Friday, August 12, 2011

Long and Leggy Tomato Plants

I am not having good luck with tomatoes again this year.  The plants are long and leggy.  The tomato plant in a container on my deck is about 7 feet tall.  The tomatoes grow tall but they don't produce much fruit.  I've had some cherry tomatoes.  And I have one full size tomato turning red but many vines don't have any fruit.  According to another blog I read, My Northern Garden (mynortherngarden.com), the reason the tomato plants are fruitless this year is the heavy humidity.  Tomato plants have both male and female parts on them.  Pollen usually falls from the male part onto the female part.  The high humidity has made the pollen more sticky and less likely to fall where it needs to fall.  Some gardeners shake their tomato plants to move the pollen from the antler to the stamen.  Usually the wind moves the pollen around. And we've had plenty of wind.  Darn sticky tomato pollen!  I love home grown tomatoes. And I'm not going to get very many again this year.  : (

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