[eeedowls]

Hi - I hope someone can advise...

My mother in law and I have grown tomatoes (amongst other things) for the past few years, and though the plants grow and get to a fair size, we don't seem to get too many flowers growing on the plant and therefore not as many toms as we would lke...

What am I doing wrong?  Should I be fertilising more?  When (and what) should I be feeding it if that is the case?

The variety is Gardeners Deilght and they are grown outisde in container. 

...And if there is something I could do to increase the yield, would that hold true with chillies too?

Thanks...


(Would like to increase yield of all my crops to be fair, but thought I would start with that one!!)

[mumofstig]

Do you do any sort of feeding or pruning at all?

[strangerachael]

do you pinch out the sideshoots? How big are your containers?

[eeedowls]

Hi MoS

Not a great deal if I am honest... usually just water, though I have vowed to get different types of feed for different plants this year!

as for the pruning, I have never felt confident enough to do it before - though a exhaustive search (honest) has brought this up...

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=37617.0

any directions will be gratefully received...

and btw - thanks for this super speedy response...

[eeedowls]

do you pinch out the sideshoots? How big are your containers?

various sizes - but am hoping to plant the plants in flower buckets from Morrisons (got then a while back) and bird fatball buckets


apols for not providing enough info earlier on...

[andy135]

Don't feed tom plants untill the flowers have opened and the fruit is already starting to form.
They should be about the size of a pea. If you start feeding/fertilising earlier, the plants will just produce greenery and not many flowers. 

[mumofstig]

I just use growbag compost in my 'flower buckets' and that's fine until the first truss has set, then I feed with tomato fertilizer as directed on the pkt. Stand the pots in a saucer or bowl (supermarket meat trays last a season or more ) so they are easy to water.

You do need to prune the plants... in the way it shows on the link you found that way the plant will grow more trusses rather than more leaves/branches. Tie them up to a cane as they grow and you should be fine.

Good luck

[dougsta]

do you pinch out the sideshoots? How big are your containers?

I grow Gardeners Delight (greenhouse) and they do grow quite large before they sprout trusses. Side shoots need to be taken out in my experience.

[eeedowls]

thanks for the tips...

so I am to...

1. Don't add feed until the flowers have opened.

2. Pinch out side shoots in order to get more trusses...

it seems that the pinching out is the most important!

thanks again...

[Kristen]

Make sure you don't pinch-out a flower truss! or the main growing stem (a side stem will take its place, but IME they are never as vigorous).

I suggest you don't remove anything unless you can see a flower truss on the main stem above it - that will prevent you mistaking the main growing point for a side shoot!

I find this video useful for Tomato Pruning:

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-prune-tomatoes