johnd451
Newly Registered
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:35 pm
Location: Southern California

New Brandywine problem

I have read the brandywine posts and realize they are not very productive, but I have not seen my problem before. I have been watching a couple of blossoms that I thought might be tomatoes, but they have not grown into tomatoes, at least not that I could see. I pulled back the dead flowers from one of the blossoms and there is what looks like a tiny tomato. There are actually a few that look similar that I think have the same thing. The problem is they have looked the same for at least a week, probably a week and a half. Is there something I can do to make them grow. Has anyone seen this before.

Also, My Beefsteak plant has two perfectly round tomatoes, but I noticed a tiny little pumpkin shaped fruit on it. It is also not growing any bigger. It has also been there for about a week and a half. I am assuming it was cross pollinated, possibly with the brandywine, and is not growing because it was pollinated with the other one that isn't growing. Does this sound reasonable, and can I do something to get it to grow?

User avatar
Kisal
Mod Emeritus
Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

Cross-pollination shouldn't cause any major problem with tomatoes. The effects of cross-pollination would be reflected in fruit from plants grown from the seeds of the tomatoes that your plants produce. The fruit from the plants you have now would not be altered in any way.

I think what you're seeing is just a baby tomato. Has it been hot in your area? Tomatoes don't develop or turn red when the temperature is higher than about 85º.

My own tomato plants are doing the same thing. They're absolutely loaded with fruit, and I was picking a nice bowl full every day ... but I haven't had a single ripe tomato since the heat wave hit. Now that things are beginning to cool down a little around here, the tomatoes should begin to develop again. :)

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I've noticed that the fruit shape of the first one or two in a cluster is not always the shape the variety is SUPPOSED to grow. Also, sometimes you get conjoined twins. In your case, though, typically, Beefsteak types are SUPPOSED to be pumpkin-shaped, so the round ones are the misshapes.

In addition to what Kisal said about the temp, if there are large fruits ripening on the plant, some of the babies sometimes don't get to grow until the bigger sibs are done and picked.

johnd451
Newly Registered
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:35 pm
Location: Southern California

It has been very hot, so I think that is my biggest issue. The two big ones finally ripened and I ate one and it was very tasty. Slicing into the second one tomorrow. The little pumpkin is still there and still the same size.

As for the brandywine, there is finally a tomato growing on it. The shape is a little weird but it seems to be growing normally. As for the ones I thought might be tomatoes on the Brandywine, I think it was just wishful thinking.



Return to “TOMATO FORUM”