Other than leaf problems, one of the most common issues gardeners have with tomato plants is a lack of tomatoes. Many of us who have grown lush bushy tomato plants have stared at them wondering, why won’t my tomato plants produce tomatoes?

So let’s talk about reasons why a tomato plant just won’t flower and fruit and what you can do to fix it.

Why Tomato Plants Make Flowers But Don’t Produce Fruit

First off, tomato gardeners have to have patience. After you plant your tomatoes in the ground, it will typically be a couple of months before you’ll be harvesting fruit. Every variety of tomato has a different time to fruiting which can be 90 days or more.

But how long before a tomato plant flowers? Tomato plants usually flower pretty quickly after planting, but those first flowers may not set a lot of fruit early in the season. This can be normal and should improve as the weather warms up. Can tomatoes flower too early? Only in the sense that low nighttime temperatures can affect their pollination.

Tomato flowers are complete flowers which means they have both a male part and a female part. This is what makes them self-pollinating, so you do not need pollinators to make tomatoes from flowers. But many environmental conditions, like relative humidity, can cause problems with the flower’s ability to self-pollinate.

A tomato will grow from the female part of the flower, and takes several weeks to ripen – depending on the variety. It’s really hard to be patient waiting for the fruit to ripen on your plant, but the first thing to do is to search your variety so you know the typical time to fruit for your particular tomato variety.

If your plant is giving lots of flowers but not producing tomatoes, then it’s time to consider one of these reasons for poor production of your tomato plants.

Extreme temperatures cause lack of fruit setting

A tomato plant will grow in a wide range of conditions, but temps on the extreme side can impact the number and quality of fruit your plant makes. If your nighttime temperatures are dropping into the 50s or daytime temperatures are in the 100s, then you’ll have issues with flowers being able to self-pollinate.

You may even see the flowers falling off the plant (aka blossom drop) without setting any fruit. Extremes in humidity will have a similar effect causing pollen to be too sticky or not sticky enough to fertilize the pistil. If temperature and humidity are affecting your tomato fruit set, you might just have to wait for the weather to become more cooperative. 

We usually plant tomatoes a week after our last frost date, but it’s still going to be too cold to expect a lot of fruit just yet. You may even want to place cold frames and frost protection over your plants in the first couple of weeks. If you know your area gets hot spells in the summer, plant your tomatoes where they will receive some afternoon shade or try growing under a shade cloth. In areas where there are no frost dates, you may have better luck planting your tomatoes in the fall as the hot weather is too much for tomato plants.

Other environmental causes for lack of flowers on your tomato plant include storms and strong winds that displace small blooms, fungal diseases present in the soil, and pest stress.

Water stress can cause blossom drop

One thing my husband used to say about gardening is to make sure I kept my watering in the Goldilocks zone…not too much and not too little but just right.

If your plants are having periods of drought and flooding, they’ll often respond by dropping their flowers. It’s best to water tomato plants evenly and regularly. Drastic changes in their watering schedule can lead to tomato fruit problems.

When possible, install drip irrigation at the base of your plants and soak the soil only when necessary. Depending on your environment, you may need to water every day or only once a week. Knowing how much to water your tomato plants is really a practice in observing your garden and getting to know the specific conditions that affect your plants.

Signs that your plant needs to be watered include dry soil (obviously), curling of leaves, sagging stems, and suckers that flop or fall over.

Pruning will help improve flowering and fruit set

Note that pruning is not recommended for determinate plants. Learn more.

Left to their own devices, indeterminate tomato plants can become enormous sprawling vines. Some gardeners prefer to grow their plants this way and have great results. But in my experience, letting them bush out leads to fewer and smaller fruit. Think about it as if you are a tomato plant, what is your purpose in life? It’s to reproduce by making tomatoes.

So when life is good and there’s plenty of space and nutrients to grow, then the tomato has no motivation to make fruit. It can continue to vine out and take up as much space as it needs. But if there’s any indication to the plant that it won’t be able to grow, then it will shift gears and start making more fruit. So I like to prune my indeterminate plants down to one or two vines.

This not only encourages it to put more effort into fruiting, but it removes some of the bulk of the plant and allows me to watch for issues like pests or disease.

Check your fertilizer for excess nitrogen

If you’re unfamiliar with the basic nutrition needs of plants, here is a great explanation and guide to using fertilizer. But in short, nitrogen encourages leaves to grow and phosphorous encourages fruit set. So if you’re using a fertilizer that has too high nitrogen concentration or lacks a full spectrum of nutrients, then your plants may not be setting as much fruit as you’d like.

I always prefer to use organic fertilizer because it’s much easier to get the dosing right. Synthetic fertilizers are often high in nitrogen which can lead to burning leaves and blossom end rot. But even if used appropriately, they can cause a low fruit set because there is too much nitrogen in relation to potassium.

Look for an organic fertilizer that has equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous (5-5-5) or has less nitrogen and more phosphorous (2-6-4). For a more detailed explanation of what those numbers mean, read this article.

Monitor for signs of pests and/or disease

There are many fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases that can affect tomato plants. Most often these are present in the soil in your area, and they are very hard to eradicate. The best thing to do is to inspect your tomato garden several times a week if not daily. Signs of infection that can stifle tomato production include wilting, stunted growth, spotted, yellow, or misshapen leaves.

It’s frustrating to find disease in your plants, but there are only two options once a plant is infected. Let it grow or pull it out. By the time you see infection, there’s not much you can do about it. Except in the case of lack of water, always pull out wilted tomato plants and get rid of them asap. Some forms of wilt will spread quickly if not removed, and sometimes even then it’s not enough.

For most diseases/infections, your plants will either tolerate the disease and grow through it or they’ll succumb to the stress and die. Any treatment you apply is really to prevent spread of the disease to other plants, although this is often an effort in futility. Tomato varieties often list what we call a disease-resistance package, and it’s recommended to choose plant varieties with resistance to diseases common in your area.

Heavy infestations of pests like aphids or spider mites can put additional stress on a tomato plant that can have an impact on fruit set. How you decide to implement pest control on your plants is a personal decision. On our farm, we like to use organic treatments like diatomaceous earth, spinosad, and Bt. If it gets really bad, we will use Pyganic but this is a very broad spectrum organic pesticide that we use only sparingly.

Should I remove flowers from tomato plants?

Generally, no you do not want to remove flowers unless you are trying to decrease the number of tomatoes you’ll get.

I’m sure there are some people who do this in certain circumstances, like early in the growing season. Why let the plant waste energy on flowers when it’s too cold to set fruit? I don’t know how much difference it would make in future fruit set, but I could understand the reasoning. Likewise, I know some people limit the number of fruit on a plant to encourage the fruit that does set to be larger/healthier. However, this is not something we do or recommend doing for tomatoes.

That’s why a tomato plant flowers but no fruit

With the exception of weather and disease, it is possible you can redirect your plant’s growth to encourage more fruit set with the above tips. If you’re new to gardening, then running through this list will help you learn to observe and respond to your plant as needed. Experience is really the biggest route to success with growing tomatoes, so even if you didn’t get a great crop this year, try again next year and the year after that. You’ll get better and better at it and enjoy it the whole time. Happy Gardening!

The post Reasons Your Tomato Plant Flowers But Has No Tomatoes appeared first on You Should Grow.

These denser tomatoes make your work easier as you’ll need fewer tomatoes and less time to make your sauces. Among tomato nerds like us, we call canning tomatoes with these qualities plum tomatoes or paste tomatoes.

What type of tomato is best for salsa?

Paste tomatoes have characteristics that are desirable for making sauces and salsas. These tomatoes have less juice, gel, and seeds which cuts down on processing time.

They’re also often grown on determinate, bushy plants that have high yields in a short period of time. This is desirable since you want to be able to preserve the crop in batches.

Some say paste tomatoes are mild in flavor, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The flavor will be somewhat intensified as you condense the tomato into a sauce, and a mild tomato makes sauces that don’t overpower the flavor of the rest of your ingredients.

One variety of paste tomatoes that many people are familiar with is the Roma tomato. Romas are a great salsa tomato, and you’ll see lots of similar varieties of tomatoes referred to as Roma type.

Another commonly recommended paste tomato is the San Marzano. San Marzanos are praised for their flavor and texture which are ideal for homemade tomato paste, sauce, or salsa.

The problem with paste tomatoes

The thing you don’t really hear talked about is that home gardeners often find that these tomatoes are hard to grow.

That’s because they’re very prone to diseases that can wipe out an entire crop which is terrible when you’re trying to grow food for your family. Paste tomatoes are also notorious for struggling with blossom end rot which makes the tomatoes unusable.

We’ve grown dozens of varieties of paste tomatoes, and we know that some plants will get blossom end rot (BER) on every single fruit. It’s incredibly frustrating!

Blossom end rot is a complex disease process that has a lot to do with how you grow your tomatoes, but some types of tomatoes are more prone to the disorder than others.

For example, elongated tomatoes with pointy ends (like San Marzano) are very prone to BER whereas cherry and heart-shaped tomatoes are very resistant.

Growing tomatoes for canning sauces and salsas

For best results growing paste tomatoes, make sure you’re burying your tomato stems as deep as possible leaving only 2-3 sets of leaves above ground. Mulch the base of your plants heavily to help block weeds and prevent moisture loss.

The way you fertilize them will affect their growth. To make healthy plants that bear lots of fruit, fertilize at planting with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer and then switch to potassium-rich fertilizer when they start making tomatoes and repeat as needed every 4-8 weeks.

It’s incredibly frustrating as a family that eats A LOT of tomatoes, that we haven’t found a really good producer in the paste tomato category.

So I went on the hunt for some paste varieties of tomatoes that are resistant to disease AND least likely to get BER. These suggestions are from seed companies and fellow tomato nerds who grow and trial many types of tomatoes to find what works the best.

Some are hybrids and some are heirloom tomatoes. If you’re not sure what that means, check out this video:

Best hybrid tomatoes for canning

Big Mama – A beast of a tomato made for dicing, this is a very popular variety for home canners. Known to be a great producer of meaty gargantuan fruits some say this is the best tomato for salsa.

Little Mama – Grow an impressive cluster of small roma-type tomatoes on indeterminate plants with this variety. It’s said to be easy to grow and a heavy producer.

Granadero f1 – an indeterminate variety, this hybrid has a killer disease package. It’s a heavy producer of extremely uniform medium-sized tomatoes with great flavor.

Pozanno F1 – another indeterminate that has incredible resistance to diseases and is not prone to blossom end rot. Has the classic San Marzano shape but doesn’t give in to long, hot summers.

Gladiator hybrid – if you’re looking for a larger paste tomato, consider growing this indeterminate variety by Burpee. This is a Roma type, but quite a bit larger and, despite its large size, is supposed to be good for patios and smaller gardens.

What heirloom tomato is best for salsa?

Heirloom tomatoes are great because they provide tried and true harvest for your salsa canning. Here are some great heirloom, or open-pollinated, varieties that you can choose from.

Amish Paste Tomato – praised for its sweet flavor and heavy fruit set, this classic heirloom tomato is an excellent choice for your favorite salsa recipe.

Marzano fire – A striking yellow-striped red tomato that has shown great disease resistance. This variety, bred in southern California by Fred Hempel, is loved by many who grow it.

Rio Grande – bred to be tolerant of both hot and cold temperatures, this determinate plant sets lots of red, 6-8 oz tomatoes. The thick meaty tomatoes have a mild flavor but are great for canning into paste, salsa, and sauces.

Saucey tomato – An early producer of heavy yields of small red meaty tomatoes with great flavor. The fruit keeps well on the vine so you can harvest all at once.

Goldman’s Italian American tomato – a very large thick-walled pear-shaped tomato that is great for canning. A unique heirloom variety that has an excellent flavor for saucing.

Santa Maria – a somewhat rare indeterminate Italian heirloom paste tomato that has an excellent sweet flavor. It’s meaty and has few seeds to make canning easier.

Heidi – Excellent flavor and resistance to blossom end rot are the winning features of this tomato. Although the tomatoes are on the small side, the plant is very productive.

Oroma – A very dense, not too juicy, long-holding tomato originally released by OSU. Has excellent resistance to BER despite its oblong nippled shape. I’ve heard great things about this nearly seedless paste tomato.

San Marzano Redorta – large Italian heirloom paste tomato with a great taste and impressive disease resistance.

Can you use any type of tomatoes for salsa?

Sure! Feel free to mix the types of tomatoes in your sauce or homemade salsa. If you don’t have enough Roma-type tomatoes, don’t hesitate to chop up a hefty beefsteak tomato.

One of the best things about growing your own tomatoes for canning is that you can mix in several different varieties to make your salsa. This can improve the flavor and texture of your home canned goods.

Are green tomatoes good for salsa? If you’re talking about green-when-ripe, then sure! They make a beautiful salsa, though their flavor tends to be more tart but I encourage you to try it. However, green tomatoes as in unripe tomatoes are not recommended for fresh eating.

Are grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes good for salsa? They’ll taste good, but it will take a lot of tomatoes and chopping to get enough sauce or salsa to preserve.

So if you’re looking for the best types of tomatoes to mix together for salsa, I recommend trying a few different varieties and seeing which ones you like the best. Experimenting with mixing different types of tomatoes to add sweetness, acidity, and texture to your favorite recipes, is just one of the pleasures of making it at home.

You could also try adding some of your favorite flavored slicing tomatoes or roast some cherry tomatoes to add flavor to your sauce. You can always freeze some tomatoes as the harvest is coming in and use them later on when you’re ready. There’s no right or wrong combination of tomatoes for making sauce, just use what you like to eat.

What is the difference between Roma tomatoes and regular tomatoes?

Paste and Roma-type tomatoes are best for salsa because they have a denser fruit with less juice and fewer seeds. When you dice other tomatoes, you end up with a big mess of seeds, juice, and gel. All of that part gets removed if you’re making fresh tomato salsa. With less of that wasted portion and a thicker, firmer flesh, these types of tomatoes provide more meat for your recipes.

Are Roma tomatoes good for slicing?

Although they’re not categorized as a slicing tomato, they are great for this purpose. For the same reasons mentioned above (less seeds, juice, and gel), you will enjoy adding fresh slices of Roma tomatoes to your salad or sandwich.

Got another paste tomato to recommend?

Share it in the comments!

The post 14 Best Tomatoes For Salsa, Canning, And Sauces appeared first on You Should Grow.

If indulging in homegrown tomatoes is the goal, then starting tomatoes from seed is the best way to get there. Starting tomato seeds indoors allows you to control the earliest moments of your tomato plant’s life.

Healthy, happy seedlings do better at transplanting and yield a better crop. Store bought plants may have been mislabeled, treated with chemicals, or stressed and this can really affect the results you get at home.

Growing Tomatoes From Seeds

Tomatoes are actually not hard to start from seed, but there are a few tricks of the trade that can help you get better results.

So in this article, we’ll go over:

● The ideal conditions for germinating tomato seeds
● How to take care of tomato seedlings in their first weeks of life
● Answers to common questions about starting tomato seeds

Before you get ready to start your tomato seeds, you first must choose some tomato varieties for your garden. Not all tomatoes are created equal, so it’s good to do your research before your pick among the thousands of choices.

When To Start Tomato Seeds

You’re shooting for 4-6 weeks before your last frost. You can start them earlier, but any less than 4 weeks and you might not have enough season to get fruit off your plants.

If you’re new to gardening, using seed starting calculators is super helpful. But if you’ve been gardening a while and know your approximate frost dates, start your plants 1-2 months prior to your last spring frost.

For example, in our area of Georgia, we start planting in April. So I know we need to have our tomatoes going by March. My sister lives in New Jersey where the last frost can come as late as mid May. So all of her tomato seeds should be planted starting in April.

What You Need To Grow Tomatoes From Seed

First things first, make sure you have all your supplies. You don’t need any special equipment here, but investing in some basic seed starting supplies definitely helps improve your results.

Recommended supplies:
● Seeds
● Germinating mix
● Containers + dome lid or plastic bag
● Labels
● Heat mat w/ thermometer (recommended, but not necessary)
● Shop light or grow light

How To Sprout Tomato Seeds

Step 1: Fill your container with premoistened germinating mix all the way to the top.

Especially if you’re using a soilless germinating mixture, wetting it down before you fill your containers makes sure that you get even moisture throughout.

Prevent air pockets (where roots can’t grow) by tapping your container to make sure soil settles into all the spaces. Top off with more germ mix if needed.

Step 2: Put seeds in the container

There’s not a real science to this, but you can do a few things to ensure the best results.

➤ Don’t set your seeds too deep. If you push your seeds too deep, they may have trouble popping out of the soil. I use my pointer finger to do this: up to the nail bed but not past the first knuckle.

➤ Don’t crowd them. It’s okay to put multiple seeds into your container, but if they’re too close the roots will get all tangled. You can always cut some out, but if you want to keep all your seedlings, make sure there’s enough space to separate them later.

➤ Do cover them lightly with germ mix or vermiculite.

Step 3: Label container

I recommend putting the variety name, number planted, and date planted.

Step 4: Soak them with water, then cover the container

Give your freshly planted seeds a healthy watering. You don’t want them swimming in soggy soil, but you do want to make sure they maintain some moisture.

Placing a dome lid over your tray or putting your tray in a bag will help keep the moisture in and slow drying.

Step 5: Set them on a heat mat

Here’s where the supplies you choose can make or break your results. To maintain temperature an ideal soil temperature of 80-85 degrees, you really need a heat mat.

If you do use a heat mat, make sure you get one with a thermometer so you can accurately control the soil temperature and not burn them up.

Just setting your seeds inside your house is probably warm enough but you can give them a boost by placing your seed tray on top of your refrigerator.

FYI: Don’t try to use a heating pad, they get way too hot and it’s really easy to cook your seeds and seedlings.

At cooler temperatures (75-80F), you can expect germination to be slower and less consistent-meaning some of your seeds may not sprout. Give them up to 10-14 days to sprout if you’re not using a heat source.

Step 6: Put up a light

Tomatoes don’t need light to germinate but hanging it on day one means it’s there as soon as that first seeding appears. Waiting to hang the light can lead to problems…namely long leggy stems.

You can use a regular shop light with a bright white bulb or buy a seedling specific grow light. Hang the shop light just a couple of inches above your seedling trays. If you’re using, bright LED grow lights you don’t want them quite as close.

Growing tomatoes from seed FAQs

How many tomato seeds per container?

This is up to you, but here’s my recommendation. If they are brand new seeds and you have a heat mat set up, you’ll probably get close to 100% germination. So plant exactly what you need plus maybe one or two more.

If the seeds are old, were saved at home not using fermentation, or if you don’t have a heat mat set up, plant a few extra just in case they don’t all come up.

If you plant extra seeds and they all pop, cut out the weakest sprouts and leave only what you need.

How long does it take for tomato seeds to sprout?

It will take as few as 2 and up to 10 days for your seeds to sprout.

Do I need to fertilize tomato seedlings?

Seedlings will need fertilizer once they are about 2 weeks old. We usually don’t fertilize until after we’ve transplanted them from the small cell seed starting trays.

Caring for tomato seedlings after they sprout

Once they sprout, continue to check on your seedlings daily. Sprouted tomato seedlings simply need water and light for the next week or two.

Keep them covered and on heat to facilitate sprouting and water when the top of the soil appears dry. After 10 or more days have passed (or when all the seeds sprout), you can remove the lid and pull them off the heat mat.

After your seeds have sprouted and are about two weeks old, you’re ready to move on to part two of growing tomatoes from seed: how to transplant your seedlings.

Questions about starting tomato seeds?

Cool. I’m on it! Leave me a comment or join my Facebook group to get help.

The post Growing Tomatoes From Seeds: The Complete Guide appeared first on You Should Grow.

Ready to grow your own hairy tomatoes from seed? Start here.

Tomato plant hairs are actually trichomes.

Your tomato plants are covered in trichomes. Some are long and look like white fuzz on your tomato stem. In the photo below, you can see the glossy strands of the long trichomes poking out all around the stem.  But there are also super tiny ones that look more like little bubbles covering the surface of the tomato plant. Those bubbles are actually perched right on top of super tiny trichomes.

Why do tomatoes have trichomes?

Tomatoes have trichomes to help protect them from pests and disease. The tiny trichomes on tomato plants are like glands that secrete essential oils which give tomato plants their wonderful scent. It is precisely that scent that aims to repel some pests. The tomato plant can react to times of stress by altering the compounds within its trichomes to attempt to deter critters that may want to chomp on it. It is presumed that the pests find the taste, scent, or texture of the essential oils unappealing. If you’ve grown tomatoes before, you know this is not a fail-proof method by any means. But who knows how many more pests would be present without the distasteful oils.

The leaves and fruit of tomato plants are also covered in trichomes. As with the stem, there are trichomes on tomato fruit and leaves that keep them coated with essential oils. Trichomes and their oils form a barrier to prevent bacterial, fungal, and viral infection in addition to trapping water and reducing evaporation.

That’s pretty cool, huh?

Why do tomato plant trichomes matter to gardeners?

It is important to understand the role of the trichomes so that you can be cautious not to damage this protective layer. When pruning your tomatoes, be careful not to squeeze or scrape your plants. Your tomato plant can repair itself, but the wound is an invitation for infection to enter. The damaged area is without the protection of trichomes until the plant can form a scar over the wound.

You may also notice that oils will also begin to accumulate on your hands and fingers during pruning. It starts out as yellow, and as it becomes caked on your skin, it turns black.

Trichomes are to blame for tomato fingers.

If you’ve worked with your tomatoes, you know what I’m talking about! A dirty black film builds up on our hands when you’ve been handling your tomato plants. It happens when you plant, prune, tie up, or harvest. The more time you spend with your tomatoes, the more it gets caked on your fingertips. Some people call it tomato tar.

I call it Tomato Fingers!

These fingers are somewhere in between the green and black stage. Probably with some red clay mixed in. But you get the idea.

It is the build-up of the compounds on the trichomes that make that nasty film.

Remember that the trichomes secrete essential oils? Those oils are what become stuck to your finger and nails. They’re very sticky, and they don’t wipe off easily.

If you are familiar with this stuff, you also know that hand soap seems to just slide around on top of it. That is because the oils are not water-soluble. And don’t try to wipe it off with your hand towels because it will stain them!

I use rubbing alcohol or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and paper towels to scrub off as much as I can. With the crust wiped off, you can more easily get your hands clean. The alcohol dissolves the oils and makes it easier to wash your hands clean with soap and water.

Trichomes are a tomato’s best self-defense

Isn’t that cool that tomatoes can defend themselves with hair?! I am in awe of all the beautiful ways mother nature solves problems. The tomatoes needed a way to defend themselves. They don’t have arms or legs or brains, but they have hair. And they made that work. That’s neat.

If you like finding out cool things like this, please grow a garden. There’s lots of cool stuff to be found out there!

Need some help getting started? Check out these posts

Beginner Gardening Tips

Seed Starting For Beginners

Five Tomatoes You Should Grow

More Info

Visit these additional sites for some seriously awesome tomato hair pics and more info about trichomes.

What type of trichome is on tomato plants?

There are two types of trichomes – glandular and non-glandular. Tomatoes have both glandular and non-glandular types of trichomes. Wondering what trichomes look like? Here’s a microscopic view of tomato trichomes and how they interact with a thrip.

Here’s some more nerdy stuff if you like to know the technical details.

Biomechanics of trichome defense

The development of type VI glandular trichomes in the cultivated tomato

Overview of secretory and glandular trichomes.

The post What You Need To Know About The Hair On Your Tomato Plant appeared first on You Should Grow.

When you see a tomato plant wilting, you’re left wondering:

Is it just thirsty or does it have a disease?

In some cases, you just need to adjust your watering schedule and your plant will be fine. But sometimes, wilting is a symptom of infectious disease that can ruin your entire crop. There are some clues that can help you distinguish between them, and in this post, I’m going to go over the causes of tomato wilt and what you need to do to help your plant recover.

What causes tomato plant wilting?

Tomato wilt is a symptom of dis-ease that makes the tomato plant leaves droop and lose their shape. Wilting is most commonly a sign that your plants need water, and all plants will respond this way to dehydration. If the soil is dry and your plant is droopy with flat, thin leaves, you probably just need to water it. It should recover, but if it got too dry or this happens very often, don’t expect a good crop off of that plant.

On the flip side, too much water can cause wilting of plants. In this case, the soil around the plant will be wet and the leaves will droop but stay hydrated. Let the plant dry out and watch it for the next couple of days to see how it does. Don’t water again until the top inch of soil is dry. Container plants will also need some fertilizer as nutrients were likely washed out with the overwatering.

Pro Tip:

Watering tomato plants is a balancing act. Tomatoes need even moisture, and they don’t respond well to periods of dry or soggy soil. Water stress can lead to problems like tasteless fruit, blossom end rot, and cracking and even facilitate the spread of disease.

Other environmental causes of wilt in tomato plants

Tomatoes that experience a frost will wilt and not recover. The freezing of the water in their cells causes them to burst thus killing the plant. Also, certain trees like the black walnut, will stunt the growth and cause wilting of many plants including tomatoes. It is recommended not to plant under or near a walnut tree. If you’re looking at your wilted plant and there’s not an environmental issue causing wilt, then you might be dealing with one of the infectious causes of wilt.

Infectious causes of tomato wilt

When experienced gardeners and farmers talk about wilt, they are often talking about an infectious disease. Tomato wilt can be caused by many types of viral, bacterial, and fungal infections that can infect and destroy your entire crop. That’s why it’s very important to determine whether your plant is having a physiological response to stress or it’s come down with a sickness and you need to get it out of your garden asap.

There are several common causes of infectious wilt:

Tomato spotted wilt virus

Tomato spotted wilt virus is an infection that is can be seen worldwide. This viral infection is transmitted by several species of thrips which are tiny biting insects that find hosts on tomatoes and many other plants.

TSWV is not a disease of just tomatoes, but can also be found on peppers, potatoes, and several other flower and weed species. Symptoms vary by strain of virus, species of plant infected, and age of plant infected.

On tomatoes, symptoms usually appear on the youngest/growing portions of the plant. While signs of infection vary on a case by case basis, plants usually exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:

• Leaves turn a brown/bronze color and may curl upward
• Leaves can get clusters of small black spots
• Wilting and death of the growing portions of the plant.
• Both green and ripe fruit are lumpy with ring-shaped marks

Unfortunately, there is no way to treat infection with TSWV and infected plants should be culled and burned or tossed into the trash. You can send your plant for testing at your local university extension service if you want a firm diagnosis.

To prevent the spread, you really need to focus on getting rid of the thrips. If I knew they were spreading TSWV, I would skip all the horticultural oils and treat instead with either PyGanic or Naturalyte. Both of which are organic approved pesticides.

My preference is for Naturalyte because the active ingredient, spinosad, has no residual effect on pollinators, but PyGanic is a sure bet to get rid of your pest problem. In either case, avoid spraying when bees and other pollinators are active.

Fusarium wilt

Fusarium wilt is a fungal infection common in areas with warm, moist weather. The fungus lives in the soil and enters the plants via their root system.

As it spreads, it grows up the inside of the tomato plant to the stem and branches via the vascular system. This clogging of its vascular system is what causes the symptoms of wilting and stunted growth. You’ll first notice the lower leaves turn yellow and start to die. Sometimes only one side or branch is affected at first, but eventually infected plants die.

This fungal disease is persistent in the soil indefinitely so the only recourse is planting resistant plants (indicated by the letter F after the name) or growing in new/sterilized containers and potting soil. Do not compost – destroy infected plants.

verticillium wilt

Verticillium wilt is very similar to fusarium wilt, but is more common in the north and favors cool moist soils. Verticillium wilt does not kill tomato plants but rather causes a drastic decrease in vigor and production.

Symptoms appear later in the season and include yellow discoloration of the older (lower) leaves of the plant. On the leaf, yellowing often begins in a v-shape and eventually extends to the whole leaf. The plant will wilt during the day but recover at night. Fruit may set but are smaller and fewer in numbers.

Both Fusarium and Verticillium will be evident if you cut open the stem of affected plants. You’ll see a brown to black discoloration of the vascular system whereas a healthy stem is only shades of green.

While there are ways to tell the difference, it can be very difficult to distinguish between verticillium and fusarium wilt in the field. So if you want to know which your property is affected with, you’ll need to send your plants to your local university extension office.

Like Fusarium, once verticillium is established in the soil, it will remain indefinitely. There is no way to treat or prevent infection so the only course of action is to plant resistant varieties (look for resistance label V) or plant in new containers and soil. Don’t compost – destroy infected plants

Bacterial Wilt

Caused by the bacterium Ralstonia (Pseudomonas) solanacearum, bacterial wilt works in the same way as the fungal wilts. The bacteria grow in and lead to the death of tomato plants. This bacteria thrives in hot and wet soils and once established remains infective for many years.

Bacterial wilt can be distinguished from other forms of wilt at home. Compared to the fungal wilts, bacterial wilt causes wilting of the youngest (uppermost) leaves. Leaves do not turn yellow but rather stay green. When you cut the stem of tomato plants infected with bacterial wilt, you’ll see a white milky substance instead of the brown growth of the fungi.

When freshly cut stems are placed in a glass of water, you can see the white substance draining from inside. If you notice these symptoms and suspect your plant is infected with bacterial wilt, pull it out of the garden right away and dispose of it. Don’t compost – destroy infected plants.

The only method of control for bacterial wilt is planting resistant varieties or grafted plants on resistant rootstock. There is no treatment for infected plants or soil. If you confirm the presence of bacterial wilt in your garden, you’ll do better to plant tomatoes in containers from now on.

Root knot Nematodes

Nematodes are tiny wormlike creatures that infest and feed on tomato roots. Their presence causes knots or galls of the roots and damages their ability to take up food and water. Symptoms of root knot nematodes include wilting, stunted growth, and pale color. You’ll also see the knots or galls on the roots of the plants.

You can find tomato varieties that are resistant to nematodes as indicated by the letter ‘N’ after the variety name. Nematode numbers can be decreased by growing resistant varieties for several seasons. However, when susceptible varieties are then planted, numbers of nematodes will rise again.

Also affects pepper, cucumber, squash, eggplant, and okra.

Southern Blight

Another fungal disease, southern blight causes sudden wilting and death of the entire plant. Also known as Southern Wilt and Southern Stem Rot, the fungus enters the stem at the soil line causing the plant to suddenly wilt and die. Infection leaves a telltale dry brown rotten spot around the base of the stem which may develop a white moldy growth in high moisture situations.

The fungus lives in the top 2-3 inches of soil and high temps and wet, acidic soils encourage growth. Once the fungus is established in the soil, it can be hard to get rid of it. Grow tomatoes in raised beds or containers or grow nonsusceptible crops (corn and cover crops) for a minimum of 2 years before planting tomatoes in that area again.

Dealing with tomato wilt

Beyond optimizing your watering schedule, the best recourse for dealing with tomato wilt is to plant resistant varieties. Look for resistance label VFN, and keep in mind that many resistant tomatoes are hybrids…and it’s okay to grow hybrids even in an organic garden.

Some of my favorite wilt-resistant tomatoes are:

• Sungold
• Big Beef
• Polbig

But there are several options for you to look through at Johnny’s seed supply.

Have you lost tomato plants to tomato wilt disease?

Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

This post was updated on 12/24/22 to improve format

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Some people say you should only grow heirlooms because you can’t save seeds from hybrids. But to me, this is just silliness.

#1 – You can save seeds from hybrids (you just don’t know what the baby tomatoes will be like)

#2 – Who cares? It’s unlikely that this is the last year for gardening, and you’ll need to have your own stock of saved seed to carry on to future generations.

Why You Should Grow Hybrids

First-time gardeners, in my experience, have one of two ideas about growing tomatoes. Either, their first garden was a fantastic success and they think it’s super easy (ahem, virgin soil), or their garden flopped and they think they have a brown thumb and can’t ever grow tomatoes.

In reality, growing tomatoes really all comes down to healthy soil, adequate sun, and appropriate watering. If you get all that right, then you can grow any tomato variety successfully.

But if you’ve struggled with growing tomatoes before, perhaps it was the tomato that didn’t suit your garden and not the other way around.

So why hybrids? The short answer is hybrids can be easier to grow and tend to produce more tomatoes. Let’s go into some detail about why this is true.

Hybrid Tomatoes Have Improved Disease Resistance

If you’ve never grown tomatoes before, I’m going to save you some trouble. Your tomatoes will get diseased at some point.

In some areas, the soil harbors fungal wilt diseases, and if you unknowingly choose a variety that isn’t resistant to that disease, your garden might fail no matter what you do.

As a general rule, hybrid tomatoes are bred to improve resistance to a variety of diseases. So even if you don’t know which diseases might be endemic to your area, a hybrid tomato is a great choice.

Pause for an important fact: disease resistance does not mean your plants won’t get diseased. It only means your plants won’t die and will continue to produce despite infection.

Hybrids Are More Heat & Drought Tolerant

If summer temps in your area top 90 degrees F, your tomato plants could stop setting fruit. And forget trying to keep up with watering…especially in container-grown tomatoes.

At some point, your watering is only going to keep your plants alive, but since tomato leaves are inedible, what’s the point if it’s not making fruit?

Choosing a hybrid variety that makes tomato babies even when the summer sun is beating down is the only way to combat this and another reason hybrids make better plants than heirlooms.

Hybrid Tomatoes Can Test Better

The way a tomato tastes has a lot to do with how it’s grown, but genetics also play a major role. From the color of the skin to the sugar concentration and pH, many factors affect the flavor of tomato fruit.

There are some general rules about tomatoes like yellow fruit are lower in acidity but this also tends to make them bland. Cherry tomatoes tend to have higher concentrations of sugar and taste sweet.

Manipulating genetics through breeding can break these rules, so if you want to find a really sweet yellow tomato, start looking into hybrid varieties.

Hybrid Plants Bear Fruit Faster

One of the things that I find most frustrating about tomatoes is how long it can take to get your first ripe fruit. Granted, time to fruit can be affected by a lot of things including weather, time of planting, and age of the plant.

But genetics also play a major role in how long it takes to get ripe fruit from a tomato plant. Heirlooms often take their sweet time, so choosing a quick growing hybrid variety can have you making tomato sandwiches faster than your neighbor.

Hybrids Provide More Tomatoes To Eat

All of the above amounts to more and better tomatoes, and that’s really what we’re all after. However, fruiting potential can also be selectively bred for and some hybrid tomatoes are truly more productive. It’s just in their genes.

Don’t Be An Heirloom Tomato Snob

If you choose only to grow heirlooms because those are the plants that speak to your soul, then go for it. But if you’re only growing them because you think that somehow is better for your garden, then you’ve been misinformed.

Grow what you want to grow, and don’t make gardening harder than it has to be. If you are struggling to get the results you want out of your garden, maybe it’s time to rethink what you’re planting there.

The post The Case For Hybrid Tomato Varieties appeared first on You Should Grow.

I totally understand that! Tomato growing is kind of our thing, and we have planted thousands of tomatoes by hand. And getting that many plants in the ground can be a dreaded task. When the work is done, our knees, backs, arms, and legs can be sore for days!!

Before we discovered the Stand-n-plant planter, planting even just 50 plants could take an hour or more of back-breaking work.

Every gardener wants a solution to this problem. We all love growing plants, but dread the hard work of getting them in the ground. Well, I have great news, because there is a solution and it’s very affordable.

A few years ago we found a standing planter that cut our planting time down by hours!

And I’m really excited to tell you all about the incredible tool that changed planting hundreds of tomatoes from dreadful to no problem!

What we use is a tool called Stand ‘n Plant planter, and it’s made in Pennsylvania, USA.  At about $100 with super fast and free shipping within the continental US, this tool is 100% worth the investment.

Easier Way To Plant Tomatoes!

We’ve been using the Stand-n-Plant standing planter for the last several seasons, and it sped up our planting process by hours! We are able to plant 50 tomatoes in 20 minutes or even less. It can be used for other kinds of plants as well, and we certainly do not limit its use to our tomatoes!

We love the product so much that I contacted the inventor, Francis Olliver, about writing this post about his product, and he agreed to send me a second one and allow me to try their seeder in exchange for my honest review on this blog.

Stand ‘n Plant Planter

The planter is all metal construction with a bright red coating. It measures 34 inches tall and weighs about 6.5 pounds. At 5’3″ and with petite hands, I can still use this planter easily in our garden.

Other planters require two hands to operate, but the Stand ‘n Plant has the distinct advantage of being operated with one hand while the other hand is free to handle your transplants.

To use the planter, just stab the pointy end into the ground, drop your plant into the 2.75 inch tube, squeeze the handle to open and release the plant into the soil.

Remember to continue to squeeze as you pull up so you don’t damage your plants.

We like to move quickly down the rows to put the plants in the ground, and then go through to backfill and press them in well. Or, if you’re lucky, you can have a second person following behind to fill around the plants and press them into the soil.

This is a great task for getting the kids to help in the garden. 

Here are some of our tips for planting tomatoes using the Stand ‘n Plant planter

1. Make sure your plants are watered a few hours before planting. You want to make sure the roots are not dry when planting, but they also should not be soggy.
2. Hold your plants by the leaves and lower them into the Stand ‘n Plant planter gently. Once the entire plant is in the tube, then let go of it. This will make sure that the leaves of your plant are not injured when dropped into the Stand ‘n Plant tube.
3. Make sure to push the Stand ‘n Plant into the soil as deep as you want it to go before you put the plant in the tube. Pay attention to the depth that you’re planting your plants. Tomatoes don’t mind having their stem buried, but many other plants don’t appreciate that as much.
4. Squeeze and hold the trigger while you wiggle and pull the Stand ‘n Plant planter out of the ground. This will ensure that the plant or its leaves are not stuck or squeezed in the tip of the tube.

Stand ‘n Plant Seeder

I was really excited to try out the Stand ‘n Plant seeder as well this year. What a super quick and easy way to seed the garden!

Simply drop the seed into the tube, stab into the soil, squeeze the trigger to release the seed into the soil, and move on! Amazingly fast and simple to use!

This standing seeder made quick work of planting rows of beans, corn, okra, squash, and watermelon.  The PVC construction is very sturdy and lightweight. We were able to plant beans, okra, sunflowers, corn, melons, and squash in minutes.

I did find that the trigger, a plastic strap, stretches easily, but the tool still works exactly as it should and replacements are included.

I will definitely be using this tool every year to seed our garden. It’s extremely useful for getting seeds in the ground quickly without the need for machinery, tractors, or kneeling.

I definitely recommend this as a great way to plant seeds in small and large gardens!

Have you tried the Stand ‘n Plant tool?

Share your experience in the comments below.

The post The Back Saving Planting Tool Everyone Needs! appeared first on You Should Grow.

Transplanting Tomato Seedlings

There are several reasons why we make the extra effort to start our seedlings in very small containers and repot them at least once before they go out into the garden.

Small celled seed starting trays

It’s easier to get ideal temperature and moisture conditions for starting tomato seeds in the small cell trays. When we start in a 128 cell tray, we can fit more plants in less space which is convenient for placing them on heat mats and under lights.

There’s no fertilizer in germinating mix.

We start seeds in a soilless mixture that contains no nutrients. We don’t want them to stay in that until planting, so we transition them from the soilless mix to potting soil to garden soil.

The transitioning in soil type and container size encourages root growth. So transplanting helps the seedlings build a stronger root system which makes for healthier plants in the garden.

When to transplant tomato seedlings

Tomato seedlings are ready to be transplanted when they have their first set of true leaves or at least 2 sets of leaves. Depending on the variety, they can be 2-4 inches tall at this stage.

Waiting too long to transplant seedlings can lead to yellowing of the leaves and roots that grow around the edges of the container and even out the holes.

If you realize you’ve waited too long, don’t worry. You can still save them by transplanting, but the longer they stay in their starting container the more they’ll struggle.

How to transplant tomato seedlings

① Get a container at least twice as large as the original container. Your seedling should have a good inch of space all around it when it’s in its new home.

② Fill a bowl or bucket with a 50:50 blend of seed starting mix and potting soil. Wet it until it is evenly moist and holds its shape when squeezed in your hand.

③ Fill the new container with your soil mixture and make a hole in the center nearly down to the bottom.

④ Loosen your seedling from its container. If there’s a hole on the bottom poke a pencil up there or gently squeeze around the container to help it slip out. It’s easier to remove seedlings from seed starting trays when they’re dry, so don’t water just before you transplant.

⑤ Pinch two of the true leaves together and pull to lift your seedling out of its container. Pinching the stem can damage the vascular supply in it or even kill your seedling. Trust me, it’s okay. Pull them out by the leaves.

⑥ Set your seedling into the hole in the soil in the new container.

⑦ Tomatoes like to have their stem buried, so put your seedling in as deep as you can with at least 1 set of true leaves above the soil surface. Pinch off any leaves that will be buried.

⑧ Fill in around the seedling with soil mix and press firmly. You want to remove any air pockets in the soil.

⑨ Water it well and set it back under the lights.

When you’re transplanting tomato seedlings into bigger pots, you will sometimes notice that they wilt after you move them. It can be a little stressful on the plants especially if you missed some waterings.

If they wilt after you transplant them, make sure you water them well and move them away from the light for a day. Once they perk back up, you can move them back under the lights.

Caring for transplanted tomato seedlings

After transplanting, continue to care for your seedlings as you did before transplanting. They’ll need at least 2 weeks to adjust to their new containers before you put them out in the garden.

If you want really lush strong plants, give them a half dose of organic liquid fertilizer (this one is the bomb!) every 5-7 days while they’re still indoors.

Next steps

Your tomato plants need to hang out in their new containers for at least 2 weeks before you plant them out in the garden. During the last week or two before your last frost, you’ll need to start hardening them off.

Ready for the next step? Let’s talk about how to harden off tomato seedlings!

Do you go to the effort of transplanting tomato seedlings?

Let me know in the comments!

The post Pro Tips For Transplanting Tomato Seedlings appeared first on You Should Grow.

The name itself is sure to intrigue any tomato gardener, but don’t be fooled into thinking this tomato is something of a cross between a pineapple and a tomato.

The name comes from the unique bicolor of this fruit and its appearance when sliced which reminds some of its tropical fruit namesake.

In fact, this tomato does have a nice sweet flavor with a hint of tropical notes, but there’s so much more to love about this tomato variety.

What is a pineapple tomato?

The pineapple tomato has some outstanding qualities which make it a favorite among tomato growers.

For one thing, it’s really a beautiful tomato. The flesh is a mix of red and yellow, but on the inside, the colors blend to create a rainbow of red, pink, orange, and yellow.

When it comes to flavor, many gardeners praise the pineapple tomato for its mildly sweet, almost tropical taste. For a bicolor, the flavor is really a standout.

Additionally, sweetness goes along with lower acidity in tomatoes, so if you’re looking for a low acid tomato that’s easy on the tummy, this is a good choice.

Pineapple tomatoes also tend to be quite large, often growing upwards of 1-2 pounds…quite a handful. This makes it a great slicing tomato for sandwiches and to share with friends.

Growing Pineapple Tomato

First things first, the pineapple tomato is an heirloom variety with an indeterminate growth habit.

This means you shouldn’t have any problem finding seeds and can also save seeds of your own once you’ve grown it.

Here is a great source for buying heirloom pineapple tomato seeds.

LIke other tomato varieties, you’ll want to start pinapple tomatoes at least 4-6 weeks before your last frost. Get custom planting dates with this tool.

Get tips on germinating tomato seeds here.

Because the pineapple tomato is an indeterminate variety, make sure you have a plan for staking or caging your plant.

Things to know about the pineapple tomato

I often say one of the worst parts about growing tomatoes is how long they take to set fruit. Typically setting fruit nearly 100 days after planting, this variety is going to put your patience to the test.

Considered a late season tomato, don’t get frustrated if your pineapple tomato plant doesn’t set fruit right away. And resist the temptation to pick these fruit early as their flavor gets better as they age on the vine.

While most of these fruit are a large beefstake type, the ribbing can lead to some unusual shapes. It’s also susceptible to cracking especially after a heavy rain. Learn more about these tomato troubles.

When it comes to disease resistance, this variety is not one of the most disease resistant, but it does fairly well with production in the face of disease, especially for an heirloom.

More pineappple tomatoes

Since the pineapple tomato has been such a hit at the market, there are now many variations of the original.

Here’s a quick comparison of some of the newer pineapple tomato varieties.

Have you grown the pineapple tomato?

Share your experience in the comments below!

The post Growing The Bold & Beautiful Pineapple Tomato appeared first on You Should Grow.

This can lead to a build up of quite a variety of tomato seeds in your seed collection. But exactly how long are tomato seeds viable?

Tomato seeds are viable for an average of 4-6 years.

But that’s not a hard and fast rule. If you can keep them in a proper storage environment you might be able to sprout seeds that are many years older than that.

One thing to keep in mind is that over time the number of viable seeds in your stock will go down. So the older your seed is, the more you’ll need to plant just in case they don’t all sprout.

Of course, if they all do come up then you can share your bounty with friends or even sell the plants at the farmer’s market.

How long can you store tomato seeds?

The most important factor in determining how long your tomato seeds will last is the method in which you preserve them.

There are a few ways to save seed from tomatoes, and the method you choose can affect seed viability (hint: fermenting is the best).

The next thing that affects whether saved tomato seed will sprout is how you store them.

Seed that has been exposed to extreme temperatures, sunlight, and moisture are less likely to germinate.

Learn the best way to germinate tomato seeds here.

Do tomato seeds go bad?

Yes. For sure, tomato seeds can go bad. Most often this is due to moisture induced mold and exposure to extreme temperatures.

That being said, we’ve successfully germinated tomato seeds that are 7 to 10 years old.

If you want to grow 20 year old tomato seeds, I say go for it. I would pick through the seeds to eliminate any that are obviously misshapen, black, or moldy.

And I would plant extra (maybe even all the seeds you have) because you can bet good money that you won’t be getting 100% germination on 20 year old seeds.

How To Store Tomato Seeds Properly

The first step to storing tomato seeds properly is making sure they are completely dry before you put them into any storage container.

It usually takes about a week for tomato seeds to dry out, but a good rule of thumb is seeds that are easy to bend are still wet.

Dried seeds are very hard to bend or break.

Once you’re sure that the tomato seeds are dry, you just need a container to store them in.

Choosing where to store saved tomato seed

Paper envelopes, plastic baggies, and glass jars are popular options. If you choose a clear container, remember to place your seeds in a dark place as sunlight can affect their viability when it comes time to plant.

The next thing to consider is temperature. You can store seeds in the refrigerator or any air conditoned space.

Just make sure they’re not exposed to temperature extremes. So I don’t recommend you leave them in your car or garage.

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