tall "leggy" tomato plants

[MaggieMD]

Any idea what causes tomato plants to grow tall but not bushy? Mine have blossoms and even some green tomatoes, but they seem awfully tall for their width and there are long expanses of stem wiht no leaves coming out. I buried them pretty deep I thought, about 6 weeks ago.

[NeedSomeHelp]

How much direct sunlight are they receiving per day?

[MaggieMD]

They have a full southern exposure, so from about 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. they are in th sun. I've grown tomatoe plants in this garden plot before (I;m rotating) and this year they just look taller and thinner than before. The other vegtables in the plot are doing fine (cucumbers, eggplant, peppers).

[Roger]

It may just be a natural reaction to lower water levels in the soil. Mine are doing similar despite fairly regular waterings. From what I've seen, most of the eastern seaboard has groundwater levels far below normal.

[opabinia51]

Could also be an overdose of Nitrogen have you been using chemical fertilizers or uncomposted manure?

Try adding some non sterilized compost to the area