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On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I believe there are a lot of growers out there who have the ability and the seeds to grow really big tomatoes. The biggest problem for these growers is bad weather, weather not helpful in growing a big tomato. When it is too cold or too wet in the early part of the year, tomatoes fail to set. If we have a really hot summer the tomatoes ripen before they get a chance to grow big. High temperature speeds ripening but does nothing much for growth. Proper fertilizer and lack of rainfall we can make up for. Disease prevention we can do. But, we cannot control the temperature of the air. I have been trying shade cloths and they help to keep the tomatoes from burning up in the sun and lower the temperature under the cloth if the outside temperature is cooler and they keep the direct sunlight off the tomatoes and leaves. But they can only do so much as far as lowering overall air temperature and thereby preventing early ripening before the tomatoes get as big as we want. A high tunnel helps as far as eliminating wind and hail and huge downpours and late blight. A fan in needed to cool most but this does not lower the temperature of the outside air. Maybe intermittent misting would help with this but I have not tried it yet. Possibly next year. I know it helps pumpkin leaves that are drooping. In my garden I need to figure out how to beat the heat if I am ever going to get tomatoes the size I want. Maybe a greenhouse with a misting system is the way to go? Thoughts from your experience?

8/28/2016 4:43:50 PM

Central NY

Hate to say it ...air conditioning and co2 supplementation might be necessary to beat master p and his voodoo magic ...might be cheaper to fly to France a steal one of fabrice's monsters ...

8/28/2016 4:49:58 PM

Soldotna,AK

Marv you could move to Alaska or Finland or grow a tomato into October in France. However the cold weather up here makes it pretty tough to grow a pumpkin or squash or gourd, etc of competitive size.

8/28/2016 5:36:08 PM

Walla Walla Wa.

I've tried the fogging in the greenhouse but it is just way too much disease pressure when you up the humidity that much, so I always end up shutting it down.

8/28/2016 6:20:45 PM

Wixom MI.

for me the hot weather this year was better than the cold wet year we had last year. No disease problems until the heavy rains the last few weeks ! greenhouses growing is warm to hot climates have their own issues of how to cool them down.unless you have some kind of cooling system or climate control system it seems to me that greenhouse growing is difficult in its own way. this is only my first good year at growing these tomatoes and i hope that i can continue to improve my techniques in the next few years. i guess that time will tell but i think i have a lot to learn in many areas still and room for a lot of improvement.

8/28/2016 9:34:54 PM

50 Acres

I am amazed at the number of big tomatoes, even with the great variations of weather. I feel it will only get better in the years to come. Jim

8/28/2016 10:41:49 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I really like Porkchops thinking.:)

8/28/2016 11:29:03 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Cool June/July night time temps really hurt my early fruit sets this year. The weather was a month behind all Summer here. You are correct Marv, we are at the mercy of the weather with these things. A single grower can suddenly become one of the best growers in the world when garden/soil conditions and weather all come together at the same time.

8/29/2016 12:54:02 AM