hoop house tomatoes set blooms but no fruit yet
 

i started Rutgers and Brandywine from seeds indoors, the planted into my nominally heated hoop house in feb. i transplanted half into my garden in mid march ( i live in south west tenn.) the tomatoes in the hoop house are 2 or 3 times bigger than the ones i transplanted out into the garden; and absolutely loaded with blooms. Yet my first green tomato showed today 4/18/12 on one of the much smaller plants in the garden.

any ideas on what gives?

thanks for any input.

i'm new to the forum and love all the experience and insight!

Were you shaking the tomatoes in the hoophouse, either manually or with a fan?

Janezee...great question, get's to pollination. I have not shaken (or stirred) either the hoop house siblings or those in the field. I have had a fan running in the hoop house 24/7.

Either generate some breeze or input some bees. Hey, that rhymed, lol.

Sounds like you need pollination. You could use an electric toothbrush, or just shake each bush every day. Those guys need some action!!!!! ;)

i agree it sounds like a pollination issue....one more "yeah but" and i'll go shake the suckers; it has been such an early spring and so warm that i have had the sides rolled up on the hoop house and the plants have been cosseted by the wind just like those in the field.

I only have 7 plants in the greenhouse but I give all the open blossoms the Sonicare treatment at least once a day and have had every blossom set a fruit so far.

what exactly do you do with the electric toothbrush?

[QUOTE=sfulwood;269403]what exactly do you do with the electric toothbrush?[/QUOTE]

If you google "brush pollination with electric toothbrush" you'll see various methods used. The Sonicare that I have is used without the brush. I just touch the metal piece that vibrates to the flower stem when it's opened enough and look for the pollen to come out in a stream.

sfulwood,

Also, however you choose to vibrate the trusses I would do it around noon, when the humidity is the lowest.

Steve