[Little Dibber]

Hi There,

I had grown tomatoes in the office last year and got a very low yield, am wondering if this is pollination problems?

I have started from seed again this year but thinking if it is due to lack of bees then I am maybe only growing foliage 

Also have some 100's + 1000's this year from seed, not sure again if they need bees?

Maybe I would be better with a few outdoor types for the plot...

LD

[lucywil]

they dont necessarily need bees but they do need pollinating, which is usually done by bees and insects but you could have a go at doing it your self, either with a soft brush or by touching the flowers with your fingers

[Kleftiwallah]

Send me your address and I'll send you a rabbits tail!  Ideal for the job - but not for the rabbit.    Cheers,   Tony.

[JayG]

If they flowered but didn't set well it must have been a pollination problem - the easiest remedy is to tap the stem of the plants from time to time to distribute the pollen (usually done around midday as the pollen is drier then but that's probably not an issue in an office!)

[Babstreefern]

Funnily enough, I grew toms in the office last year (cherry type), and I also had a poor yield.  The ones at home I had great amount of fruiting.  I shook the plant, it was in continuous sunlight all day, every day and was warm.  However, I think I have the problem, in that being in an office, did they get watered at the weekend?   Mine didn't, to counter this, I put the pots in trays, but they still got a little dry by Monday.  Whereas at home, they are watered every single day

[8doubles]

Which variety did you grow in the office last year, some are more prolific than others.
If you have good light and growth try removing  more leaves (you can prune hard with tomatoes) to encourage flower production and keep a soft artists brush handy to give the flowers a tickle.
Do not start feeding till the first fruit has set as this only encourages more leaf and less flower.

[gillie]

The plants just need shaking to pollinate them.  However they also need a fairly high humidity, which might be difficult in an office.  Spray them occasionally and stand the pot on a tray of shingle or something similar.

[dig4victory]

What sort of office are you growing in?  Are the plants near natural light or is it one of those hermetically sealed buildings with 'sick office syndrome'?

What I mean is, is there any fresh air movement or is it static with heating/air con?

[Goosegirl]

Perhaps you could get a little sprayer and give them a mist after using the rabbit's tail or giving the stem a gentle shake to distribute the pollen. That should help the set.

[Little Dibber]

Thanks for all the replies, is a small personal office, a couple of windows so there is some air movement, I will try shaking the stemp and maybe dabbing the flowers with my finger this year and some misting :-)

Think it was likly alicante/gardners delight/shirley

This year have gardners delight (was thinking to try putting them oustside...) and 100's + 1000's which I have read up on again and can go in baskets/patio tubs, so will maybe try half in half out.

Also Thanks for the offer of the Rabbits tail, may come back to you on that one ;-)

Thanks again,
LD

[RichardA]

Concur with otehrs about fertilising and setting fruit but typical office dry atmosphere works against good tom yield so if you can I suggest that in addition to watering at roots also leave a dish of water near plants to evaporate into surrounding air.
R

[8doubles]

On the plus side they are unlikely to get blight.

[mumofstig]

On the plus side they are unlikely to get blight.

Always look on the bright side of life  ta dum ta dum