[Sam Dodd]

I transplanted my tomato plants onto the balcony in growing rings within bags of compost on May 27th, nine plants in total, Gardeners Delight, and I'm a first time gardener so very anxious about it. The balcony only gets 3.5 hours of sun a day, and there's hardly been any in the last fortnight. I gave them some seaweed feed a week ago on the advice of an experienced gardener friend, and I have phosphorus ready to go. The plants are VERY strong and robust, huge already, big thick healthy stalks - but no trusses whatsoever. I've been pinching out the side stems at the elbows of leaf stems. Please if anyone can advise I'd be so grateful. (Luckily, all other veg growing strong and happy).

[JGM]

Sam,
If you are growing in compost (so unlikely to be an excess of nitrogen) and they are already growing well (so no problems with uptake of nutrients or light), and you hardened them off when planting out (so no shock to the plant and subsequent check to development/growth) I'm a bit stumped. Tomatoes do need plenty of warmth. I've only grown Gardeners Delight in a greenhouse so I'm not sure how they do growing outdoors (?). I would expect to be picking ripe fruit, come the start/middle of August (in a greenhouse).

I hesitate to say this and I'm only saying because you say you are very new, but are you sure you are not removing the trussess when they are very small, thinking they are side shoots? (Plenty of videos on YouTube)

If it's none of the above, and they are just being stubborn, I'd suggest a little sprinkling of tomato fertiliser to encourage flowering and keep your fingers crossed.

Best of luck.

[jambop]

I will wait to be told it is nonsense but tomatoes will not do well on 3.5hrs of sunshine per day growing them under these conditions is weird in the extreme.

[Yorkie]

I will wait to be told it is nonsense but tomatoes will not do well on 3.5hrs of sunshine per day growing them under these conditions is weird in the extreme.

While I agree that 3.5hours of sunshine is not ideal for tomatoes, in crowded cities, sometimes people have no choice but to make the best of what they can get, including sunshine on a balcony.  Please don't call people's choices weird when you have no idea of their circumstances.

[4th season allot]

Your best keeping them in pots till they have flowers and if possible set fruit, certainly do not feed them as they will continue to grow more branches.

[snowdrops]

Perhaps stress them(reduce water) to encourage them to flower

[Plot 1 Problems]

I agree with Snowdrops, reduce watering to stress them into flowering.
And hello and welcome while I'm at it!

[Sam Dodd]

Thank you so much everyone. Not an unreasonable question to ask re. whether I'm sure I'm removing side shoots and not trusses - I did get a shock a few days ago when one source stated that trusses can indeed come in the elbows. I don't know how true this is, given that every other source and video shows/states it's the ones in the elbows of main and side stems, but it certainly gave me a fright. Anyhow, all the side shoots I've removed have been leafy, and trusses don't have leaves (apparently), so I think I'm safe. I have not removed anything from the main stem directly. And yes, my balcony is behind another block, 3.5 hours is the best I can get, seeing as allotment waiting lists are 4-6 years on average. Oh and regarding hardening off - I did not do this. Could that be a problem? And lastly, does anyone know how many weeks from planting out it usually takes for trusses to begin to form from the main stem? I'm on week 3 since transplant now, some sources state 4-6 weeks - so is there still hope? If not, I will make a tomato leaf pesto recipe I found. Because there are MASSES of leaves, haha. Oh dear, well nevermind. Other veg seems so happy, so I'm happy too.

[hasbeans]

I thought tomato vegetation was toxic as a member of the nightshade family?  I certainly wouldn't eat the vegetation without reading an academic paper persuading me otherwise! 

That is some balcony you have with 9 plants and other veg!  You could try a mylar curtain behind the plants to reflect more light onto the leaves, as used by indoor marijuana farmers!  Emergency foil blankets are a cheap and easily available version - the sort given people that are suffering cold exposure.  Even a white sheet might help.

[Yorkie]

I think it's just a question of patience and I certainly wouldn't give up hope yet. 

Lack of hardening off might just be causing the plants to focus on adjusting to the conditions, yes.

I'm also just wondering whether your balcony is quite windy, and whether that might be slowing things down a a little.

PS Welcome to the forums and congrats on having a go 

[Mr Dog]

I believe you would have to eat a considerable amount of tomato leaves in one go (well over 1lb) to suffer any serious effects - green tomatoes contain the same toxins but most happily eat them.

I've not tried them but they apparently have a tomato flavour!

[Sam Dodd]

You are all just so lovely and encouraging. Thank you for all the help and comments.

OK, so, what I'm getting here is that the following actions would be good to take: install foil curtains behind the toms to reflect light; stress them by not watering for a while (a few days? A week?); don't feed any more nutrients (tom feed, phosphorus or seaweed) unless/until they begin to flower/form trusses; try and somehow mitigate the wind (it can be windy yes, no idea how I'll fix it but will figure something out that doesn't cut off light sources).

I do have a nice size balcony but I've also been very lucky to find the exact right old furniture that people were chucking out, just on the street by bins, that has fitted perfectly and allowed for the most surface coverage with the most sun available, which is fortunate. I also have growing two sacks of potatoes, two pots of Bambino carrots, one beetroot, three lettuces, kale, a white onion plant, and two Bangladeshi uri sheem bean plants that are sharing the trellis with the toms. Plus a load of herbs. I'm so thrilled, for my first time I don't think that's too bad. One thing I did forget to mention is that it's a solid brick balcony, so even with 3.5 hours of sun a day, that doesn't go all the way from root to top for most plants, for that whole time, sadly. Pics attached.

Can't believe it took me so long to find this forum! 

[Yorkie]

They do look very good, and given your growing conditions you're doing really well.

I would keep an eye on watering - it's going to be a windy situation and don't be too cruel.  Stick a finger into the compost and if it's dry an inch or so down, then water.  It's going to be very warm next week and I would expect to water daily, if not more (although the extra pots you've got them in will help retain moisture).

I agree that not too much nitrogen based fertiliser at the moment - that will encourage leaves.

[Mr Dog]

I suspect patience will reap rewards.

[Sam Dodd]

They do look very good, and given your growing conditions you're doing really well.

I would keep an eye on watering - it's going to be a windy situation and don't be too cruel.  Stick a finger into the compost and if it's dry an inch or so down, then water.  It's going to be very warm next week and I would expect to water daily, if not more (although the extra pots you've got them in will help retain moisture).

I agree that not too much nitrogen based fertiliser at the moment - that will encourage leaves.

What about Miracle Gro Superphosphate Yorkie? Would that do?