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Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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Posted by Rosemarino 6/Massachusetts (My Page) on Mon, Jul 12, 04 at 12:17
| Last year I tried growing tomatoes, but they didn't grow right because I planted them too late (didn't get to harvest them until mid Sept.)This year I planted nice and early. I am wondering if others in the area are having trouble with tomatoes? The one I planted VERY early has had lots of flowers but doesn't seem to be making fruit, and the ones I planted about a month ago are similar. What can I do? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| I started mine in May and planted in huge pots. The grape and Celebrity varieties are doing well - lots of flowers and immature toms, but the beeksteak is terrible - like yours, lots of flowers, but the minimal fruit is small and appears to be rotting, rather than ripening. Most of the 'first crop' has blosssom end rot, even though I have watered daily and fertilized regularly. I used potting mix and the pots dry out sooo quickly in the sun. In the past few days, the leaves and stems are turning yellow! I am beginning to think that the beefsteak, beef master, type of tomatos don't do well in this area as I have had similar problems over the years with some of my tomatoes - great guns in beginning, then nothing............does anyone else have problems with this type? Rose - I apologize for not being helpful to you, but wanted you to know you are not alone. What varieties did you plant? Are they in pots or inground? I had read that adding an epsom salt solution is good for toms. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| Mine were planted earlier than usual because I had to get them in the gound before I went away for a week. I have nice tall plants, but not fruit. Tomatoes like hot weather and we haven't had any. I'm not complaining because I hate the heat, but tomatoes love it and if the weather stays cool the tomato harvest will be below par. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| Hello all...I am having the same problems, blossom end rot, alot of leaves and big plants...small fruit... but as another person stated tomatoes like hot weather and its just too cool! |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| I started mine in april but its hit 80 only once and my tomato plants are only 6 inches tall. Its been in the low 70's for the most part and most of my veggies are just sitting and waiting. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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Rats. I really love home grown tomatoes, and don't want to pay $7/lb like they're charging at farmstands!!!!!!
I trimmed some growth on my most problem tomatoe in hopes of allowing more light into the plant. I think actually that this tomatoe has a disease, because the leaves are curling, thick, etc. The other's are probably fine, just stunted b/c of the weather. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| mine look ok so far. the plants are huge and I have some little green babies. I did buy mine in a 6 pack though but they were such babies then....... |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| Cool weather, rain here also. Try putting down some of the black weed block cloth to help heat up the soil. The blossom end rot can also be encouraged by inconsistant watering. Even though you are watering, the rains may be throwing the amount of water off. We've had some luck with very deep planting ( I put 'em in with a post hole digger). We plant OP tomatoes (Black Krim, Tigerella, San Marzano, Roma, Rutgers). We're trying Stupice, Abe Lincoln and a S. American variety this year. By the way, cool weather won't hurt the plants, they just don't grow much. The coolness also discourages bees, which may be the problem with lack of fruiting. Try brushing the flowers together to hand pollinate -- you can be the next Burbank! |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| My tomato plants look great, but no flowers yet. Here in coastal MA we have not had enough sun or warmth. My hubbard squash plants are not where they should be either. I heard this morning on the weather report that the upper level patterns are still not in place for extended warmth. I am beginning to wonder if summer will ever arrive this year. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| I am just starting to see a ripe tomato on my July 4th vaariety plant - it should be harvestable by tomorrow sometime. My plants are all doing fine, but tomatoes are ripening slowly. Blossom end rot: Jerry Baker says it's due to a calcium deficiency, and you should plant Tums with your tomatoes. I fertilize mine with epsom salts, and I think that's helped hold down some of the blossom end rot, too. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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My tomatoes are doing great this year, I've already been picking sungolds which is very surprising because normally they don't ripen before August. No heat wave yet this season and I have to figure thats why the early sungolds. All other varieties are loaded with unripe fruit and hundreds of blossoms. Good year for tomatoes...yucky year for eggplant.
Alberta |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| Here on Long Island we had an unusually wet July.(Over seven inches of rain last month). DH is growing heirloom Black Russian tomatoes he started from seed. He has many small, hard, green tomatoes, some have blossom end rot. I wish some would get ripe! |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Wed, Aug 4, 04 at 12:53
| The weather here is finally warm enough to ripen tomatoes. My Early Girls are still green, but they should be turning red soon. I hope. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| we planted tomtoes for the first time this year starting late with small plants from the nursery-2 heirloom and 1 modern hybrid (big boy). I don't know if its my bad technique or if its the weather but the heirloom Brandywine developed some huge tomatoes but they're not coloring up-in fact-one broke off green and is sitting in my kitchen (fried green tomatoes everyone?) I had read that cutting back on watering might accelerate the reddening but since they're in containers, i figured I'd just wind up with sun dried green tomatoes if I kept that up. My husband kept threatening to pull out the other heirloom ( a yellow) until fruits started to set just recently. the modern has been setting a lotta fruit but no red ones so far either and theyr're not really big yet-however, its leaves look greeener than the other 2 and i fertilize them the same. would increasing the potash help at all? |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| I planted Better Boys the first week in May. (I always plant on Kentucky Derby day - no reason) While we haven't had a warm summer, my three bushes are bursting with ripe tomatoes. They are especially tasty this year. I was actually attributing the cool and wet summer to my success, but I guess not according to the above posts. Usually my tomatoes split before they fully ripen. This year every one is completely red and none have split. I thought it was due to the extra water. I tend to not water my vegetables as much as I should. Go figure. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Wed, Aug 25, 04 at 11:19
| I didn't get a big crop of tomatoes, but the ones I'm getting are tasty. The plants got hit with that virus that yellows and rots the lower leaves, so I'm glad I planted indeterminates that keep growing. Otherwise I'd have no plants left. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| HOnestly this was a cool summer...... good for us..... not tomatos....... try tomatos next year..... we may not be blessed with a cool summer again...... or again next year and you won't be dissapointed...... gardening is always a gamble but tomatos grow very well in NJ which isn't far from Mass ........ as you know...... give it another try....... start just as you did this year but do it next year...... you'll probably have better results...... remember we're at the mercy of nature....... tomatos in my opinion are generally foolproof...... no offense........ and unless we have another cool summer ...... outrageously and unusual cool summer like this one....... you should be fine...... :) |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| My 4th of July tomatoes have fruit but with all the rain, they are splitting. Got only 1 cucumber. Last year, had Celebrity tomatoes, planted very late, and they produced pretty far into Sept, and lasted through October inside. Should have grown those again. |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| Yes, well, as I posted in the New England forum, I have rented my house out, and left all those green tomatoes to my friends who are renting from me! I mourned them, but did make a few really delicious meals with the green tomatoes. Diced them, with the baby zucchini, scarlett runner beans and onion in some olive oil with salt. Added sage and basil from the garden at the last moment, and topped with fresh mozarella. IT was glorious. Anyway, we're going to CA for the fall/winter and Italy for the winter/spring, so I'll have some more warm weather and some great tomatoes from the markets. But please, keep up the forum without me!!! Rosemarino |
RE: Why are my tomatoes so pokey?
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| My tomatoes turned okay. I live in Great Neck, Long Island, and my tomatoes were planted in late mid July I think. The tomatoes that first came out were good, but because of the colder weather, many have become rotten or eaten by bugs, slugs, and fruit flies. |
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