My toe-maters arent growing. This is the first year I've ever grown tomatoes, so I dont know if this is normal or not, but they seem to be stalled. I thought we'd be picking them by now ... I really dont know the timeline. Do y'all have grown 'maters by now? I've got three different kinds, and none of them are full-grown ... so I dont know if it's lack of water, not enough sun, or if the soil needs something added to it ... they all LOOK healthy, pretty green ... no bugs or rot on them or the leaves/stalks ... just small. Do we have any 'specialists' out there, or can someone with experience give me some advice? I'd love to hear some of the tips you've learned!!
I've got fruit on all the plants .. quite a few baby tomatoes ... they're just not growing too big (or maybe it's too slow for me to notice).
Mine are a little late this year, too. I have picked some Sweet 100's (cherry tomatoes) but I don't have any ripe full-size tomatoes yet. Remember, with tomatoes it's important to keep watering every few days if it doesn't rain - a couple of times a week should be sufficient. But if the soil gets very dry, and then we get a lot of rain, that causes the tomatoes to split.
Serversnapper, what do you mean 'stress' the plants? I just now bought and planted some tomatoes (Lowes has a few left). We got plenty of summer left for growing, right?
elims: not sure what you've got your tomatoes planted in or what kind of feeding/watering program you've done, but it wouldn't hurt to get some Miracle Gro and feed/water them for about 3 - 4 days in a row and then every 4 - 5 days. It's almost impossible to burn your plants with Miracle Gro. If you know how to make your own "manure tea", that could be used instead, but I'm just a big fan of Miracle Gro. Are there any bugs or other pests on the tomatoes? Have you sprayed any Liquid Sevin on them? I've got some good looking tomatoes this year, if I can keep the blasted deer from eating them. (I've got some pics posted somewhere on the next few pages under "Strawbale Gardening".) Regards, Kent P.S. - just saw PirateGirl recommend Miracle Gro, so I'm seconding the motion. Tomatoes will grow up until frost, so you've got plenty of time left.
Stressing mean let it go without water a day or so. If it stays sunny. The plant will be forced to reproduce. Maybe someone else can give a better explanation. The plant thinks it's going to die(if it had a brain) and produces more rapid.
I have the same problem with my tomatoes. I've got plenty of flowers but no tomatoes. My FIL has a farm in Kenly, he recommended Epsom Salts instead of Miracle Grow. You only need to use a teaspoon per plant and it can be used on everything, fruits and vegetables, flowers, flowering shrubs, and even your lawn. I took a look at his tomato plants and he's got tons of tomatoes they just aren't red yet. He's also used it on his flowers and blueberries. I haven't put it out yet on my tomatoes but was going to do it today. I'll let you know if I start getting tomatoes. Veg-There's plenty of growing time left, I'll give you some of mine when they start coming in if you don't have any.
SS, you are absolutely correct! :shock::mrgreen: Another way to stress a tomato plant and get it to produce more quickly is to take a shovel and drive it straight down into the ground one time, right beside the plant. It cuts the roots in that one place and makes the plant think it's going to die. So it quickly ripens the tomatoes that are present. You don't want to do it all the way around, because then it really will die. The whole purpose of a plant is to reproduce. That's why deadheading your flowers gets them to continue producing blooms - they are trying to produce seeds, and if you let them go to seed, they're done. And here's a bit of trivia related to that - that's why red and yellow bell peppers are so much more expensive than green ones. As long as you keep picking them green, the plant keeps producing. Once you let them ripen on the vine, the plant is done, it has accomplished its purpose.
I have already been picking my tomatoes. I use Miracle Grow once a week and I water every other day. You have to with this heat. The first tomato a raccoon enjoyed. Dang it. :neutral: I also have cukes starting. They are about 3 inches long. That is funny yall are saying to stress the plants because my husband says you have to beat up potato plants when they produce flowers. Just go out there and ruff em up.....lol
We plant German Johnson tomatoes. Ours are large this year and plentiful. About 10 days from harvesting. Some good BLT's are right around the corner.
Google "epsom salt garden" (without the quotation marks). You get all kinds of interesting things. It's got magnesium & other stuff that helps the plants take up nutrients.
