Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

By Ellen Brown

Question:

I planted tomatoes from seeds in May. The plants have lots of blossoms, but there is only one green tomato on only one of the 7 plants. Is there something that I should do to stimulate the plants? Thanks for your suggestions.

Hardiness Zone: 7a

Josie from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Answer:

Josie,

Most tomatoes take anywhere from 30-60 days to mature from seed, and several environmental factors can affect their ability to set fruit. Heat is one those factors. Once daytime temperatures reach into the 90's and nighttime temperatures hover near the mid 70's, tomato plants have trouble setting fruit because high temperatures render the pollen sterile.

There are a couple of strategies to combat this problem. The first is to grow varieties that mature earlier, before the Oklahoma summer heat sets in. Smaller tomato varieties (e.g. cherry) usually need less time to mature, while larger tomato varieties take longer. The smaller varieties are also more likely to set fruit better in hot weather. You could also buy established seedlings or start yours indoors several weeks before transplanting in order to give them a jump on the season.

If your plants still haven't set fruit by the time the intense heat sets in, try to keep your plants healthy and consistently watered and once the temperatures drop, they should resume setting fruit. Other factors that prevent tomatoes from setting fruit include low temperatures (below 50ºF), a lack of sunlight (less than 8-10 hours), inconsistent watering, damage from pests (e.g. thrips), or too much nitrogen fertilizer.

Ellen

About The Author: Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com

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RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

If you only planted them from seed in May, you are too early to expect ripe tomatoes. Give them a little more time. I planted my seeds on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and nurtured them indoors until the first week of May. I think I will harvest my first cherry tomato tomorrow or the next day. The large tomatoes are still hard and green. I live in the high desert part of New Mexico. As far as the comment about tomatoes not setting the first year, the second responder is correct, they are annuals and bear the first and only year. The second responder might be watering too much. If you do that you get a lot of plant and not many tomatoes. Cut back on the watering some and expect a better harvest. (08/01/2006)

By Katie A.

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I have had this problem before. I was told to knock the tops of the tomatoes out. This puts them into shock and then they set on fruit. They are annuals, so they grow, fruit and die all in one year's time. There is no second year for them. From a KSU Master Gardener (08/02/2006)

By gdeer61

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I live within an hour of you. I always either buy established plants or start mine indoors earlier so I can set plants out by the beginning of May. The plants must have enough time to mature, bud and set fruit before the heat of our summer sets in. It gets extremely hot here in the summer, and tomatoes will flower, but not set fruit in the heat of our summers. My tomatoes are usually finished by the end of July or the first of August. If your plants survive our summer, about half of mine routinely die even though I set mine out early, water, and mulch them, they will flower and set tomatoes later in the season after it cools. These tomatoes won't quite be ready before our first freeze, but you can pick them green and allow them to ripen on their own. (08/03/2006)

By Susanmajp

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

Well, I actually caught a bird eating the new growth off much of my plant one day. That explains why there are no more blooms. I remember that "Blossom Set" worked well years ago. My plants are actually in a sort of "hole" downhill from the Apple tree about 4 feet away, so I may have foolishly planted my whole tiny new garden patch just too close to the 8 yr. old Apple tree. I'll keep trying different places.

The plant actually grew out some new green growth after I added egg shells to the soil around it. I have had no other pests, because I also remembered to plant Basil about 6 in. from the plant. Companion planting works really well for us, but it still produced poorly because of the stress of the heat. I can water deeply in the early morning, the plant really perks up, but by 3 pm and hot sun, the leaves are wilting. I might consider transplanting it into the shade this week to try to salvage and extend it's growing season by planting it deeper still. Hope I don't kill it, then again it wouldn't be a great loss under the circumstances. One of the best gardens I ever saw was under a huge old tree, protecting it from the hottest hours, but the soil had to have been enriched and required extra water and fertilizer. (08/03/2006)

By Lynda

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I had a year where my tomato plants were beautiful, very large and healthy looking but no fruit. I was told to water them with apple juice. It worked. I had loads of tomatoes by the end of the month. (06/26/2008)

By Jesse

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Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I have a healthy tomato plant. It put on 4 tomatoes right at first and now it has loads of blooms, but the blooms are just drying up and there are no more tomatoes. Please help.

Hardiness Zone: 6a

By penny2009 from Camdenton, MO

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RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

Maybe you need some bees. (06/03/2009)

By crunchberry

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Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

My tomato plants are blooming, but no tomatoes are forming.

Hardiness Zone: 7b

By bluehen from TN

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RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

We live on the north shore of MA and have had a lot of rain. We are having the same problem. I found out that because we had so much rain the bees were not able to pollinate the flowers thus no fruit.

Nancy Mc (07/26/2009)

By handicapped91

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I feel your pain. I live in FL but would imagine the circumstances are the same. One, it could be lack of pollination, in which case, take a small artist brush and pollinate the flowers yourself. It could be too much rain, it could be nighttime temperatures are too hot, or too cool. For a desert plant tomatoes certainly are temperamental. Hope this helps. (07/26/2009)

By maleesh

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I live in Oklahoma and have had tomato plants in my gardens every year for what seems like forever. If I don't plant them in the veggie garden, I plant them in bare spots around my house foundation. There are a few things that have worked well for me over the years.

One is that when the plants bloom, but the tomatoes don't set on, you can take a broom handle down close to the main stem and do what my grandmother always said: "Beat it with the broom". You don't beat it so hard that you'll break the main stem or even any leaves. You just basically give it a few good thumps. I don't know what it is or what it does to the plant, but it works.

The 2nd is to keep them watered, but don't water them so late in the day that the leaves don't have time to dry before the sun goes down, otherwise you eventually get a mold and rot. And lastly, I know that when the weather gets super hot (we were in the 110's a few weeks ago), no matter what I do to them, the plants will not set on fruit. Don't worry though, because once it cools down a bit, I'm going to have more tomatoes than I can even give away.

A little secret for having bumper crops of tomatoes: Plant tomatoes in hilled rows that have been covered with straw and allow to grow on the ground. Plant carrots between the tomato rows and you will have sweeter carrots and tomatoes to sell when the neighbors get tired of them and you've put away so many that you're sick of them. (08/02/2009)

By Juanita S.

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

First, no tomatoes will set fruit if the temps are above 90. Tomatoes are self pollinating so all you need to do is shake the plants once in a while to pollinate them.

Once every 2 or 3 months give them a shot of Epsom salts, 3 TBSP in 1 gallon of warm water, you can add it to Miracle Grow or use plain; it is also great if your leaves are yellowing and you can add the Epsom salt treatment to everything that grows, from grass to trees.

Don't use too much cow manure, a little is good, but too much will make the leaves grow at the expense of flowers and fruit. Goat or rabbit manure is better.

When you plant the tomatoes in the ground remove all the bottom leaves, I only leave maybe 2 sets of leaves on the top and plant the stem up to the leaves. I also dig down below where the roots will rest when planting and add manure and mix well, the plants will hit the manure eventually and give them a boost. Making "manure tea" is also a great way to fertilize them.

For larger tomatoes, remove the suckers as you see them, they are the new sets of leaves that appear in the crotch area between the stem the leaf joints, if the sucker gets very big use scissors to cut them off and you can root them in a glass of water and start your own new tomato plants.

To help fight dirt borne bacteria always stake the plants and don't let them lay on the ground. Last but not least, water the plants very deeply, a little sprinkle will encourage the roots to grow up to get the water and some tomato varieties can send roots over 20 feet down. (08/26/2009)

By wolfbytez

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Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

My tomatoes are blooming, but not setting fruit. Please help.

Hardiness Zone: 10a

By Ingrid

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RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I believe this usually happens if they are not getting enough sun and too much water. I think it is a little early to grow tomatoes. I usually buy plants in April (I am in Santa Monica, which I think is zone 11?) and get fruit in mid-July. (02/24/2010)

By gamehen

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Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

My tomato plants are very healthy, but have not produced fruit.

Hardiness Zone: 9a

By Pam from Jacksonville, FL

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RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

Mix 1/8 cup of Epson salt with 1 gallon of water and give them a drink. Tomatoes thrive on magnesium. (05/26/2010)

By bkvander

RE: Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

Last year my tomato plants were healthy as could be, but I wasn't getting any tomatoes. I found out that I was watering them too much. Also they were very leafy and so I cut a lot of the leaves off and lo-and-behold they started producing tomatoes. Give it a try. (05/26/2010)

By Jamessgirl

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Tomato Plants Not Producing Fruit

I have 2 tomato plants growing in my garden, next to each other. One is a Better Boy red tomato plant, and the other is a yellow tomato plant.