Gravity affecting my tomatoes

[morlogs]

Can anyone give me a clue why my tomatoes are falling of the vine before they even start to turn red?

 

[zigs]

That's not good Morlogs, i'm guessing its because its hot & dry. Are they getting a good soak in the mornings & evenings?

 

[Cheerio]

Are the tomatoes full size when they drop? You can still ripen them on a window ledge or in a paper sack.

Do you have the tomato plants supported? A wire cage is a good support.

Do the plants seem otherwise healthy? Are they stressed by the weather? It could be too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet.

Is there an abundance of tomatoes on the plant? It may be natures way of natural selection. The plant just might not have the ability to handle that many fruits drawing from it.

There are so many things that could cause the tomatoes to fall.

 

[morlogs]

That's not good Morlogs, i'm guessing its because its hot & dry. Are they getting a good soak in the mornings & evenings?

Hi Zigs. I water well in the evening but may try twice a day now. Thanx much my friend.

 

[morlogs]

Are the tomatoes full size when they drop? You can still ripen them on a window ledge or in a paper sack.

Do you have the tomato plants supported? A wire cage is a good support.

Do the plants seem otherwise healthy? Are they stressed by the weather? It could be too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet.

Is there an abundance of tomatoes on the plant? It may be natures way of natural selection. The plant just might not have the ability to handle that many fruits drawing from it.

There are so many things that could cause the tomatoes to fall.

Thanx Cheerio. I think you may be on to something with the abundance of tomatoes on the plant. I've never seen a tomato plant so heavy with tomatoes. Thanx again!

 

[Cheerio]

Ah! Well, I guess you better start picking. Fried green tomatoes may be on the menu! Pickled green tomatoes are also delicious. Or just let them ripen near the window.

Good for you for having such a generous plant!

 

[zigs]

The toms will only ripen if they are off the plant if they have reached that translucent stage. If they are still a hard green they won't.

Helps to have them near any other ripe fruit, especially Banananananas.

 

[Cheerio]

That makes sense. Ripening fruit releases a certain kind of gas, correct?

 

[zigs]

Yep, thats right, ethylene gas, most fruits give it off and it triggers ripening in the surrounding fruits.

 

[Cheerio]

That is why I hate factory farmed tomatoes. They are picked green and then gassed artificially. They have no flavor. Yuck.

 

[zigs]

Supermarkets are interested in size, colour and shelf life. Don't think flavour and nutrition come into it.

Most of our tomatoes are grown in huge greenhouses in southern Spain, bedded in Rockwool and fed hydroponically.

 

[Cheerio]

Luckily I live in an area that has a lot of small local farms that sell mostly at outdoor farmer's markets. The tomato season is so short, though. We'll have the wonderfully tasty heirloom varieties available in July and August, but the end of September (depending on if the weather switched to fall yet) the tomatoes are about done. I have given up on buying grocery store tomatoes. The smaller grape tomatoes and the Roma tomatoes are about the only ones with flavor.