Growing tomatoes in North Texas – when is the best time to plant tomatoes in North Texas?
When to Plant Tomatoes in North Texas – For the beginner gardener, typically it’s tomatoes that are the initial go-to fruit. Or, for some people, they like to refer to tomatoes as a vegetable. Understandable. But tomatoes are, in fact, a fruit.
Tomatoes are easy to grow, right? Beefmaster tomato, Stupice tomato, Celebrity tomato, Oxheart tomato, Black Russian tomato, Dixie Red tomato, and very, very many more – relatively easy to grow.
Perhaps in some areas of the U.S., that’s true enough. But in Dallas, in north Texas as a whole, that’s not exactly so. And this is because in north Texas the growing conditions are exactly easy.
For most people in the U.S., you enjoy a single growing season for fruit and for vegetables. The growing season typically from early to mid spring through early to mid summer.
In north Texas, there are a handful of growing seasons.
For vegetables that are not so tolerant to heat – lettuce and spinach for example – in North Texas, the growing time is fall through winter.
Eggplants and peppers – the heat-loving vegetables – must be grown when the weather is hot.
Tomatoes, though… they’re more choosy. They’re in between the two.
With tomatoes, it’s all about the timing. And in North Texas, you need to squeeze your tomato-growing schedule into the times when it’s not too cold and not too hot.
In North Texas, for the main part, you’ll want to get your tomato transplants into the garden around the middle of March.
On the other hand, if you plant a little earlier, it could be that your harvest will be better.
Most North Texas gardeners – Dallas, Frisco, Fort Worth, and so on, will plant their tomato transplants prior to mid March. Once it comes around to April 1, it’s wise to avoid planting transplants.
When to Plant Tomatoes in North Texas
Heat Tolerant Tomato Varieties in U.S. (that do well in Texas)
Some varieties of tomato have been bred to withstand the heat better than other varieties.
Oftentimes, you’ll see words such as ‘Solar’ or ‘Heat’ or ‘Sun’ as part of the tomato cultivar name. It’s these tomatoes that will do best in the Texas climate in general.
Here are a few heat-tolerant tomato varieties that do well in Texas:
Hybrid Tomato Varieties that are Heat Tolerant
Big Beef – indeterminate, red, fruit takes 73 days to mature, fruit 10 ounces.
Florida 91 – determinate, red, fruit take 72 days to mature, fruit 10 ounces.
Bella Rosa – determinate red, large fruit, 75 days for fruit to mature.
Fourth of July – indeterminate, red/pink, 49 days for fruits to mature, fruits only 4 ounces.
Heirloom Tomato Varieties that are Heat Tolerant
Green Zebra – determinate, green, 78 days for fruit to reach maturity, fruits only 3 ounces, dates back to 1901.
Super Sioux – indeterminate, red, globe-shaped, 70 days until fruit reaches maturity.
Sioux – semi-indeterminate, red, 78 days for fruit to mature, fruits 6 ounces.
Costoluto Genovese – indeterminate, red, large-sized fruit, fruits take 85 days to reach maturity.
Arkansas Traveler – indeterminate, pink, fruits take 90 days to reach maturity, fruits weigh 6 ounces.
Quarter Century – indeterminate, red, fruits take 85 days to mature, 12 ounces, dates back to 1901.
Grape Tomatoes that are Heat Tolerant (all hybrid tomatoes)
Mountain Crest – indeterminate, red, fruits take 74 days to mature, fruits 10 ounces.
Heat Wave II – determinate, red, fruits take 68 days to mature, fruits 7 ounces.
Sun Chaser – indeterminate, red, fruits take 72 days to mature, fruits 7 ounces.
Sunbeam – determinate, red, fruits take 70 days to mature, fruits 6 ounces.
Sweet 100 – indeterminate, red, fruits take 70 days to mature, cherry.
Sun Leaper – determinate, red, fruits take 82 days to reach maturity, fruits 9 ounces.
Homestead 24 – determinate, red, fruits take 80 days to mature, fruits 8 ounces.
Super Fantastic – indeterminate, red, fruits take 70 days to reach maturity, large-sized fruit.
Spitfire – determinate, crimson color, fruits take 75 days to mature, fruits 6 ounces.
Sunmaster – determinate, red, fruits take 72 days, fruits 7 ounces.
Porter or Porter Pink – indeterminate, pink, fruits take 78 days, fruits small and plum-shaped – 4 ounces.
Solar Fire – determinate, red, fruits take 72 days, fruits 10 ounces.
Manalucie – indeterminate, red, fruits take 82 days to reach maturity, fruits globe-shaped and large.
Sanibel – determinate, red, fruits take 75 days, fruits 12 ounces.
