So I got another tomato plant this year - after swearing them off. Again, it is in a huge pot on my deck. The weather here in NY has been cool until recently. I have a ton of tomato flowers but absolutely no little tomatoes yet. I water properly, I saw a bee there yesterday - is it still to early to see them? I am so frustrated. I tomato tone them too, every two weeks.
Do you see a little tomato forming where the flower used to be? Or do the flowers drop off?
The flowers have not dropped off, they are still there. Is that good?
It’s a little early for the northeast unless you have an “early girl” variety or started your plants very early.
Seeing bees is a good sign, that was going to be my next guess - no pollinators - but sounds like you have some.
Sorry you’re having troubles. Fresh tomatoes are worth it but the frustration of not getting any would be disheartening.
Thanks! I feel better. They are worth it but I’ve had something every year. One year Blossom end rot, on was hookworms (that was really gross!).
Yes. Blossom drop is a heartbreaker! Tomatoes should self-pollinate, but if you think yours are not (or you just feel like being a helicopter mom/gardener), try this:
I hand-pollinate my cucumbers with an eyeliner brush. But I am insane.
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I have too many bees and dragon fly all over my garden but since my son started to have a vegetable garden at our porch, he being an amateur, he complained there was not enough bees at our porch. So, he bought a square box that looks like a bee hive inside. He says that will attract bees. I just googled, there are quite a few on both amazon and Ebay. In googling, I found that the Japanese had started a drone for pollinating . Someone who has an almond grove is using them as he does not seem to have enough bees. I think they might be a thing of the future with all these declining bee population!
I notice that lavender is drawing many (previously absent) bees to our garden. I wonder if it might be a good addition to a culinary herb plot or area.
I may just try that!! Thanks!
Woot!
I am unreasonably happy!!
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They showed that TV too, some pros start using that on almond trees in France and pollenation done even at night with a 25% increase in production, if I remember properly.
I planted two heirloom varieties in one large pot about two and a half months ago. There are now maybe 25 green tomatoes on it of varying sizes and I’m waiting impatiently for them to ripen. None of them are as large as the variety card says they’ll be yet, so maybe the fact that it’s been rather cool in SoCal until just recently is keeping them from reaching maturity. Google says 20-30 days each for growth and then ripening. My luck they’ll all ripen at the same time.
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Yay! Do you know kind of tomato it is?
Sneaking under this umbrella of mystery tomatoes, I remember some of the best tomatoes we were ever able to grow came from vibrant seedlings that came out of out compost heap. I guess the life force prevailed.
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“Big Beef.” I usually do some kind of heirloom but opted for the beefsteak this year.
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Just as an update - since I posted I have gotten at least 10 little tomatoes and the plant seems to be very sturdy. Being tomatoes that I am growing, on my deck, with my brown thumb, I am waiting to see what will destroy them, but for now, they are looking really good! Attached a photo of the plant - you can really only see one of the tomatoes well.
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WOW. The plant looks great!
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Well done! Next time (and there will be a next time!), you can try a bigger pot if you want bigger tomatoes.
