale and transplanting. These transplants will provide a bounty of tomatoes for the fall time period. Check with your local producers and see if they have fall tomato transplants available for sale.
By the time you're ready to transplant your fall tomato plants, you may notice that some have bumps which are clumps of hair, on their lower stems. If covered with soil, these will immediately develop roots. They're caused by clumps of root hairs forming together. If you choose to ignore them, you have not done the plants an injustice. They often occur when the plant is under stress from a system blockage or excess water. The bumps themselves are not harmful.
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