[hubballi]

I have had reasonable success with other toms setting fruit, though a bit late, but the large cooking variety Brandywaide have been pretty much 100% failure. They have had flowers for weeks and weeks but they do not set like the others. I have some in the greenhouse and some outside. All fed and watered accordingly and bees and hover flies around. I have one plant with many flowers, some dropping off just below the stems and only one large fruit the size of a tennis ball that hasn't ripened.

As I have never grown this before I just want to know what could be going wrong.

[marcofez]

I've seen on "you tube" that you can use apple juice to help with setting. Spray onto flowers.

[DD.]

Just as a matter of  a pedantic point of order, the variety is "Brandywine".

[mobilekat]

but the large cooking variety Brandywaide

Strange, I thought beefsteak tomatoes like Brandywine were a salad tomato, thats great in sandwiches etc due to the nice tomato flavour, but being an old variety need a bit more TLC than modern cultivars and often need manual pollination, as well as loving full sun.

[allot2learn]

I have two pink brandywine plants in my greenhouse but they seem to set just one fruit at a time. Not surprising as the amount of effort that they have to put into growing them. I've had two fruits so far. Gorgeous flavour but they do need a lot of water. Both have suffered blossom end rot even though they have been watered regularly. Both fruits were well over 1lb. For what they produce, I will keep to more normal sized toms in future.

[GrannieAnnie]

I grew yellow brandywine a couple of years running.  Strange looking bottoms on them, but I did get several fruits on each plant.

Nice taste, and I preferred them for cooking as there was lots of flesh and little juice and seeds.

Haven't bothered for a couple of years though.  They were weird!

First pic is of the immature fruits that I thought were diseased, until a nice person on here told me that is really what they look like, and the yellow ones on the 2nd pic are them!!!

[hubballi]

Wow, if only I could grow them like that. Mine has a funny bottom on it too.

[DD.]

The funny bottoms are quite normal.

I find they grow much better outside. This is one of mine from a couple of years back, 1lb 4oz.


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[GrannieAnnie]

I think my biggest one was just over a 1lb.  I've still got a few seeds I think, unless I threw them away, may try them outside next time.  I only grew them in the tunnel before.

[hubballi]

My plants outside are huge and very healthy BUT flowers either dropping off or not setting despite the presence of insects 

[GrannieAnnie]

Your garden or allotment is weird Hubballi, hardly anything ever wants to grow for you.

Have you thought of moving somewhere else?

The only problem I've had with outside tomatoes, is a touch of blight which I take off each time I see a bit, or sometimes I forget to water the big pots the bush tomatoes are in.  I think the rain has watered them, but sometimes I think it misses the pots on purpose!   

[AlaninCarlisle]

I have had reasonable success with other toms setting fruit, though a bit late, but the large cooking variety Brandywaide have been pretty much 100% failure. They have had flowers for weeks and weeks but they do not set like the others. I have some in the greenhouse and some outside. All fed and watered accordingly and bees and hover flies around. I have one plant with many flowers, some dropping off just below the stems and only one large fruit the size of a tennis ball that hasn't ripened.

As I have never grown this before I just want to know what could be going wrong.

Whatever you're doing wrong, I must be repeating it. I have a couple of huge Brandywine plants in my tunnel. Plenty of flowers, foliage like a jungle but less than a dozen fruit. I put it down the constant rain deterring pollinating insects from trying to penetrate the jungle to find the flowers.

Either way, it's back to good old cordon varieties like Ailsa Craig, Moneymaker and Shirley for me next year

[GrannieAnnie]

I must admit Alan that the moneymaker I am growing in the polytunnel, requesting by OH because he prefers 'ordinary' tomatoes to the ones I usually grown, are the most prolific this year!

Another similar one that is doing well is Hildare F1 which I bought the seeds from Lidl!

[New shoot]

Just to add to the general oddness of this year, the tomatoes that are doing best for me in the greenhouse are the beefsteaks    Picked plenty of Black Sea Man already and got a bowlful of German Orange Strawberry today.  The smaller ones that are supposed to be ready earlier are way behind  


Just to really cap it off, the Maskotka which have been outside in hanging baskets are fruiting like crazy as well.  The plants are weather battered and horrible, plus they compete with bedding plants - go figure  

[DD.]

I put it down the constant rain deterring pollinating insects from trying to penetrate the jungle to find the flowers.

You don't need insects to pollinate tomatoes, they are self fertile. Yes bees can assist by buzzing and vibrating the flowers, but the do not convey the pollen from one flower to another. A breeze can also assist with the pollination of tomatoes, this would clearly be lacking in a greenhouse.

A daily tap to the cane, or a rock of the plant is generally all that is required. I've even seen an electric toothbrush recommended to vibrate the flowers! Whatever, you don't need insects.