Heirloom tomatoes not blooming?

[deckm00]

Hi, I started slices of store-bought heirloom tomatoes and then transplanted them into six inches of store-bought vegetable soil mix, on top of clay mix dirt. They grew and matured quite nicely but the few flower buds that do appear are dried out in the center. About half of them get at least a half-day of sun and the rest only in the afternoon. We've had some rain but mostly lots of heat and humidity lately here in central Pennsylvania. I water when the ground is dry but before the leaves wilt. Is it possible that these heirlooms are actually hybrids, or are my conditions not ideal, or am I just being impatient?

 

[Chuck]

Hi, I started slices of store-bought heirloom tomatoes and then transplanted them into six inches of store-bought vegetable soil mix, on top of clay mix dirt. They grew and matured quite nicely but the few flower buds that do appear are dried out in the center. About half of them get at least a half-day of sun and the rest only in the afternoon. We've had some rain but mostly lots of heat and humidity lately here in central Pennsylvania. I water when the ground is dry but before the leaves wilt. Is it possible that these heirlooms are actually hybrids, or are my conditions not ideal, or am I just being impatient?View attachment 69415

Your tomatoes are WAY too close together. The plants are all leggy and the foliage is extremely sparse due to reduced sunlight. Tomatoes need all day full sun in your area. Tomatoes are sensitive to nighttime low and daytime high ambient temperatures and blooms will either dry or drop if the temperature is not correct. It is probably too late in the season for any harvest of large fruited tomatoes. Also, it appears that your plants are growing in containers that are too small if that pot shown in the picture is what they are growing in. It makes no difference as to whether they are hybrids or not. What does make a difference is whether they are determinates or indeterminates and when they were planted. The plants should have been thinned to 1 plant per container.

 

[deckm00]

Thank you for your replies. Yes they are too close together so I guess that between that and the weeks of 90+ daytime and 70s at night would explain it. This is the first time in a long while that I've attempted a veggie garden of any type. Back in the day I'd space them enough that I could walk between the stakes and I've forgotten how important that is. They're not growing in containers but it is a small raised garden though with string beans growing next to the tomatoes.