Hi everyone! I'm a newbie gardener in zone 6b, and I've got 5 tomato plants that are producing like crazy—I'm talking tons of tomatoes every day! It's amazing, but I'm wondering how long I can expect this to last. I did a quick search and found that the season may end around the end of September. Is that information correct?
2 Answers
It really depends on your gardening zone and the average last frost date. Generally, those dates are pretty reliable for your specific zone. Keep an eye out for frost warnings because tomatoes can't handle a hard frost. When that happens, you can either harvest all your tomatoes or take steps to protect your plants. Also, if you notice your tomatoes changing from dark green to a lighter green or yellow, that means they're at the color break stage and can ripen nicely indoors.
You might even be able to harvest into October! Are your tomatoes determinate or indeterminate? Indeterminate varieties, like the pole types, usually keep producing longer than determinate ones that are bushier. So if you have both, you'll get tomatoes for a while!