If you planted your tomatoes in early February you might just be picking some fruit by now! If not perhaps a couple of things have gone south on you!

• Pollination, are you getting blossoms and no fruit? If so the bees may not be doing their job. Try using a tomato or pepper set spray. They do work and are completely safe. Be sure you’re plants are in a place where some wind can get to them as well!

• You may be getting fruit but they have an ugly black patch on the bottom of them? We are starting to see “blossom end rot” on tomatoes. This is generally a calcium deficiency, but stress from irregular watering and fertilizing may add to the trouble. Fertilome makes a spray ” yield booster and blossom end rot preventer” it is worth a try! Many people throw the tomatoes away when this happens as well. You can cut off the damage and still use the fruit!

• Fertilize,Fertilize,Fertilize….Tomatoes as well as other “annuals” need to grow fast and keep growing until they are “done”. Be sure you are fertilizing regularly. Follow directions on the product you’re using, most folks don’t use the product nearly as frequently as they need to and using more is not good. Better to feed lightly and often than risk overfeeding and burning plants!

• Water,Mulch,Shade: as the temps warm up be sure to adjust your watering schedule, don’t panic, however, if plants wilt in the heat of the afternoon. Adding a layer of compost or mulch to the ground around your plants will help them cool off as well. If you really want to extend the season build a shade structure over your garden. Don’t use cloth more dense than about 50% and be sure it doesn’t  touch the plants!!
• Birds-Dang em’. Using a netting or chicken wire is really about the only effective solution!

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Good Grown’ (if you get too many tomatoes, i know a good home for them!)

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