Hey everyone, I'm a bit confused about my tomato plants and hoping for some advice. I have cherry and beefsteak tomatoes growing in containers on my patio. They look really healthy—tall, green, and full of flowers—but I'm barely getting any fruit. The few tomatoes that do manage to form seem to take a long time to grow or ripen. I'm watering them regularly, using organic fertilizer every two weeks, and they're getting around 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. I've even tried hand-pollinating to help things along. Is this just a matter of being patient, or could I be missing something important? Any tips would be much appreciated! Thanks! 🌱
4 Answers
You might want to check your fertilizer. If you have too much nitrogen, your plants will focus on growing leaves instead of fruit. Try balancing that out with more phosphorus and potassium, as they are crucial for fruit development.
Tomatoes can be really sensitive to temperature. If it’s been too cold or too hot for them lately, that could definitely be why your plants aren't producing. I noticed my tomatoes started thriving after the weather warmed up, but now we're facing a cool down so I’m worried too!
What zone are you growing in? It could be an important factor. Tomatoes are pretty picky about temperature, so if it's too cool or too hot, you might not see much fruit.
That sounds like a lot of fertilizer! I typically fertilize once a month or so, and I just use a balanced 5-5-5 mix here in SoCal. I've already harvested tomatoes three times this season, so it might be worth reducing your fertilizer frequency.
Exactly! When there's excess nitrogen, it can divert the plant's energy into foliage instead of fruit. Make sure to adjust your nutrient levels.