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Binkalette
- Senior Member
- Posts: 139
- Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:53 pm
- Location: Minnesota - zone 4a
Tomato flower question
Do all tomato flowers turn into tomatoes, or are there male and female flowers, like with pumpkins? Thanks!
All tomato flowers are what are referred to as "perfect". That means each flower has both male and female parts. The flowers are described as "self-fertile", except due to the structure of the flower, a little assistance is required for pollination to occur. Most of the time, insects and the wind are enough to make it happen, but if you want to help it along, just tap your fingers on each stem of flowers. Alternatively, you can gently shake the entire plant. (When I was a child, my grandma used to tell me she "shook hands" with her tomato plants. 
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Still, though, it's in the nature of things that not every tomato flower will become a tomato fruit. There may be genetic or other defects that prevent that from occurring, the weather may not be just right, all kinds of things can happen ... just like not every seed that is sown will sprout and successfully grow into a mature plant.
) Still, though, it's in the nature of things that not every tomato flower will become a tomato fruit. There may be genetic or other defects that prevent that from occurring, the weather may not be just right, all kinds of things can happen ... just like not every seed that is sown will sprout and successfully grow into a mature plant.
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Binkalette
- Senior Member
- Posts: 139
- Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:53 pm
- Location: Minnesota - zone 4a
Thanks! That's exactly what I wanted to know! 
I have about 10 flowers on each of my tomato plants right now, so hopefully most of those will become tomatoes!! We've got TONS of bee's and other little pollinater bugs in the yard right now, our whole yard has pretty much been taken over by little white clovers that they are just LOVING. I don't mind the clovers much either, they look so cute and smell fabulous!
I have about 10 flowers on each of my tomato plants right now, so hopefully most of those will become tomatoes!! We've got TONS of bee's and other little pollinater bugs in the yard right now, our whole yard has pretty much been taken over by little white clovers that they are just LOVING. I don't mind the clovers much either, they look so cute and smell fabulous!
Don't be deceived by a dead-looking flower. Oftentimes you will find that under a bloomed-out flower is a nice, little tomato that's just startingDarceyoh wrote:Just the info I was looking for! I was about to deadhead all the flowers, then decided I better not and look up whether I should. Glad I stopped and came back on here! whew!
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