Everything Else > Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles
Shade Grown Florida Tomatoes
Galatians522:
One of the things I enjoy about gardening and growing fruit is the opportunity to learn new things from other people who do things differently. For years I only grew tomatoes in full sun, but due to the influence of an older gentleman in my community, I decided to try growing some in part shade. The original plan was to grow 1/2 a row of indeterminate cherry, grape, and Campari tomatoes in part shade. The other half of the row in full shade would be planted with peppers. Apparently, an armadillo had other plans. Somehow he managed to destroy all the pepper plants but left the tomatoes almost untouched. Since I had great germination on the tomatoes, I filled in the now vacted pepper spots with transplanted tomatoes. To my great surprise the half in full dapled shade produced just fine. I would estimate about a 20% reduction in yield compared with full sun, but with all the tomatoes that were produced I did not miss them. The canopy also helped protect the plants from frost. Below is a picture of an unidentified "black" (really mahogany) grape tomato growing on the shaded end of the row. To the right is an Everglades tomato that I threw in to finish off the row. You can see the oak trees in the background and the trusses loaded with fruit and blooms (20-40 fruits per truss). My last observation is that full sun plants start fruiting sooner but the shaded plants fruit longer. What has your experience been?
okaycrossbow:
spammer
Green _ScienX:
--- Quote from: okaycrossbow on June 13, 2024, 10:10:21 PM ---
--- Quote from: Galatians522 on April 14, 2024, 11:32:56 AM ---One of the things I enjoy about gardening and growing fruit is the opportunity to learn new things from other people who do things differently. For years I only grew tomatoes in full sun, but due to the influence of an older gentleman in my community, I decided to try growing some in part shade. The original plan was to grow 1/2 a row of indeterminate cherry, grape, and Campari tomatoes in part shade. The other half of the row in full shade would be planted with peppers. Apparently, an armadillo had other plans. Somehow he managed to destroy all the pepper plants but left the tomatoes almost untouched. Since I had great germination on the tomatoes, I filled in the now vacted pepper spots with transplanted tomatoes. To my great surprise the half in full dapled shade produced just fine. I would estimate about a 20% reduction in yield compared with full sun, but with all the tomatoes that were produced I did not miss them. The canopy also helped protect the plants from frost. Below is a picture of an unidentified "black" (really mahogany) grape tomato growing on the shaded end of the row. To the right is an Everglades tomato that I threw in to finish off the row. You can see the oak trees in the background and the trusses loaded with fruit and blooms (20-40 fruits per truss). My last observation is that full sun plants start fruiting sooner but the shaded plants fruit longer. What has your experience been?
--- End quote ---
Your experience with gardening tomatoes in both full sun and part shade is quite interesting and aligns with some general observations about tomato growth and fruiting under different light conditions. While full sun generally results in higher yields initially, tomatoes can still thrive and produce well in part shade, especially with the added benefit of extended fruiting and protection from adverse weather conditions. It's a great example of how gardening allows us to continuously learn and adapt our practices based on observation and experimentation.
--- End quote ---
It's amazing to see how adaptable tomatoes can be! Your experiment with growing them in part shade is really intriguing. The unexpected bonus of frost protection from the canopy is a great insight. I've found that different conditions can sometimes yield surprising benefits. Your story about the armadillo and the resilience of your tomatoes is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your experience—it's always great to learn from fellow gardeners! Have you tried different substrates or soil amendments to see how they impact growth and yield in various light conditions? Looking forward to hearing more about your gardening adventures!
Thanks,
Suganya
+91 73050 92965
Green ScienX
Green _ScienX:
--- Quote from: Galatians522 on April 14, 2024, 11:32:56 AM ---One of the things I enjoy about gardening and growing fruit is the opportunity to learn new things from other people who do things differently. For years I only grew tomatoes in full sun, but due to the influence of an older gentleman in my community, I decided to try growing some in part shade. The original plan was to grow 1/2 a row of indeterminate cherry, grape, and Campari tomatoes in part shade. The other half of the row in full shade would be planted with peppers. Apparently, an armadillo had other plans. Somehow he managed to destroy all the pepper plants but left the tomatoes almost untouched. Since I had great germination on the tomatoes, I filled in the now vacted pepper spots with transplanted tomatoes. To my great surprise the half in full dapled shade produced just fine. I would estimate about a 20% reduction in yield compared with full sun, but with all the tomatoes that were produced I did not miss them. The canopy also helped protect the plants from frost. Below is a picture of an unidentified "black" (really mahogany) grape tomato growing on the shaded end of the row. To the right is an Everglades tomato that I threw in to finish off the row. You can see the oak trees in the background and the trusses loaded with fruit and blooms (20-40 fruits per truss). My last observation is that full sun plants start fruiting sooner but the shaded plants fruit longer. What has your experience been?
--- End quote ---
It's amazing to see how adaptable tomatoes can be! Your experiment with growing them in part shade is really intriguing. The unexpected bonus of frost protection from the canopy is a great insight. I've found that different conditions can sometimes yield surprising benefits. Your story about the armadillo and the resilience of your tomatoes is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your experience—it's always great to learn from fellow gardeners! Have you tried different substrates or soil amendments to see how they impact growth and yield in various light conditions? Looking forward to hearing more about your gardening adventures!
Thanks,
Suganya
+91 73050 92965
Green ScienX
Galatians522:
Suganya, I think this forum is a great way to share information.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version