16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Side shoots (or laterals or suckers) have little to do with
the fact that your plants are setting few fruit.

How's the temps and humidity been in your area? Too hot
or too humid can keep flowers from setting fruit.

Duplicate post. See: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0715043425743.html?2

Your plant is a determinate variety. They are never pruned. You can learn a lot about pruning, blossom drop, fruit set, etc. for the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on this forum. I linked it below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Tomatoes FAQs

I definitely couldn't resist raising the mystery pl seedlings, both of these pl plants are healthy and full of tomatoes. The above picture is just a couple of the many ripe fruits. I expected a brandywine or even a roma maybe...but what I didn't expect is that the produce would be indistinguishable (maybe a little smaller) from the regular leaf krims.

I'm gonna check the link you provided. Thanks.

Figured out what you meant. No other PL varieties were started by me this season.

Thanks so much for the help! I will just leave it in there and see what happens. And thanks for the California forum tip, I hadn't noticed it.

It definitely does not look good. You have very few leaves. The plant looks really stressed. I live in LA as well and i have a patio garden and i find that self watering containers work better than either clay or plastic pots. And for sungold you need at least a 15 gal pot. I have also successfully propagated suckers in the last 2weeks. I just made sure the sucker is no more than4 inches and got a shady spot for it.

Just picked my first heirloom slicer today, 1.6 pound Gold Medal. I think my strategy of wrapping floating row covers around fruits is working against whatever critters I have. Of course this wouldn't work for a large number of plants but for the 13 that I have it doesn't take very long. Plus I can see through the cover so I know when the tomatoes are ripe.

Yes RABBITS DO EAT TOMATOES!! The rabbits in my neighborhood are eatting mine. I have watched them. If it weren't for my dog running to far off I'd let him get those nasty little beasts!!! So yes they do eat tomatoes.

Thank you both for the information. Erratic watering wasn't the issue, though. I was constantly checking that, and they never had a chance to get dry. I put the bone meal in because someone said there wasn't enough calcium; I hoped that would remedy that.

Dave, if I can't get all the maggots out, are my tomatoes a loss? Do I have to get rid of the plants? Are they somehow contaminated because of the flies? They DO have some nice new tomatoes on them

No the only threat is that the grubs will munch on the roots. But there are no food contamination issues.

As to the watering - over-watering is as much as issue as under-watering. Consistent slightly moist is the goal and that is almost impossible to accomplish in containers unless they are 30+ gallons in size.

Bone meal as a source of calcium, if indeed low calcium levels in the soil was the cause (which it isn't), takes many months to decompose to a form usable by the plants which is why it is a waste of time in containers. In ground gardens mix it in in the fall for effect the following year.

Dave

A lot of early, cold tolerant tomatoes are determinate.

Oregon Spring - 4" tom
Glacier - best flavor out of these 4
Taxi - yellow
Legend (not grown this one) 5" tom

If that's your climate they'd grow well, but I don't think these take the heat of the south very well.

Here is a link that might be useful: extra early tomatoes

I planted some Legends in my outdoor garden for the first time this year in an attempt to head off 'early blight' problems which have now become a regular annual occurrence in my area. So far so good ... my Legends are the 'healthiest' of any variety I planted outdoors. It looks like my first Legend fruits are starting to ripen at about a 3.5 inch diameter size.

Algoflash, for tomatoes or flowering veg works great,here's mine at one month old. But be very careful if you switch to some high-powered blooming stuff, like I just did, and now I'm worried that I may've over done it with my hose end sprayer and the 2-45-28 Kool Bloom guess I'll know in a few day....not looking good! Should have let them alone. Bummed in Bama

Agree with BubbaEarly that Algoflash Tomato Formula works unbelievably well. Formula is 4-6-8 plus a long list of micronutrients. But IMHO it's too expensive for general use, so I don't switch to the Algoflash until the first blossoms start to set.

Carolyn thanks. I went and read your e-mail at the other place. I just bagged the plants and put them out for the trash.

So I could use some enlightenment on this subject. My tomato plants are almost 2 month old not seedlings. I have I abused them? After they popped all the bloom everywhere and small tomatoes appeared, I added Kool Bloom (2-45-28) to them...soil, and foliar feed them with Sea Magic mix fish emulsion. Now a day later find the dark coloring on my stems, mainly where the small stems come off the main stalk, and the small stems are splitting at the joint of the main stalk.I'm not a very experienced grower,but I don't think the splitting is from poor support and the color looks alot like the mixture of seaweed and fish emulsion...anyone give me some insight. I guess time will tell. If they all die I will be so disappointed, I have really over babied them,need to just be patient.I planted these kinda late May 25th so looking forward to tasty tomatoes.I have more I planted the middle of June that don't have this condition,so I think I'll just leave them alone and stick to water!

I know this is not about leaf spots but was the closest I could find. I have 7 week old tomatoes most about 4-5 ft. tall. I have lots of bloom.Two days ago I added Kool Bloom to them (2-45-28) Yesterday I noticed lots of new growth on the tops, the tops going all curly and winding all over.Today I notice dark spots and long black streaks on my stalks, mainly where the small stalks grow from the main stalk and on the main stalk too and the smaller stall are splitting from the main stalk.Leafs are a little soft and droopy on the tops, I'm afraid I may have O D them.I guess I'll just have to wait and see,but if anyone can give me some insight to me ,maybe before I go out and find them dead, (man that hurts to think)I could use some encouragement!!

So focused on the added Kool Bloom that I didn't mention that I also spayed them down with Sea Magic mixed with Alaska fish emulsion.The white stuff on the leaves is where I dusted them down with Viper (like Sevin dust), then that evening it rained.I never watered or put anything on them in the heat of the day. Very early morning or late afternoon.

no those are cherokee purples / and the yellow ones are mislabeled plants from ace hardware / was supose to be mortgage lifters/ the only blacks i planted were black prince got 2 so far off it but there very good tasting

Well JT, they are surely nice looking and look as if they will taste good. I bet you have already eaten some!

I planted Black Krim this year, but don't think I will plant them again. They taste really good but mine is not a great producer. I also think they have about three times the seeds but smaller.

David

I'd agree with what Carolyn said, Dave wasn't putting you down. And what he said is very true. He also wished you good luck and to have fun in learning experience.
Not sure why you (IMO) overreacted about all this. Don't let this heat get the best of you.

Cheers,
Djole

I was working with some tomatoes and accidently broke off a healthy looking branch from a Celebrity tomato. I thought what the heck, I dug a hole and planted the tomato branch and watered it well. I had no idea if it would root or not but it did and is now bearing fruit! A couple of tomatoes plants died so I cut a few more branches from a healthy plant and they "took" as well--no coddling or anything, except to water every day we didn't have rain.

How deep is the soil they are planted in? If it is as shallow as it looks you will likely need to water every day. Be sure to pick any that are at breaker stage before watering.

Dave

Soil is straight into the earth...grass used to be there