• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
  • Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Research
  • Texas A&M College of Agrculture and Life Sciences
El Paso County Master Gardeners
El Paso County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
  • Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • How to Become an El Paso County Master Gardener
    • History
    • Volunteer Duties
    • Application
    • Texas Master Gardener Association Awards
      • Texas Master Gardener Association Award for 2021
      • Texas Master Gardener Association Award for 2020
      • Texas Master Gardener Association Awards for 2019
      • Texas Master Gardener Association Award for 2018
      • Texas Master Gardener Association Awards for 2015
      • Texas Master Gardener Association Awards for 2013-2014
    • Master Gardener of the Quarter
    • Executive Committee
    • Association Members
      • 2024-2025 Class Handouts
    • Donate
  • Outreach
    • Help Desk
    • Good to Grow Radio Show
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Master Gardener Information Table
    • El Paso Community College (EPCC) Gardening Class
    • School Garden Program
  • Projects
    • Ascarate Teaching and Demonstration Garden
    • Ascarate Accessible Garden
    • Texas A&M AgriLife Vegetable Demonstration Gardens
    • El Paso Municipal Rose Garden
    • Transmountain Cleanup
  • Events
  • Learn
    • Gardening in El Paso-Articles
    • Gardening Topics-Links
  • Ask Us
  • Monthly Tips
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • Videos & More

The Secret to Growing Tomatoes in El Paso

Tomatoes by Dave Turner, El Paso Master Gardener

The tomato is the most popular vegetable grown in the home garden in Texas and across the country. It’s not the easiest to grow successfully, so why is it the favorite? The answer is simple: TASTE.

Like all vegetables, tomatoes like well-drained soil that has been amended with lots of compost.

If it is not the soil, then what’s the secret? Tomatoes have both the male and female parts (the stamen and the pistil) in each blossom, and therefore can be pollinated by the wind. This is not a problem in El Paso. However, with tomatoes, this pollination is inhibited at higher temperatures. When the nighttime temperatures are above 75 degrees and the daytime highs are 92 and above, very little, if any, pollination takes place. The plants will still blossom, but the blossoms will not become tomatoes.

What does this “secret” mean for us in El Paso? The time between our last frost and the temperatures mentioned above is fairly short here. This means that transplants (not seeds) should be put in the ground right after the last frost to give them time to grow, blossom, and set as many tomatoes as possible before it gets too hot. The tomatoes that have set will continue to grow and ripen later in the summer when it is hot.

When should I plant them? I recommend planting them in the latter part of March or the first week of April at the latest. If we get a frost after that, it would likely be light and the plant would be fine. If it does happen and the plant is damaged, replace it. If it recovers it may not produce well so don’t take the chance. If you grow your own transplants from seeds, grow extras and save them for this purpose.

Another “secret” about tomatoes is that the young plants do not like wind. A strong wind for just a few hours can kill these small plants. You probably realize that I just recommended transplanting your tomatoes at the height of our windy season. So now what? The tomatoes will need a cage for support later anyway, so put it around the plant now.

Cover the side of the cage with garden cloth or use a white or clear kitchen trash bag. Cut the bottom off the bag and put it over the cage. Whichever method you use, secure it with clothes pins. Either of these will block the wind and still let light through for the plant. This will also allow some protection from the cold, and help ensure more success growing tomatoes in El Paso!

Related articles from the Learn»Gardening Topics page:

Vegetable Planting Calendar for El Paso County

Vegetable Varieties for El Paso County

Growing Tomatoes in El Paso

Tomato Problem Solver

Vegetables – Easy Gardening Series

Verduras – Easy Series de Jardinería (En Español)

Kid w_ headphonesTo learn more about planting spring vegetables and herbs, listen to this Good to Grow radio show called Spring Vegetables. Check this page for photos of how to cover your tomato plants to protect them from our springtime winds.

Upcoming Events

Aug 8
5:00 pm

Master Gardener Class – Application Deadline

Aug 9
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Water Saved, Beauty Gained: Cultivating Colorful Native Flora

View Calendar

Month by Month Gardening Tips

  • Monthly Gardening Tips
  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December

El Paso Master Gardeners Facebook

El Paso Master Gardeners Facebook

Master Gardener Online Earth-Kind® Training

Master Gardener Online Earth-Kind® Training Modules (direct link) Learn environmentally friendly (Earth-Kind®) practices for use in the home landscape and garden. Available to the public.

Partners

El Paso Cactus and Rock Club

El Paso Chapter-Native Plant Society

El Paso Rose Society Facebook

KTEP Good to Grow Radio Show

Texas Master Gardener℠ Association

Texas Master Gardener℠ Program

UTEP Chihuahuan Desert Gardens

West Texas Urban Forestry Council

El Paso Public Library

El Paso Parks & Recreation Dept. Facebook

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Texas A&M University System Member
  • Compact with Texans
  • Privacy and Security
  • Accessibility Policy
  • State Link Policy
  • Statewide Search
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Military Families
  • Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Open Records/Public Information