What is the best tomato to grow in Houston Texas. It is hot and very humid here. My favorite tomato is Early Goliath, but it doesn't seem to do well here.
J.


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Dear J,

Thank you for your question regarding a good tomato variety for Texas.  While I was working on this, I had another customer that called in with the exact same question.  Houston must be a difficult place for tomatoes!

During my research, I found:

--In the Lazy Gardener's Guide, Brenda Beust Smith recommends the following:

    --Champion*

    --Celebrity *

    --Dona

    --German Johnson*

    --Hawaiian

    --Sweet Chelsea*

    --Texas Wild

--In Year Round Fruits and Vegetables, Bob Randall recommends these (In order from large to small, with some repeats from Smith's list):

    --Super Marmande (early)

    --Dona (early)

    --Carmello

    --Big Beef*

    --Arkansas Traveler (late)*

    --Sweet Chelsea*

    --Super Sweet 100*

    --Texas wild (Produces in summer)

    --Viva Italia (cooking)*

    --Sunmaster (Produces in summer)

--The Houston Garden Book recommends these for containerized tomato growing:

    --Patio Hybrid*

    --Pixie

    --Tiny Tim*

    --Saladette

    --Stakeless

    --Atom

(Those with * indicate varieties carried by Totally Tomatoes, a catalog that is well-respected in the industry and that has a plethora of "Solana-cious" plants like tomatoes and peppers.)

For better information on growing tomatoes here in the Houston Metro Area, I strongly recommend getting copies of the books by Smith and Randall. These are most easily obtained by going to Urban Harvest (www.urbanharvest.org).

Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost and can reach heights of up to 10 feet although 6 feet is considered the norm. They will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the growing season.  They require substantial caging and/or staking for support.  Because of the need for substantial support and the size of the plants, indeterminate varieties are not usually recommended as container plants. Examples are: Big Boy, Beef Master, most cherry types, Early Girl, and most heirloom varieties.

I hope this helps you out.  If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Happy Gardening!

Wisconsin Seed Girl
Horticulturist

Hello guys at wiseedgirl,

Im writing about we got honey bees I would like to plant Peranul Flowers that bloom from spring till frost maybe about 2 to 4 deffrent once its on south side of a woods along road bank fairly poor ground some I was looking at the red star for q what kind of edable fruit would it produce I don’t want one that makes bitter honey rather light honey I found one on Pacific Giant says bees would that be a good one

Also super select mix would you please give advise we are here in [undisclosed state] wher we get 90 to 100 weather sometime not frost till Nov. wher the red star would be is real ridge bottom ground not very wet

Would you wright + tell me Please + thank you

Thank you for your letter regarding perennials for your bees. In addition to the Pacific Giant Mixed Delphinium and Red Star Passiflora, I would recommend:

--Any of the other types of Delphinium (Cardinale, Centurion Sky Blue Hybrid, Rose and Pink Shades, Dwarf Blue Butterfly, or Summer Morning).

--Eryngium [Flat Sea Holly] (varieties Blue Glitter or Blue Hobbit).

--Ruby Bells Heuchera [Coral Bells].

--Munstead Dwarf Lavender.

--Panorama Mixed Monarda [Bee Balm].

--Any of the other types of Passiflora [Passion Flower] (Alata or Caerulea).

If you are interested in going with a perennial field crop, various types of alfalfa and clover make flavorful, light-colored honey.

I hope that helps you out. If I can help you out with any future questions, please do not hesitate to send them in.

Have A Great Day!

Wisconsin Seed Girl
Horticulturist
 

Dear RL,

Thank you for your email regarding the Brix Index Rating for watermelons. An included sheet contains the average days to maturity, average fruit weight per plot (10 plants), and the sugar (Brix) percentage for varieties that I recommend.
 

Please note that the sugar content of a particular melon is based not only on its genetic makeup, but also on the environment that it is grown in. Stressful conditions (drought, soggy soil, heat, insect damage, etc.), soil composition, total fruit set, total degree days, and frequency/duration of precipitation can also play a role in the sugar content of a melon. These percentages may vary for the fruits you grow in your garden.

If you have any other questions related to melons or gardening in general, please do not hesitate to ask.

Happy Gardening!

Wisconsin Seed Girl
Horticulturist

NOTE: Because Oriental Bittersweet can be confused with our native American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) which is becoming less and less common, it is imperative that correct identification be made before any control is begun. American Bittersweet produces flowers (and fruits) in single terminal panicles at the tips of the stems; flower panicles and fruit clusters are about as long as the leaves; the leaves are nearly twice as long as wide and are tapered at each end. Oriental Bittersweet produces flowers in small axillary clusters that are shorter than the subtending leaves and the leaves are very rounded. Comparing the two, American Bittersweet has fewer, larger clusters of fruits whereas Oriental Bittersweet is a prolific fruiter with lots and lots of fruit clusters emerging at many points along the stem. Unfortunately, hybrids of the two occur which may make identification more difficult. In addition, Oriental Bittersweet is displacing our native American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) through competition and hybridization. 

'Autumn Revolution' is also known as Celastrus scandens cultivar 'Bailumn'.  It not only produces fruit on every plant, every time, but the crop is abundant and the berries are twice as large as others in the species.  Unlike common American Bittersweet, this variety has perfect flowers that include both male and female parts so you need only one plant for fruiting.  Bright orange to red berries are displayed against glossy green foliage that lines the 15 to 25 foot long vines. 

With 'Autumn Revolution' there is no need to worry that you are planting an invasive species. 

Thank you for your concern.  If you have any further questions, please let me know.

Wisconsin Seed Girl
Horticulturist