What went wrong with my tomatoes?

**brennasmom** · 09-09-2008, 10:38 PM

I am a beginning gardener. This year I planted 6 tomato plants. 3 cherry tomato and 3 large tomato. Our cherry tomatoes came out great. Lots of them and very good.

The problem was the larger tomatoes.

To date I have gotten 2 tomatoes.

The rest got to be a nice size and while they were still green they went rotten on the vine. I am clueless. Any ideas what I did worng?

Thanks in advance.

**peanut** · 09-09-2008, 11:43 PM

Was it rot from the blossom end? That's called blossom end rot, and happens when you have too wet a summer. Other than that, I can't help you. Sorry.

Jean

**dilligaf** · 09-10-2008, 05:38 AM

perhaps blossom end rot, however i also know many many people have had huge issues with tomatoes this year. Folks that have huge gardens and have had them many years have had much the same problem. I have not canned any tomatoes this year except for one small batch of salsa and normally i can close to 150 quarts a season.

Dont give up on the tomatoes because it has been a bad year, try again next year with them

I personally think there is or was a plot somewhere in all the tomato issues this season, i just havent figured out where or how...

**cmdarlin** · 09-10-2008, 06:12 AM

We too had problems with our tomatoes. We only planted 3 plants but have maybe gotten only 5 small tomatoes from them. Lots of little green ones on there but seems like they just won't grow. This is the first year I've not had enough to can. Very disappointing too.

Debbie

**Russ** · 09-10-2008, 07:32 AM

Could be late blight.
Take some green ones off the vine and throw them in a paper bag. They will ripen and you will at least get something out of your work.

**Darlene** · 09-10-2008, 08:32 AM

We had the same problem and yes it's probably because of too much rain. We had so much here over 22"(in upstate NY)yes, that says over 22" total for June, July & August.

Ours fared a little bit better than most peoples must have been in a higher spot in the garden. Things that normally grow easily just died, like zucchini, eggplant, swiss chard...

With the green ones I just put a protective covering(plastic flannel backed tablecloth) over my dining room table and they ripen fine there. Keep checking daily for ones that need using.

Don't give up and better luck next year!

**justatxmom** · 09-10-2008, 08:38 AM

We too had problems with our tomatoes.... ours never blossomed. The plants got huge but no little yellow flowers.

Like some pp said it's been a disappointing year in the garden. Just about everyone I know had a hard time with their 'maters for one reason or another and yielded the about the same amount we did.

**brennasmom** · 09-10-2008, 09:17 AM

Thanks everyone.... I will try again next year!

I had trouble with zucchini too. Lots of blossoms but no zucchini.

**BlessedMomof2** · 09-10-2008, 09:24 AM

I had problems with my tomatoes too. My squash and cucumbers never produced a single thing yet blossomed like crazy. It just seems to have been a bad year for crops in general. Hopefully we all have a better growing season next year!

**The Muse** · 09-10-2008, 09:33 AM

I don't know about the rotting issue, but did you prune the suckers? If you don't prune the suckers, your yield may be smaller. I pruned mine and got a ton of tomatoes once I stopped the squirrels from stealing them.

Did your plants flower?

**staciah** · 09-10-2008, 10:22 AM

I also pruned mine and I am still getting tomatos. Way too many but I have been dehyrating them. I had not very good luck with my green and red peppers. My corn didn't do too well either. For my first yrs garden I am very happy with what I got. Good luck next yr

**HummingbirdMO** · 09-10-2008, 10:49 AM

My tomatoes were horrible this year. Granted, I was having back problems this year and didn't maintain my garden as well as I could, but I should have gotten at least some tomatoes. I think it was all the rain this year combined with a really mild summer for this part of the country. All summer long, I only recall about 1-2 weeks where it was actually really hot outside and tomatoes love the hot weather.

Hopefully next year will be much much better. I hate buying tomatoes in the store...yuck...they just don't taste the same at all.

**HandyMom** · 09-10-2008, 12:15 PM

I have one tomato plant that did not produce more than 5 tomatoes. I've babied it all season. It has bloomed and has lots of green tomatoes on it of varying sizes right now.

**madhen** · 09-10-2008, 01:24 PM

I've got a squirrel problem, as well. Lots of tomatoes and squash, but it never gets big or ripe enough to harvest before some STINKING squirrel EATS it!!

My neighbor has an extremely ugly cat that has been hanging around my house and is ignoring my chickens. The squirrels seem as disturbed by the cat as I am (this is a VERY ugly cat - it reminds me of something out of Stephen King's Pet Semetary), so I am encouraging him/her/it to stick around.

**kimmy4433** · 09-10-2008, 03:46 PM

I got a lot of cucs from the garden and leaf lettuce too. 4 green peppers and about 10 tomatoes. I have 5 watermellons on the vines (need to check those when I get home tonight) and my cantulopes blossomed but nothing else and my pumpkins blossomed like crazy and then die!! Oh well better luck to us next year!!