Minnesota transplant wants to grow large juicy tomatoes along the coast - Ask Extension
We were avid gardeners in MN and the biggest thing I'll miss about being in there in the summer was the ability to grow large super delicious tomato v...
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Minnesota transplant wants to grow large juicy tomatoes along the coast #880930
Asked August 10, 2024, 1:46 PM EDT
We were avid gardeners in MN and the biggest thing I'll miss about being in there in the summer was the ability to grow large super delicious tomato varieties like Big Boy, Early Girl, Beefsteak etc which I'm being told just won't do well along the coast. Will raised beds inside a small greenhouse help? I'm not all that keen on supplying supplemenal heat in there on these cool summer nites out here, one thing I did in MN when I started seeds indoors in March was to use electric heat mats under the seed trays at nite, would that work for large plants here in he summer?
Lincoln County Oregon
Expert Response
Thanks for your question and welcome to the Oregon Coast!
You can definitely grow tomatoes here on the coast. You just need to use tomatoes with the shortest maturity (like Early Girl) and provide plants with some protection from the wind and some extra warmth. This can be done in a variety of ways from a greenhouse to a cloche to potentially a sunny south-facing wall. You should not need to provide supplemental warmth if you use a cloche or greenhouse.
Here is a Roundtable presentation - Growing Tomatoes - Lincoln County MG - https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/t/1_0z4s26ig
Growing vegetables on the coast - Lincoln County MG recommendations - https://www.orcoastmga.org/coastvegs
Oregon State Extension publication - How to Build Your Own Raised-Bed Cloche - works great for growing determinate tomatoes - you can grow indeterminate types but they would require regular pruning - https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/ec-1627-how-build-your-own-raised-bed-cloche
Here also is an article from Tillamook County Master Gardeners - "Growing Coastal Tomatoes" - https://tillamookmastergardeners.com/growing-coastal-tomatoes/
You can definitely grow tomatoes here on the coast. You just need to use tomatoes with the shortest maturity (like Early Girl) and provide plants with some protection from the wind and some extra warmth. This can be done in a variety of ways from a greenhouse to a cloche to potentially a sunny south-facing wall. You should not need to provide supplemental warmth if you use a cloche or greenhouse.
Here is a Roundtable presentation - Growing Tomatoes - Lincoln County MG - https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/t/1_0z4s26ig
Growing vegetables on the coast - Lincoln County MG recommendations - https://www.orcoastmga.org/coastvegs
Oregon State Extension publication - How to Build Your Own Raised-Bed Cloche - works great for growing determinate tomatoes - you can grow indeterminate types but they would require regular pruning - https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/ec-1627-how-build-your-own-raised-bed-cloche
Here also is an article from Tillamook County Master Gardeners - "Growing Coastal Tomatoes" - https://tillamookmastergardeners.com/growing-coastal-tomatoes/
