General tomato plant "production" advice

[CocoaNut]

Here are the facts: I have 2 tomato plants (Better Boy) that have been in the bed for probably 4 - 6 weeks. They were planted in a raised bed where dirt (a sandy mixture) was brought in 10 or so years ago. For the past month, we've had quite an abundance of rain - ie sun has been limited on average to maybe 2 - 3 days/week. About 2 weeks ago, I gave them a sprinkle of granular fertilizer formulated for tomatoes. Temps have averaged in the upper 70's/day and mid-60's/nite, with a few nites dropping into the 40's.

Here's the issue: Each plant is very healthy, producing quite a number of beautiful yellow flowers..... that shrivel and die away without setting a tomato. What am I doing wrong, or what could be done differently so that the flowers will "make" a tomato? Do the plants just need to mature further?

[leanneabe]

Your flowers are probably not getting pollinated. You can self-pollinate by going through and touching all the flowers to spread the pollen around. You could use a q-tip, but I usually just use a finger.

[alwayscooking]

It's a common problem. Here's a link to cause and control:

http://gardening.about.com/od/problem...

[Zeldog]

There's your solution. Make it be 10 degrees warmer day and night and convince the bees to visit your garden. Just be patient.

[harrie]

You can also encourage the bees to come on over by planting some very basic plants that they like -- marigolds, zinnia, sunflower (that one takes a while, though), a bunch of herbs -- around your garden. You don't have to go crazy, though that helps; just intersperse some flowers/herbs among your veggies. A bonus -- marigolds are supposed to deter a bunch of bad insects, including whiteflies, so they do double-duty. (But keep marigolds away from beans.)

Here's a full list if you hate zinnias, marigolds, et al.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-gr...

And patience always helps, too. :)

[kchurchill5]

Warmer days and night for sure, but it is always hot in FL. I too when I plant my tomatoes, I plant some marigolds near by or butterfly plants. When it is too hot, very often here. Same problem, NO fruit, lots of flowers. The annuals really seem to help Just buy a couple at the home depot or local nursery rather than seeds and it should help pretty quickly. When I lived in MI, Memorial was the weekend we planted. It is a bit early

[TampaAurora]

When did you plant your toms? I'm only a few miles north of you, and I just planted my early girl about a 3 weeks ago. Did I plant too late in the season for any fruiting to occur?

[kchurchill5]

I planted early March, then some late March, then a couple early April.

I don't think too late, just a polinization process. I do plant flowers by mine, marigolds, butterfly plants, just a few around the tomatoes which help attract bees. One year I had more than I could eat the next, hardly any. It has been warm enough and not too hot. Over 85 and then tend not to do well. Late april and May planting is difficult but usually ok. I would recommend earlier however. But try some flowers, even in you just get some marigolds and put them in a pot at the base, it may help. As I said, Many good years but a couple with no fruit. It can happen. I had 4 plants that did amazing and 4 8' down in the front did nothing. Same sun and shade factor. All similar varieties. Polination from what I have read and heard is what happened. Since I used the flowers ... it seems to work. Zinnias, marigolds work good. Just pick them up at Home Depot. Let me know how you do. You should still be ok. Ground or pots? Sun or shade or a mix?

[TampaAurora]

I have one Early Girl in a Topsy Turvy hanging outside in full sun until this week's rain. My first blossom just showed up yesterday!!!!

[kchurchill5]

Best of luck. I just planted 2 in my topy turvys. I use during the warmer months. Just planted 4 plants 2 in one and 2 in another. We will see. It is a little late, most of mine are almost done The two April ones are just starting to get ripe. But In the topsy turvey I have had luck late around may planting.

Best of luck hope for shiny little red bulbs. I hope they work. I did pick up some great heirlooms at the market and some FL sweet onions which I love. The small eggplants, portabellos, lots of peppers, zuchinni, and a little of this and that.

[TampaAurora]

There are now two blossoms. I'm a tomato plant mom!

[kchurchill5]

A tomato Queen!! Go Girl!! I hope they fruit up for you. I'm hoping mine do the same. I'm late on these last ones but thought I would try. I planted some marigolds close by to encourage bees and insects. Sounds like good news for you.

Congratulations, first of the season!

[James Cristinian]

I've never known pollination to be a problem with tomatoes. The OP's problem is it's too cold. I have hundreds of tomatoes on my patio and have yet to see a bee for the three seasons I've been growing here, nor has my main resource source mentioned it. Squash and fruit trees yes, but I don't think it's an issue with tomatoes. A tip for the OP, when your plants start to set fruit, hit it with a low nitrogen fertilizer (first nunber) , as in a 12-24-12. Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, not what you need at this stage.

[kchurchill5]

I've grown them for over thirty years since a young girl. Polination can be a problem. Not always, but it can be. The one year I didn't get flowers I didn't plant some annuals near by and all of a sudden, flowers. Yes it can be. Issues in FL vs NY vs MI are all diffferent but polination does play a role.

[James Cristinian]

kc, one year you didn't get flowers, or was it they didn't set fruit? The plant will flower no matter what. If it doesn't set fruit, it could be a pollination problem, although I have never experienced it, I find temperature is usually the issue.

[kchurchill5]

Yep, plenty of flowers, not fruit, that is why I figured pollination. Temp is not a problem here, 80+ Too hot is also a prob but this was late spring so 70-80's. I added the marigolds and some flowers and problem resolved.

[James Cristinian]

Do you get alot of wind? It's always pretty windy here in the spring, maybe that helps.

[kchurchill5]

At times, we always had wind in MI, down here it is hit or miss. One year great, one year not, the flowers are my key but it is hard too warm is bad, my season it almost over but I do have lucky with my topsy turvey in semi shade for the small yellow pears this time of year and the small plums. My heirlooms are over. Greenhouse is too hot right now. 88 the other day, rain today. And that is 88. The temp on the porch was 93 in the sun.

[April_Florida]

I dont know if any of you would be interested in knowing this - but i am also in florida - Ocala exactly. I went crazy with seeds at the end of march and came out with about 250 cherry, beefstalk and early girl tomatoes. I think that the best advice I have ever received for planting in florida was to burn dead maple branches and mix the ashes into your soil. It is absolutely the only thing I did to my garden and it is BEAUTIFUL. It has been about 70 days from starting from seed and I have literally hundreds of almost ripened tomatoes.. cucumbers and squash being picked everyday and watermelon the size of cantaloupes. try it out sometime - you might find success =) good luck to all of you.!

[LauraGrace]

You can go to your local garden center and grab a bottle of "blossom set" which will help your blossoms stay on long enough for the fruit to set on. HOWEVER... where are you? Seems like May is awful early for tomatoes to try to start fruiting. They really need HOT days to mature properly, and 70s... eh. How tall are the plants?

[harrie]

Couldn't hurt to plant some flowers nearby that pollenators like - my go-tos are zinnias and cosmos, both easy to grow (and easier to transplant).

[gourmanda]

Sounds like they went in to the ground much too early. 40 degree nights are much, much too cold. And as LauraGrace said, 70 isn't all that warm. Only limited sun...not great tomato conditions.

[CocoaNut]

Thanks all for your input. I'd imagine the problem is a little of what each of you have said. Good article in "about.com". It seems to hit on what everyone else has echoed: temp/humidity, pollination and fertilizing. As to temp, here in N. Central TX, we have 4 seasons: winter, early summer, summer and late summer. During the true summer months, it becomes much to hot for the plants and they literally burn up (this I know from past experience). Anyway, in the past, I've never had much luck with reaping more than one or 2 tomatoes per season. My annual plantings have become a standing joke among my friends :), but just one year, I'd really like have an actual "crop".

I suppose I need to be patient and wait for warmer weather (which the 80's are forecast beginning this weekend), but one more question. The plants/foliage are quite healthy and robust - each plant is about 3', one is very full, the other less so. Should I prune them back?

[cleopatra999]

when tomatoes are growing you want one strong main stem, not the offshoots. As it is growing, and especially now start pinching off the new growth that occurs in between the branches. It will be a small green growth at the 'V' of the branch. This helps the energy go into the tomato production instead of green growth. Also I wonder if your soil is needing help. Low fruit production could mean a lack of one of the nutrients. Perhaps someone here can tell you which one, or even better is a quick easy soil testing kit.

[rainey]

To pinch or not to pinch is, of course, one of the enduring issues of tomato growing. I don't claim to have all the answers but I'd just like to represent the other approach to this.

Plants with more leaves manufacture more nutrients and oxygen. They produce more and more vigorous roots. Plants with more leaves shade the fruit and reduce sun scald. Plants with more leaves are better able to resist foliar disease -- they may still get diseased but they can hold out longer against it and that may mean tomatoes that get to ripen. Plants with more leaves produce more fruit -- the fruit are smaller but there are more of them since each of the shoots at that "V" will become fruit-bearing branches too.

My beloved grandfather was a pincher. He's the reason I garden in the first place. But I won't pinch.

[CocoaNut]

I guess I really do need to be patient with these little guys as I just checked them and there are 3 tomatoes! (2 that just developed and 1 about the size of a ping-pong ball - it's been hiding behind a bunch of leaves).

But in any case, the other night, I did touch all of the flowers and just now, I pinched off all of the new growth in the "V"'s. Plus, we have a upcoming week w/temps promised in the low 90's. That's how it is here. One week - 70's, a day or so later - the 90's, which is one reason I tried to get an early start this year.

Anyway, for everyone's input, Thanks again!

[janniecooks]

It isn't really necessary to touch all the flowers, just grab the stem of the plant and give it a good shake to release the pollen. If you've multiple stems just shake in a few places to get all the flowers dancing.

[cleopatra999]

on this pollination note....I have pepper and tomato plants in a mini greenhouse (shelving unit with plastic over lay) as it is far too early for them to go into the ground. my peppers and one of my larger tomato plants have flowers already. It is too early for pollinators.

will it be useful for me to employ these self pollinating technique on them? or is it unlikely that they will produce anything in this greenhouse setting anyways? they will not be in the ground for another week and a half at least, potentially longer.

[janniecooks]

Not having grown anything in a greenhouse, I don't know the answer to your question. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to give the plants a little shake to release and distribute the pollen. Perhaps some greenhouse experts will weigh in on your question.

[weezycom]

It's going to stress your plants to transplant and trying to grow a good root system while simultaneously trying to put power to the tomato fruit. I would sacrifice blossoms until the plants had been in the ground for a couple of weeks.

[cleopatra999]

does that mean pinching back the new growth too?

[weezycom]

I wouldn't go that far. But if there is already fruit on the plant, the plant is going to put the bulk of its efforts toward making seed if it's in a shocked state (transplanting).

If it's any consolation, that tomato you might have saved would probably have been puny and with skin as thick as a rhino's!

[cleopatra999]

I don't have much for tomato flowers yet. it is actually the peppers I was thinking of specifically. there are a good 3-4 flowers on each plant already.

[MakingSense]

Tomato plants shouldn't be pinched back. Some of us remove "suckers" on vining or indeterminate varieties of tomatoes but others say that isn't necessary and claim that it cuts down production.
I've found that the early flowers don't make a lot of difference. The fruit set from them isn't first-class so I don't worry about it much. Sort of practice tomatoes for the plants I guess.
Here's a quick breakdown on the difference between determinate and indeterminate types of tomatoes and how they act.
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/to...
Most container varieties are determinate. You pretty much have to grow most of the indeterminates in the ground to have serious success.
But there are soooo many different types that there's always some that break the rules. Keeps life interesting.

[CocoaNut]

Oh no and Boo-Hoo.... Given my many unsuccessful attempts at tomato production over the years, are you saying that the 6 or 7 tiny tomatoes that have materialized in the past couple of days (at least since my OP) are just practice tomatoes??? I am so excited to see them, I really hope they are worth eating.

[MakingSense]

Don't give up. You may well have a couple of things going on.
You're still having cool nights and days that aren't as warm as tomatoes like. No way of changing that so you'll have to be patient.
Not a lot of sunshine either. That will change as we get into summer. Much of the US has had a pretty rainy Spring. I had to plant my garden three times one year because it got washed out and then stuff rotted in the beds. Frustrating for me but devastating for our local farmers whose livelihoods depend on their crops.
You've also been having a rain and that slows the tomatoes down. They like the soil temperature at about 70 degrees and the wet soil stays too cool for them to be happy.

Another possibility is that the soil in the raised beds is simply depleted after 10 years unless you've constantly added organic matter.
The good stuff leaches out and isn't effectively replaced by fertilizer of any kind, organic or otherwise.
Try side-dressing the plants with compost and gently working it into the soil. You can use a combo of compost and peat moss which will help retain moisture when that East Texas weather heats up.

Lastly, ask some of your neighbors if they have good luck with that same variety of tomato that you have planted.
Not every tomato is suited to every place in the US, even if garden centers sell them. They tend to order the "name brands" and people buy the ones that they see listed in the media or books.
People near me on the Chesapeake have great success with some varieties and wouldn't give you a nickel for others which are very successful in Pennsylvania or the VA Piedmont where they have cooler nights.
Once you figure out a tomato variety that is successful for YOU in YOUR garden, you WILL have success.
Then compost and have patience. This WILL work out!!!!

[CocoaNut]

Thanks for the support! :) I'm just excited that the plants are actually producing something...... As I said, this has been many years coming. Now that I have found an area where they appear to be adapting, along with a variety that also seems to be adapting, next year I'll duplicate that, but put more effort into bed preparation. For now, I'll follow your advice and work in some amendments and maybe cover with mulch, as next month will probably see temps inching well into the 90's and upwards.

[janniecooks]

it's generally not a good idea to plant a crop or crops from the same family in the same space from year to year - a three year rotation is ideal. Why rotate? Diseases and insect larvae that bother one crop and winter over in the soil won't have that crop as host the next year and will peter out. Also crops vary in nutritional needs and planting one crop over and over in the same space will deplete the soil of the elements needed by that particular crop.

Not planting a vegetable in the same space also means keeping in mind the plant family. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes are all from the same family, so you would not want to plant tomatoes where last year you grew peppers, and so on. It can get complicated, and if space is limited one may not have a choice. But rotation is worth implementing if you can.

[CocoaNut]

Thanks - I remember about crop rotation from my elementary school days. ;) I did NOT know about "families", so thanks for that tid-bit. However, I thought you could plant in the same space for 2 - 3 years without much problem.

(And I am VERY limited - although I could maybe squeeze out another small area, at least to give an every-other-year rotation)

[janniecooks]

I've always read and followed the advice to use succession planting, that is never replant the same crop/crop family in the same plot/space. And I've not read that it's okay to plant the same thing in one place for two to three years. If anything, I think the "rule" is NOT for two or three years. So ideally your tomatoes will have four different spots in the garden to grow, and every fourth year each spot grows tomatoes again, while the other years you may plant legumes, brassicas, and lettuces in rotation, say. On the other hand, if you can't do that, your harvest may suffer a bit, and you may have to battle pests and diseases with more chemicals, but sometimes one has no choice. We aren't all blessed with plenty of garden space and sometimes have to make do with what we have.

[MakingSense]

I think this is generally true and should be done in a perfect world. Another reason why gardening is much more complicated than all the general circulation media outlets are leading people to believe.
Sadly, most people also don't have the kind of garden space to practice this kind of crop rotation. We have to do the best we can.

The exception to your very accurate advice should consider the differences between hybrid and non-hybrid (i.e. heirloom) plants.
The majority of the veggies that most people will buy for their gardens are hybrids and they've been bred to make gardeners successful and happy by making the plants disease- and pest-resistant.
Hybrids will do pretty well for several years in the same spot as long as the soil is replenished with organic matter and kept healthy. Some people have grown their hybrids successfully in the same plot for years and years.
Heirlooms? Nope. They are often susceptible to fungus, pests, and diseases. They may have mysterious problems the first year. Planting them in the same place in successive years is asking for trouble - exactly as you caution.
Is this true of ALL heirlooms? No. Some are very strong but you never know.
Does this mean that you shouldn't plant heirlooms? No. All of mine this year are heirlooms, including some "experimentals" that I have never tried before.
But I'm keeping an eye on everything. We'll see what happens....

[janniecooks]

I never thought about the differences between hybrid and non-hybrids. Thanks for pointing that out - it certainly makes sense!

[harrie]

We mix up the hybrids and heirlooms, too -- but recently I've noticed that more and more heirloom tomato descriptions include the terms disease resistant, wilt-resistant, crack-resistant, pest-resistant, etc. Which is, you know, a good thing in my book.

With regard to room, if you grow a variety of crops, you can rotate, but it takes some planning. We started with a 25x35 plot and broke it into quadrants; the following year, a given crop shifted into a quadrant adjacent to its previous one. It's definitely easier to rotate with more room, and we've tripled the space since then; but still, if you take a couple minutes to plan, and keep your past plans handy for a year or two, it's a lot easier to handle.

[MakingSense]

The internet has made it soooooo much easier to get the details on both hybrids and heirlooms. Not all of either of them are suited to all areas of the US and you're more likely to be successful if you read up on the characteristics of the specific varieties before you commit.
The hybrids are often bred for certain areas of the country, e.g. Rutgers Univ. created the wonderful Rutgers tomato for the Garden State of New Jersey and they are rightly famous for that tomato. That doesn't necessarily mean it's going to do well in New England or Upstate New York.
Heirloom are heirlooms. They are stabilized for certain characteristics but some are naturally better for certain things than others and do better with heat or in cooler climates, for instance.
I can't grow Black Cherokee for love nor money but a friend directly across the Chesapeake Bay grows them for farmers' markets and has bumper crops. She has different weather patterns even though we're only 40 miles apart.

The best thing is to ask neighbors who have been growing tomatoes for years. Find out what they succeed with.
Start with THOSE and then add some "experimental" varieties each year until you find others that work in YOUR garden.

[harrie]

I've been doing tomatoes for many years. Have had great success with Rutgers in SW Connecticut; and I think others here have, too, as they're getting harder to find. Grew Brandywines in containers, then in our garden plot, along with San Marzanos and some hybrids.

[rainey]

One of the neat things about a sturdy cage is that you can grab one part of the cage and rattle the whole plant.

That said, I'd be willing to bet it's an issue of temperature and that your blossoms will produce fruit when it warms up. When you do start to get fruiting, if you're still not getting a reasonable amount of fruit, check to see that you're not overwatering. Overwatering will produce plants with lush growth and sparce fruiting.

[jen kalb]

No point in getting an early start in the garden with tomatoes and peppers - they like HOT weather and really will not grow until the warm weather has fully settled in. Here in NY I have not put mine in the ground yet.

You can compensate by caging them with plastic etc to create a mini-greenhouse effect and keep the wind away until it warms up fully. Its not always smart to buy those already flowering plants too early since it sets you up for unrealistic expectations.

Ive really never seen tomato polination problems - cucumbers and squash, yes, tomatoes no - its more likely to be an environmental problem, temperature etc.

[CocoaNut]

For a Brooklyn girl, you may be right. But Brooklyn doesn't fly in Texas. Mine have been in the ground for 4 - 6 weeks and have 14+ beautiful plants just waiting to turn red. Unfortunately, the suspected leaf wilt may have other designs. But so far, they're holding on.

[harrie]

You're whacking those little yellow buggers, right?

[CocoaNut]

I've only seen that one, but check the plants thouroughly ever day/early evening. I read that that's when they appear.

I plan to buy a bag of lady bugs in the next few days and set them out. I've cleaned out some flower beds in the last week, so there should be lots of muchies to keep the ladies busy.

[cleopatra999]

I did not know that you could buy lady bugs by the bag! good to know.

[jen kalb]

this is why when we talk gardening we should mention geography!
Im envious of your reddening tomatoes

[MakingSense]

You have to wait for the sun to catch up with your tomatoes no matter how warm it's been.
The further North you live, the later the sun reaches its height in the sky.
The Summer solstice is about June 20-21 and across most of the US, gardeners don't get strong and consistent tomato production until just in time for the Fourth of July except in the furthest South and with some really "early" varieties.
Then the bees will buzz and it will also be hot enough for the tomatoes to be happy, happy, happy in the long sunny days.
Tomatoes will also stop producing well and ripening on the vine as consistently when the sun moves back South again after the Fall Equinox. Depending on how far North/South you live, that's it for tomatoes for the season, regardless of the heat.
It's the daylight.

I garden in the Mid-Atlantic and don't even worry about setting our my tomato plants until about Memorial Day.
I used to until I found that it made virtually no difference. The late-sets and the early-sets were about the same size with the same rate of production by the second week of July.

[Gio]

Another thing to consider regarding tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, among others in the Nightshade family is that they are heavy feeders. Meaning that it's wise to spread some 3 yr old compost into the planting hole and top dress with compost and/or composted manure after planting. Also, a mulch of salt marsh hay keeps the soil at an even temp. which provides an ideal growing condition. Remember not to use overhead watering. Instead water just the soil in the early morning. The best method is drip irrigation. Easy to intall yourself, and a timer on the outdoor spigot makes it carefree.

Who ever said gardening is easy..... there's no such thing as a no maintenance garden. But the joys are huge!

[janniecooks]

Gio, you are so right about the drip irrigation. I had been trying to manage my garden with hand watering and it seemed like I could never get enough water deep into the soil - much of it just ran off - and it became too much of a burden. Finally after two seasons of mostly failed manual watering I finally installed a drip irrigation system with a spigot timer like you advised, using components purchased from Home Depot and Lowe's, and it made all the difference between a flourishing, easy to manage , joyful and productive garden, and a garden that I dreaded going into due to its pitiful appearance and low yields.

[cleopatra999]

I love the idea of the drip irrigation, however we have been using rain barrels. You cannot (that I am aware of) get enough pressure for a long hose. we water everything by hand with a watering can. its slow but not too bad with 2 people. our tap water has flouride and chlorine in it. i think the plants do much better with the rain water. :)

[MakingSense]

Try using some 2" PVC pipe lengths cut at a 45 degree angle on the end, and about 15 inches long, and sunk down near the roots. (I add them when I plant the tomatoes.) Leave about 3 inches above the soil line Use those to deep-water the tomatoes. The roots will grow down toward the water and the plants will develop deep, drought-resistant root systems.
I usually let my seedlings get "leggy," strip the lower leaves, and plant the seedlings very deep. Roots will develop all along the stem adding to the drought-resistance of the tomato plants.

A really deep drenching twice a week or so is the best for tomaotes. Surface watering (unless you really soak deeply) can promote the growth of surface roots which dry out quickly if you have to be away from your garden, or if there is an extended heat wave.

[RanchoCielo]

We are operating a truck farm here in Texas. This year we will hope to get 6000 tomato plants in production with other items as well.

In our experience - be it small or large bedding operations - the T-Tape Irrigation is the only way to go. You make the raised bed - put the tape into the middle of the bed at about 12 inches in depth. Cover the bed with black plastic if you hate weeds. Sit back and watch it grow like mad!

You can install an auto feeder that will fertilize as you water - and the root balls get huge and deep as they grow down to the water.

No 10 - 20 pounds of tomatoes here - more like 30 as a base line.

good luck

[alwayscooking]

Just finished sawing and drilling the PVC pipes and off to the garden to install. It's a neat idea.

[MakingSense]

Rancho Cielo is really right about deep watering. Tomatoes love it and will seek water down deep.
Once I started planting mine deep, deep, deep, and watering deep, deep, deep, my yields increased significantly.
The added bonus was that when I stopped wetting the foliage, diseases decreased.
My tomatoes were much more drought resistant.
Frequent, shallow watering doesn't seem to make tomatoes happy.

There are some farmers near me who grow for farmers' markets and they use similar systems to what RanchCielo describes. Deep watering at the roots - not overhead irrigation.

I think that this also saves water in the long run since it's not evaporating at the surface or flying off into the breeze.

[cleopatra999]

let me make sure I understand. 1 pipe/tomato plant buried at an angle. I have an opening to the pipe above ground that I pour the water into? this sounds easy! and still transportable when rotate year to year.

we have a bed up front that we are going to bury a soaker hose. this will house mainly lettuces. we will still opt for using the rainwater where possible.

Instead of a soaker hose, could you use a pipe with hole in it? pour the rainwater into it? or would it all just rush out the first hole?

[MakingSense]

My soaker hoses have always been on top of the soil and under mulch where I use mulch. I've never buried them. I have decent water pressure but I'm on a well and it does weaken if I try to run too long a length of soaker.
The soakers do fine for peppers, squash, onions, lettuce, etc. and of course for ornamentals.

I used the pipes one-to-a-plant so the water gets waaaay down to the root of each tomato. I have to do that with hand-watering with the hose, but I usually have fewer than 25 tomato plants.

[cleopatra999]

I am going to try the pipe trick on a few of my plants, see what happens and be able to compare. how deep should they get planted?

[MakingSense]

Tomatoes will grow roots along their stems. Amazing trick.
I usually let mine get "leggy" and remove leaves except for the top set and then plant them all the way down leaving only that top set of leaves above the soil line. One year we even used a post hole digger to get them waaay down into the ground.
It takes a little while for them to start growing again and then they just take off.
When I've pulled them up at the end of the season, they've had terrific root structures. All along that stem that had been buried.
My vegetable garden is not at my principle home and sometimes I don't get there every week so I have to really drought-proof my garden in case my friends don't get over to water. This has really worked well.
The tomatoes also get a steady source of water from down deep and are less prone to cracking if we have a few days of heavy rain since they drink steadily. It takes a long, long time for the soil to dry out 12 or 15 inches down. Then you've got a serious drought.

[cleopatra999]

hmmmm....don't know if we can go down that far. 12 inches down might be clay. will have to see. I cannot imagine I would want to put them in clay.

[cleopatra999]

one more question. does this technique require a longer growing time?. i won't be able to get my toms in the ground for at least another week and we will be all done by late August or (fingers crossed) early Sept. I am concerned about 'burying' so much of my plant. do they still grow to the same height or do you end up with more of a tomato 'bush'?

[harrie]

We don't do the drip irrigation, but we do strip some leaves and plant the seedling very deep -- and the plants grow to normal height (if not a little taller). The plants catch up just fine, time-wise; their maturity, harvest, or what have you isn't delayed by planting them deeply. We harvest as late as the weather permits - usually to the end of September at least, but that's mostly because we hate to whack the plants.

[CocoaNut]

I know that this is going to seem like a silly question, but how long does it take for a tomato to ripen? I now have about 20 green tomatoes on my 2 plants, the first of which has been on the vine about 4 weeks. It's green with no signs of changing colors. I know I'm impatient as this is the first year I've actually had the tomato appear, but is 4 weeks to mature "normal"?

Given the intense summer heat that will be arriving in another few weeks - well, I have little hope for the late "bloomers" making it as the plants generally have a difficult time surviving during and after the month of July.

(From my "green bug" post, I've assessed that the disease wasn't spotted wilt, but more likely early blight from the large amount of rains that have occurred. I'm now doing a weekly spray with the milk/water/baking soda spray - but doesn't really seem to be helping with leaf yellowing moving up the plants.)

[kchurchill5]

The yellowing can be from lack of fertilizer, or too much water or just the hot weather. Lots of probably causes. Yes, 4 weeks, it should of started, but the later in the season is hard to get good ripe tomatoes. I would give them some time.

[weezycom]

Yes, it takes an eternity from a tomato to go from green to red, and even longer for the first one. I timed it once -- it was approximately 4 and a half years.

It will actually start to get much paler green briefly before it starts turning faintly pink, so that's something to watch for.

[cleopatra999]

you must mean weeks? our toms actually ripen pretty fast, our season is so short, they have to!

fyi, if the weather becomes a problem and your toms are still not red, pick them, with the stems on, and put them in a paper bag on the counter in your house, they will ripen. they won't be quite as good, but they will still be better than at the store. :)

we do this at the end of our season. a month or 2 later, I was still amazed that the really green ones ripened!

[weezycom]

Oh, I definitely meant years ;-D

[CocoaNut]

I'm soooooo angry! My first tomato is finally ripening and I looked out to see a @$#%@## blue jay eyeballing it. So I cut it off, stem on and will try the "bag method" to finish ripening. (It's currently a pale orangish mostly all over) Even if it doesn't ripen, the blankety-blank bird didn't get it!

Since most of the plant leaves have dropped due to whatever "illness" it has, this will probably be my only 'mater, although there are probably about 20 more in varying stages of growth. There's always next year.....!

[weezycom]

I feel your pain. I was caging up my tomatoes this past weekend and broke off a branchlet with my largest baby 'mater on it (almost grape-sized). I apologized profusely to the plant, but I don't know if it will forgive me or not.

In better news, another plant has a branchlet with five! baby 'maters on it, all about the size of a chickpea now.

[James Cristinian]

A couple of things. i see you live in Grapevine, I'm in Houston and have been harvesting since early to mid-April; I would consider planting earlier, although we are less prone to late frost than you are. Your tomato is ripe, no need to put it in a bag, unless you're in a big hurry to eat it. It's not necessarily ready to eat, but it is ripe. Commercial tomatoes are picked green and then gassed with ethelyene during transit to "ripen" them. Before I moved to my apartment patio farm, I had a large garden, and blue jays are the worst, I'm surprised your prize lasted this long. I used to pick them when they started turning ripe at my house, and now, at my apartment, I've tried them in different stages, and really can't tell the difference. Just keep it in a cool place, but not the refrigerator. Plant as early as you can. I'm on my second to third generation on my cherries. The earlier you plant, the longer production you'll have. If you do have a late freeze, you can always replant, they're not that expensive.

[CocoaNut]

James! Thanks for the "local" input and advise. I was getting a few "too early to plant" comments back in March when I was in line to buy the plants, but yes, from what I'm experiencing now, I'll definitely try to plant by the beginning March next year. And with only 2 plants, if a frost/late freeze does come, it'll be easy to cover them.

I have every! intention of enjoying this one, very pampered tomato - thick sliced between 2 pieces of bread with lettuce, near crisp bacon and mayo, s&p. And who knows, maybe I'll even be able to get one or 2 more before the heat or the jays win.

[kchurchill5]

I have that silly upside tomato planter they sell on TV working. FYI, the stupid thing really works. I have 10 beautiful tomatoes, I did a small heirloom variety. Even know in the heat. Go figure. My ones in the ground 3 fruits left and then done for the summer.

[kattyeyes]

As a preemptive strike, you might want to put out other "treats" to distract the blue jays from your tomatoes. They go nuts for peanuts and eggshells.

My mom had a similar moment of "garden rage" years ago when our husky snatched a lovely ripe tomato for herself. The dog was thrilled. It was as if she picked her own ball off of a tree. Imagine. ;)

[kattyeyes]

Distraction in action. Let me know if it works for you. :)

While we're talking tomatoes, do any of you use Tomato Tone? We have a bag, but haven't used it yet.

Also curious if anyone in New England has a sign of tomato life yet? There is one very small Roma tomato (looks more like an "ugly" than a plum) on the half dozen or so plants on the deck. Some of the rest just have flowers.

[harrie]

<<Also curious if anyone in New England has a sign of tomato life yet? >>

In southwestern Connecticut - One of our Polish, short-season plants has a small fruit on it. Otherwise, we're used to waiting 'til maybe mid-July and of course, swimming in tomatoes around early September.

It's been so rainy - some of it torrential -- for about ten days, with little sun, so we're just happy all the plants are still hanging in there. And actually, they look pretty happy.

[CocoaNut]

weezy! I did laugh out loud INDEED as I believe you sensed my *frustration* and meant to type years, albeit in a sarcastic fashion! It does seem like four years. I wonder if the person who coined the "watched pot never boils" adage ever waited on a tomato to ripen?

Still chuckling......

And cleo, thanks for the paper bag tip!