I've been facing a tough challenge with my tomatoes not ripening. The last few years have been a struggle, even though I've tried several heat-tolerant varieties that are supposedly better than what you'd find in most stores. I live in Nebraska, where we can hit temperatures between 95°F and 110°F for weeks during the summer. Are there any specific tomato varieties that can thrive in this intense heat, or am I better off switching to a different vegetable altogether?
1 Answer
It sounds frustrating dealing with those high temps! Unfortunately, at 90°F, tomato plants start slowing down, and at 95°F soil temps, they're pretty much done. Bees also can't handle that heat, which further affects pollination. If you haven't tried it yet, think about planting late summer for a fall harvest. And wow, I had no idea Nebraska got that hot!
Are there any quick-growing tomato types I can start in spring, so they could ripen before it really heats up in June or July? This heat is new to me—back in 2017-2020, I could grow loads of tomatoes, but now we face long heatwaves that hit the 90s consistently and it feels even hotter with the humidity.