Arizona Tomatoes

In Phoenix, it can be a minor miracle for a plant to survive during the sweltering temps of late spring through mid-autumn.  Even if you manage to keep the poor little fellas alive, they don’t really thrive or bear fruit.  You are likely watering a sickly greenish-yellow stick that dies before the season ends leaving you with a sense of failure and wasted effort.

Ron has two green thumbs.  He isn’t really sure how he got them but after years of planting, replanting and various experiments with water, variety, season, and fertilizer, my husband is a virtual garden gnome.  (Please, those of you who know Ron don’t tell him I called him a gnome.)

Tomatoes grow in Phoenix like weeds.  In Arizona, tomatoes can grow as early as March depending on the temperatures, and as late as September given the right conditions. The key is location, location, location.  They don’t like it too cold and can deal with the heat as long as they get a reprieve every now and then.  Tomatoes are a water-based fruit so this plant requires a moist but not squishy environment.  Try to water when it is cooler outside so the plant can enjoy its drink of water and not become dehydrated and droopy by midday.

If you choose to plant tomatoes in a pot – and this works well for patio growers.  Select a large pot, tomatoes get big and take up a lot of space so give them ample room to stretch out.  A tomato basket or stake helps guide the plant upward instead of outward which saves tomatoes from laying on the ground where an adventurous dog might think balls grow on plants.  Use a good potting soil and a touch of veggie fertilizer for the season.