A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 tomato help

Hello everyone,

My tomato's aren't doing so well. THey are not getting very big anymore, now they are about the size of a finger tip and are starting to ripen already, does anyone know why that is? And they are not suppose to be small tomato's....

Thanks a bunch,

Ninni

LOL. Sounds like a cherry tomato has found its way into your garden NW. Did you get any bigger ones off there at all?

oh yes...the very first tomato's to come off were smaller than I expected but still a good size..... About the size of my fist.... But they are just soooooooooo Puney now...lol Not sure what to do....


Ninni

How many tomatoes are there
on the part that is attached to the plant???

That may give you some insight as to what
kind of plant it is......

Usually a cherry type tomato will have
about 10 cherries on each side *20* or so
tomatoes to a grouping...

Other kinds may give you 5 total,
or my Beefsteak one's are 3 or 4 to a grouping..

no, I know what kind they are, there were betterboys, Which i don't think I will do again next year. Its just the tomato's are now only getting the size of my thumbnail before starting to ripen, they're not getting full size anymore

Thanks,

Ninni

Another question,
how did you have them planted??
In a garden or in pots/containers???

I had some in containers that sounds like
they did the same as yours... but mine were
volunteers, *came up from seeds/tomatoes left on top of the dirt from last year*
So, I don't know what kind they are sometimes
until I see how the clusters form the tomatoes
on the plant..

but the one's I had in the containers, didn't
get very big tomatoes, and only had either 3 or 5 on the cluster..so I was figurin' they were beefsteaks, celebrities, etc.??? ???

What kind of temps are you getting at night? Some folks are already starting to experience a seasonal slowing down of production due to colder temps at night and shorter days. Tomatoes that were once large behemoths are now shrivelled little things that have little flavour. If possible, you could try covering the plants with tarps at night..sort of a Fall version of what we normally do in spring to protect plants for an earlier harvest. You're just trying to stave off the end of the season now.

Buona fortuna,
Julianna

Maybe they are just ripening early as the days are getting shorter and they need to set seed to ensure survival. Other vegies do the same. Pumpkin for example will start getting smaller toward the end of the season.

Wow I didn't know that about the days being shorter. My tomato's are in planted in pots. The temp here has not gone below 50 here at night, but I never thought of that.....Wow, is the season over already IS the end near??????????


Ninni

No, the season's not over yet, so stop biting your nails, lol. But we are on the downside of the harvesting apex, that is sure. I have a huge harvest basket that I got for a loonie at a garage sale and put to much use in the middle of August when I was harvesting 30+ lbs of tomatoes per day. Now I use the smaller basket for something between 5-10 lbs per day. That's still a lot, mind you, especially when one large beefsteak can be 2+ lbs, so I'm far from complaining. With shorter days, though, you may start to see uneven ripening and some mushy or even mealy tasting tomatoes since the plants aren't getting as much light and heat they were a month ago. It's just a part of the life cycle. Take solace in the fact that you'll have months of glacial tundra to pour over seed catalogues and plan next year's garden ;o)

Cheers,
Julianna

Yeah, I had puney tomato's to begin with, so now, as you said, with the temp and daylight changes, they are even PUNIER!!! lol
But you are right, This year was the first year I have EVER planted anything, next year will be different, I think I am going to put them in the ground, or at least DOUBLE the size of my pots. I have also been watering from the top all year, which i heard you shouldn't do. Also, Next year, it is definitely Beefsteaks for us!!!!

Thanks for all your pointers!!!!

Ninni

PS..............

Is there anything I can start growing now and harvest for next year, or maybe even the end of this year?? I know its late, but you never know

Ninni

Peas you might try...
raddishes ????
Lettuce's love cooler weather..

But that's about all I would try for
my area.. *I'm an hour South of Buffalo
and one and one half hours North of the
Pa border..*
so, I personally don't do much.
I replanted peas, and but that was a wee~bit ago.
and I've been contemplating the lettuce,
but haven't quite gotten in to it yet....

And as far as next year, stick around here,
ask alllll the questions you need to,
and we'll have you gardening in no time..
We really enjoy helping getting the new gardener started.. there's nothing like the feeling of
starting, growing and harvesting from your own
garden, don't get discouraged and keep tryin'!

Thanks Weezie I won't!! I am excited about expanding my garden next year... And believe me, I'll be here asking lots of questions

Thanks again,

Ninni