2 problems - tomatoes and courgettes.

comping_cat

I have been growing tomatoes and courgettes this year, they are all growing really well but the courgettes are flowering, and then the flowers drop off and no courgettes happen.
With the tomatoes, im growing lots of green ones, but they are not rippening.

What am i doing wrong, or/and what should i do? I water regularly and every 3-4 days use tomato feed for them both.

shirlgirl2004

I'm in the same boat so maybe that's normal :think:

wendyphant

me too x x got over 60 green tomatoes and 1 red one lol

Yorkie1

Courgettes need both male and female flowers open at the same time for the female ones to be pollinated and thus for the courgettes to start growing properly. (Male ones just have a long thin stalk behind the flower, female ones have a tiny courgette-shaped bulge behind the flower.) If you do get both at once you could try detaching the male one and 'helping' it into the female one to pollinate the female one. ...

Loads of people are reporting only green tomatoes so far this year. I just think the weather hasn't been good enough to encourage ripening - not warm enough probably. Two suggestions: a) develop patiencem and b) develop a taste for green tomato chutney! (I like the latter fortunately in case I need Plan B!)

comping_cat

Yorkie1 wrote: »

Courgettes need both male and female flowers open at the same time for the female ones to be pollinated and thus for the courgettes to start growing properly. (Male ones just have a long thin stalk behind the flower, female ones have a tiny courgette-shaped bulge behind the flower.) If you do get both at once you could try detaching the male one and 'helping' it into the female one to pollinate the female one. ...

Loads of people are reporting only green tomatoes so far this year. I just think the weather hasn't been good enough to encourage ripening - not warm enough probably. Two suggestions: a) develop patiencem and b) develop a taste for green tomato chutney! (I like the latter fortunately in case I need Plan B!)

Thank you, will have a go at the pollination in the morning - i had thought i was doing something wrong with the tomatoes, so its good to hear its not something i have done. Will be lovely if i do get them to rippen, i have loads of green ones!

loucroft

Nope, no red tommyfarto's here either I'm afraid

though the courgettes are doing just fine, but some nearby aren't doing their best due to pollination etc so best of luck with that - I'll hopefully get some tips when mine aren't quite doing fine!

liam8282

My tomotoes are still green.

I planted way too many courgette plants. I have just picked my first courgettes this morning (2).

My problem is, I seem to have had a sudden spurt of male flowers, loads of them, but no female flowers? If I removed a few of the male flowers would this encourage more female flowers to grow, or should I just leave alone?

Frudd

Are you growing the tomatos outside? The problem that i have with the ones in my yard (as informed by veteran grower, my dad) is that there are too many fruits.

With it being cooler than in a greenhouse you simply cant grow as many, so limit your plants, take off any flowers now and maybe even thin out the green fruit and chutney them, the rest will stand a better chance of ripening then.

Also dont let the plant itself keep growing, once it is at the size you want pick out all of the growing tips and keep removing any that appear. This way all of the plants energy will go into the fruit.

liam8282

Sorry for hijacking the thread again.

I am growing my tomatoes outside. What would be an average number of tomatoes to limit a plant to?

For example, I have a plant that has about 3 vines growing on it, but it has about another 5 developing, and more flower buds coming. If I left it to grow would all of the fruits grow, but just take longer? I am watering daily and feeding regularly so I don't mind the maintenance, the only thing is the canes in my growbags don't offer great support to the plants, I have thinned them out on several occasions removing a lot of leaves.

Lotus-eater

It depends on lots of things, but a rough guide often talked about, is 4 trusses for outside toms and 6 or 7 for inside.

comping_cat

Think i now why my courgettes are not growing, cant see anything that looks like a male flower!