tomato issue

[coachmccree]

grow my plants from seeds , but there only about three feet , and fruit is starting to form , want them to grow taller and bigger , wat am i doing wrong

[Setec Astronomy]

What variety are they? Maybe they only grow to three feet.

[Whwoz]

If indeterminate they will keep growing even though they are forming fruit, you maybe doing nothing wrong

[MissS]

Yes, it's important to know what variety you are growing. There are two types of tomato plants, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate plants usually only grow to about 3 feet tall and produce all of their tomatoes at once and then they are done. These are great for canning because the harvest comes in all at one time. Indeterminate plants keep growing over the whole season and produce tomatoes until weather brings them down. These tomatoes are for fresh eating and produce a few here and there for salads and such. Indeterminate plants can easily reach 6 feet or more. There are also dwarf and micro tomatoes that remain short.

If you are growing indeterminate tomatoes and they are only 2-3 feet tall then there is some kind of problem. Please let us know what variety you are growing and we can start there.

[KarenO]

It’s only the middle of June. Where do you live?

[goodloe]

My Brandywine (Sudduth) are only about 3 ft tall and are setting fruit. No worries...

[edweather]

Three feet isn't that short. Tomato plants setting fruit is a good thing,

[Shule]

I agree that three feet is a pretty normal size for the time when they start to set fruit.

Causes of slower/less growth might include these things:
* Low nitrogen
* The old leaves may have adapted to a different kind of light than the plant is getting. If so, trimming the older leaves off should stimulate more growth. The leaves usually turn upside down and/or get thick veins if this is the case, much as with stress.
* Hot, dry weather (and a plant that isn't suited to it)
* Hot, dry weather and low potassium and/or calcium
* Stress
* The plant was too young when it was transplanted, and it was transplanted too late into the season.
* Multiple plants are in the same spot (this can reduce the foliar growth)
* Weeds
* Breed
* Zinc deficiency, or another deficiency
* Not enough organic matter
* Compacted soil
* Drought
* The soil may be too cold where the roots are (for faster initial growth it's better to bury the extra stem horizontally than super deep).
* Too much potassium
* Soil pH issues
* Herbicide
* Pests
* Disease
* You might have it growing next to kohlrabi, black walnut, wormwood, or something else that might prevent it from growing so quickly.
* Your soil might be low on microbes, worms, or something
* The plant might not have had enough light before the transplant
* Maybe there's something in the water that it doesn't prefer

If you're used to buying plants, don't be so hard on yourself. Those who prepare them are pretty good about getting plants ready to put a spurt on once transplanted. It takes some time to find methods that work as well.

You might try watering it with filtered water. That seemed to give my tomatoes a growth boost, in 2014 or so, when I tried it.

I've found that my tomatoes grow faster when I spray them with water with a shower nozzle, or water them with an oscillating sprinkler, regularly—but, I live in a semi-arid area, and that might cause disease in your area. I don't do that anymore, normally, but it did make the tomatoes grow a lot more foliage, with our water. Matina and Thessaloniki are two kinds that really appreciated all that water.

[Nan6b]

Three feet sounds like the right height for when they start to get tomatoes. The plants will keep growing.

[coachmccree]

If indeterminate they will keep growing even though they are forming fruit, you maybe doing nothing wrong

very nice thank you ,

[coachmccree]

If indeterminate they will keep growing even though they are forming fruit, you maybe doing nothing wrong

thank you

[coachmccree]

Three feet sounds like the right height for when they start to get tomatoes. The plants will keep growing.

thank you

[coachmccree]

Yes, it's important to know what variety you are growing. There are two types of tomato plants, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate plants usually only grow to about 3 feet tall and produce all of their tomatoes at once and then they are done. These are great for canning because the harvest comes in all at one time. Indeterminate plants keep growing over the whole season and produce tomatoes until weather brings them down. These tomatoes are for fresh eating and produce a few here and there for salads and such. Indeterminate plants can easily reach 6 feet or more. There are also dwarf and micro tomatoes that remain short.

If you are growing indeterminate tomatoes and they are only 2-3 feet tall then there is some kind of problem. Please let us know what variety you are growing and we can start there.

thank you patty

[coachmccree]

My Brandywine (Sudduth) are only about 3 ft tall and are setting fruit. No worries...

thats perfect , thats the kind i am growing ,thank you

[coachmccree]

If indeterminate they will keep growing even though they are forming fruit, you maybe doing nothing wrong

thank you

[coachmccree]

Three feet isn't that short. Tomato plants setting fruit is a good thing,

thank you

[MissS]

So you are growing Brandywine tomatoes. These are an indeterminate variety. A nice tomato that ought to reach 6 feet or more by the end of the season. They start flowering and producing now at 2-3 feet and will keep growing throughout your growing season. I do not see your location in your profile (see tutorials at the bottom of the home page to learn how to do this). Brandywine's are a little finicky in that they do not produce many tomatoes in the high heat. If you are in the south then don't count on a large crop of these tomatoes because it is just too hot for them. If you are in the north, then this was a good choice. Regardless, during the hot weather, try to shake your plant each day or jiggle the blossoms. This will help to pollinate your plants in stressful temperatures.