Growing Tomato Juliet
in Northeast Florida Vegetable Gardens
Grape tomato hybrid ‘Juliet’ is an All American winner from 1999 with heavy yields, great crack resistance and a long season harvest. Juliet tomato bears clusters of a dozen or more 1.5-2 oz elongated fruits that are somewhere in-between a roma and a cherry tomato in appearance. I like to think of them as a fresh eating selection of mini roma tomato! Great flavor and tremendous yield. Indeterminate tomato selection. Harvest begins in a s little as 60 days from planting, and continues till frost.
Origins, Foliage, Fruit and Use of Tomato Juliet for Northeast Florida vegetable gardens:
Cherry tomato Juliet has indeterminate growth. And a larger store bought cage or homemade cage system will be needed to support the plants. Plant on 2 ft spacing in rows and 3 ft spacing in cages.
Prolific fruits born on the plant in clusters of 12 or more are elongated like a ‘Roma’ but small like a ‘Cherry’ tomato. The flavor is excellent for eating fresh off the vine or tossing in a summer salad.
Planting Season for Tomato Juliet in Jacksonville and St. Augustine Florida and the surrounding areas:
Juliet tomatoes are considered a warm season crop, they are frost sensitive and should only be planted in frost free months in Northeast Florida vegetable gardens. However, tomato growing season is split into two seasons in Northeast Florida as tomato production will slow to nearly nothing during the hottest summer months of June and July.
Start your tomato plants in February from seed, and February straight through March and April from S & J Nursery transplants. The second growing season for tomato plants in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area garden is August and September, Juliet tomato’s can be planted out again in those months and allowed to grow up until the first killing frost.
Sun Exposure for Growing Tomato Juliet in Northeast Florida Vegetable Gardens:
Plant your Tomato Juliet in a full sun or afternoon sun location for the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area garden. Make sure they will receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight for best results.
Soil Preferences for Tomato Juliet in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine Florida areas:
Tomato plants will do best in the Northeast Florida garden when grown in soils that have been generously amended with compost and cow manure. Be sure to plant into well drained soils and not in an are that will have standing water after a hard rain.
Care of Tomato Juliet in the Northeast Florida Vegetable Garden:
Watering your Tomato Juliet Plants:
Newly planted tomato plants will require watering daily for the first few days to a week after being planted from seed or transplanted from an S & J Nursery container.
Once the tomato plants are established and growing, be sure to keep the soil moist by watering at least twice per week if rainfall is scarce. Container grown tomato plants will need watered 3 to 4 times per week, or every time the top two inches of soil is dry to the touch.
Mulching your Tomato Juliet plants:
For maximum growth potential, mulching plants generously, this will help conserve moisture.
Fertilizing Your Tomato Juliet plants:
Feed every two to three weeks with an all purpose fertilizer like 6-6-6.
Or for an organic approach, try fertilizing with a mixture of fish emulsions and seaweed (kelp) at one ounce each per gallon of water. Apply semi weekly as a foliar spray.
If your vegetable plants look like they could use a boost, give them a good watering with homemade compost tea as soon as the top few inches of soil around your plant is dry to the touch!
Harvesting Your Tomato Juliet in the Northeast Florida Vegetable Garden:
Tomato Juliet can be harvested when green and allowed to ripen indoors if needed but best flavor will develop when they are allowed to ripen on the plant and picked when fully red.
Store at room temperature for 2-3 days once picked from the vine. For best results do not refrigerate.