us,” he said.“ They go with our tomatoes really well.”
While noting the other crops, Claiborne admitted the tomatoes were what people usually came for and love. In order to continue producing tomatoes throughout the season, he said he puts in three plantings a year, approximately 30 days apart, using different varieties.
“ Your early varieties that will produce the great big huge tomatoes do well in the spring when it’ s cooler,” he said.
“ Then we have to switch to a more heat tolerant variety down into July and August when it’ s so hot. Normally what happens, and gardeners would understand this, is the blooms just fall off because it’ s too hot and they don’ t set tomatoes. If the bloom falls off you lose the fruit.
“ There’ s not a perfect heat-tolerant variety. All of them struggle when it’ s 100 degrees in August.”
Summer 2025 | Jacksonville Progress 11