Heirloom tomatoes won't set fruit.

MushCreek · #1 07/01/12, 11:53 AM

Why do I have such poor luck with heirloom tomatoes? Are they that much harder to grow? The first time, I tried several varieties from seed, but never got a tomato. This year, I bought a started plant, as well as a Better Boy. The heirloom is a nice big plant with plenty of blossoms, but no tomatoes. Meanwhile, I had Better Boys for lunch today. I'm starting to see why heirlooms have been relegated to just that- heirlooms.

chickenista · #2 07/01/12, 12:09 PM

I grow only heirlooms an always have.
Pollination may be your trouble. (as we are but a few miles apart)
I make sure to plant my garden heavily with catnip, bee balm, lemon balm, hyssop etc.. that bring the pollinators in droves.
They start on my catnip (planted at the end of the rows) and just move on to the tomato blossoms.
This evening, when it 'cools' down a bit, see if you ahve any activity on your tomatoes. You may need to give the plants some shakes to pollinate them yourself.
Not a hard shake, but more like a vibration.

Use Less · #3 07/01/12, 03:35 PM

Don't know, except what chick. said. Pretty much every heirloom I've tried has done fine. I didn't get many tomatoes off a Kellogg's orange breakfast and a green stripey, but some of the ones I got weighed 1/2 and 3/4 pounds. Do you plant your tomatoes in a block to help wiht pollinating? Sue

ldc · #4 07/01/12, 03:51 PM

Mush, only thing I know is that the night temps effect them a lot. Til this season I had good luck w them here (So. LA), but this has been our hottest spring/June ever, and I got none. A few miles away, they did fine, tho.

frankva · #5 07/01/12, 06:06 PM

Threaten them with scissors.

Brandywine has a reputation here on the coast of Maine for very limited fruit. What variety is giving you issues?

I got talked into trying Better Boy this year. What is your opinion?

Ky-Jeeper · #6 07/01/12, 08:25 PM

My experience with tomatoes not setting fruit is the the day time temps hovering in the mid 90's on up. Night time temp may also play a big part. I do hand pollenate also.

oneokie · #7 07/01/12, 08:52 PM

Day temps above 95 and night temps above 70 will affect fruit set. You might want to try and spray something on the plants that will attract pollinators. Have been told that fishoil emulsion will draw several types of flies. My early heirlooms had many green bottle flies on the blossoms.

chickenista · #8 07/01/12, 09:12 PM

Over the years I have found that my heirlooms aren't really bothered by the heat the way determinants are.
If they didn't set fruit in over 90* weather I would never, ever, ever have a tomato.
Mine bloom and set fruit all summer and everyday is above 90*. And they keep setting fruit until frost.

teachermom44 · #9 07/01/12, 09:20 PM

I planted hybrids and heirlooms this year. All are big bushes, but the hybrids started to fruit a lot faster than the heirloom. I can't keep the heirloom propped up either, but it FINALLY started to fruit. My heirlooms just keep getting yellow leaves on the bottom.

Ky-Jeeper · #10 07/01/12, 09:22 PM

Controlling Blossom Drop of Tomatoes

Paquebot · #11 07/01/12, 09:38 PM

The term "heirloom" has nothing to do with setting fruit. Variety and environment are what determines when any tomato plant sets fruit. I have at least 4 varieties currently with ripe or ripening fruit and none are hybrids. There are non-hybrid varieties which may be 60 days and varieties which may be over 100. Can't expect a 100-day variety to be setting fruit after 60.

Martin

hippygirl · #12 07/01/12, 10:02 PM

Started and grew heirlooms for the first time this year...Cherokee Purple, Amish Paste, Arkansas Traveler, and Coustralee. Other than skirmishes with Early Blight, they're doing great. Will be picking a bushel or so in the morning.

rockhound · #13 07/02/12, 05:06 AM

Arkansas Traveler isn't an heirloom tomato, sorry. It's a much newer introduction by the U of Ark.

MushCreek · #14 07/02/12, 06:03 AM

The variety is German Johnson, bought at a big box store. I don't know if its actually an heirloom, although it claims to be. I planted in mid-April, with plants that were already flowering. Night time temps have ranged from 35 to 75, with most nights being in the mid 60's.

The one problem I had was with the soil. I'm camping on my property while I build a house, so I put in a tiny 4X8' raised bed garden just for fun. I bought cheap 'topsoil' and composted manure, but after watering, I noticed both products looked like fine wood chips. All of the plants, including beans and herbs turned horribly yellow. My theory is that the wood chips aren't fully composted, so they sucked up the available nitrogen. Some fertilizer quickly cleared that up, although all of my 'crops' are weak and small. The heirloom tomato is much bigger than the Better Boy, and has been flowering the whole time, but no fruit.

oneokie · #15 07/02/12, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MushCreek

and has been flowering the whole time, but no fruit.

Have you felt of the bloom after the yellow petals have dropped to see if there is a bump/knot in there?

Paquebot · #16 07/02/12, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockhound

Arkansas Traveler isn't an heirloom tomato, sorry. It's a much newer introduction by the U of Ark.

33 years ago isn't exactly "newer". Especially so since it is as old or older than the "heirloom" designation when applied to vegetables.

Martin

Paquebot · #17 07/02/12, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MushCreek

The variety is German Johnson, bought at a big box store. I don't know if its actually an heirloom, although it claims to be. I planted in mid-April, with plants that were already flowering. Night time temps have ranged from 35 to 75, with most nights being in the mid 60's.

It's probably twice as old as the "heirloom" designation for vegetables. Thought to be one of the parents of Mortgage Lifter which was introduced in the 1930s. Shortest DTM I find is 80 days.

Fruit set is contingent on various factors. One is temperature since pollen of most varieties will melt at around 80ºF. Another is requiring a root system capable of supporting a fruit. If it's a raised bed comprised only of what material was brought in, and worthless soil under that, it's in need of a liquid fertilizer with a ratio of about 1-1-2 like Tomato Tone. But with just one plant, more expense than it's worth.

Martin

frankva · #18 07/02/12, 01:00 PM

What do you consider the definition of a heirloom tomato or vegetable?

I know Straight 8 cucumbers were AAS winners way back, but I think of them as an old standby, not anything so fancy as "heirloom."

Semantics, but curious.

Around here heirloom = marketing. Open pollinated is the term I use when talking to people so I don't sound like a summer person.

oneokie · #19 07/02/12, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankva

Around here heirloom = marketing. Open pollinated is the term I use when talking to people so I don't sound like a summer person.

Same with "organically grown seed". Pure marketing.

Paquebot · #20 07/02/12, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankva

What do you consider the definition of a heirloom tomato or vegetable?

There is no official definition. It was first used by Kent Whealy in an SSE fund-raising speech in the late 1970s. He borrowed the term from a book about old bean varieties. What is and what is not accepted as an "heirloom" is up to whomever decides that they want to be in charge of determining such status at the moment. Therefore if I decide that my Paquebot Roma is an "heirloom", nobody can dispute it since it falls within the same guidelines as existed prior to the use of such a designation.

Martin

phantomriver · #21 07/03/12, 07:13 PM

Ive always been faithful to better boys but this year branched out to Cherokee purple, mortgage lifter, along side my better boys. They are all fruiting but honestly the Cherokee purples have blown everything else out of the water including the better boys in size, volume of production and taste. My seed for the cherokee purples did come from the Asheville North Carolina farmers market tomato rather than a seed company like the rest so it may be better adapted due to that. Im in the sunny sandhills of SC.

NickieL · #22 07/03/12, 07:28 PM

my OP tomatoes are setting fruit like crazy, except the brandywine which still hasn't set even one yet. Don't know why I bothered to grow it, it produces very few the few times I've grown it excpet I had free seeds for them.

DavidUnderwood · #23 07/03/12, 07:35 PM

My definition of "heirloom" is anything that stays
the same year after year, not reverting to whatever
it was originally bred from.
A dependable plant to save seed from.

NickieL · #24 07/03/12, 07:41 PM

My definition of "heirloom" is something thats been around for over 50 years. I heard that ages ago, and have stuck by that. But for "stable" plants you can save seed from year by year, that is open pollinated, wheather or not it is 'heirloom'.

geo in mi · #25 07/04/12, 08:36 AM

Well, we'll see..... checked mine yesterday while standing in the 100 degree plus heat watering them, and so far, there are fruits on Super Sweet 100, Celebrity, Rutgers, and Big Beef. The nights have just managed to get down to the seventy degree range, so they might still have a chance. This is supposed to continue until Saturday--so there may be a lull in fruit set coming up.

This may be my first year ever to have a garden that came through the end of a water hose. So far, so good. But SW MI conditions are brutal right now, with no relief in sight. At least I have electric power.

geo

MushCreek · #26 07/04/12, 09:10 AM

Mine set fruit! There are a couple of marble-sized fruits- hopefully they hang in there (pun intended). Maybe our 108 degree heat inspired them.

NickieL · #27 07/04/12, 10:16 AM

I'm having no troubles on the black elephants, the missiouri pink love apples, the OSU blue, the japanese black trifiles....

the only one refusing to set is the brandywine.

wvdexters · #28 07/04/12, 10:49 AM

Many heirlooms have been handed down for generations in certain areas/climates. Make sure the ones you are planting are good for your area and conditions. A plant that has been bred to do well in the north east or mid-atlantic might not be able to handle your conditions. I know many people love raised beds but I have never had any luck with them. They dry out way to quick here.

Paquebot · #29 07/04/12, 01:42 PM

Did a halfway check of everything today. Most varieties have set at least a few fruit. KC 54, KC 135, and Red Lightning were the only 3 out of 61 without fruit at the farm. However, they were very late additions and need to add a little more root growth before they can support any fruit. A few late ones at home are in the same situation and 100º today isn't helping matters.

Martin

MushCreek · #30 08/08/12, 04:38 PM

An update- the heirloom plant is going great guns now! I harvested a huge one, and the flavor was wonderful. There are a number of fruits now, and the plant is growing like crazy. After a slow start, it's making up for lost time. Now if I could stay ahead of the horn worms......