[lazza]

I am growing a larger variety of tomatoes this year than I have tried previously, and most seem to be doing OK.

The one failure seems to be summer cider. The plants are growing extremely well, reaching about 6' tall already, and I am getting plenty of flowers. But the flowers do not seem to open fully - there are far more petals on the flowers than the usual varieties I am used to, and also a much firmer inner stigma. The flower either does not open at all and drops off, or opens its outer petals without fully exposing the stamen and stigma, and then drops off.

The first few I left alone, and they dropped off. The next few I have tried hand-pollinating... and they have dropped off.

The flowers also do not seem to grow in "vines" like I am used to, but each one on an idividual stalk, which eventually bends about a quarter inch behind the flower, which is where it breaks when it falls off.

[lacaya]

I have tried this variety this year too. Two have made it to the planting out stage but I think one is going to have to come out as it seems to be blind. The other has four tomatoes and some flowers above them, so it's all hands on deck to keep the slugs off.

Just remembered, the flowers are feeble little things and these plants aren't much more than 70cm. I don't know if that is significant at all...

[mumofstig]

I think the comment at the bottom of this post, about summer cider, may be relevant
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=85094.msg949843#msg949843

they don't sound very reliable in our climate   

[lazza]

Thanks for the comments. The plants have now reached the top of my lean-to greenhouse....! So they are growing very strongly, and producing a good number of flowers, it's just that they are not pollinating. it probably doesn't help that all the bees seem to have gone somewhere warmer on holiday, but even my pollination using a paintbrush hasn't worked!

Maybe I should pinch out the growing tips to encourage fruit...?

[mumofstig]

Pinching out the tops will encourage ripening, but that's all it does - it won't make the flowers set any better 

[lazza]

Pinching out the tops will encourage ripening, but that's all it does - it won't make the flowers set any better 

Oh well, I'll have to remove the top of the lean-to then