QUESTION: How long after flowers do tomatoes appear? I see a bunch of yellow flowers but none of them have turned into tomatoes yet and some of them just fell off. – Brenda T
ANSWER: The window of time between flowering and fruiting is approximately 20 to 60 days. Why such a large gap in the range?
It has much to do with the type of tomato you’ve planted. Smaller varieties produce fruit faster than larger varieties.
Fruit takes approximately five weeks to be ready to harvest once it appears on your plant. The first couple of weeks, the tomatoes won’t seem to grow much.
In the third, fourth, and fifth weeks the tomatoes will transform greatly.
What can you do to ensure your tomato’s flowers produce fruit? The first thing is to watch the weather. Dips in the temperatures can cause your tomatoes to drop their blooms before they have time to fruit.
If you’re growing tomatoes later in the season, protect them from frost or even transplant them into containers which can be moved and grown inside a greenhouse.
Another thing you should be doing to ensure your tomatoes fruit is water the plants adequately. It’s wise to water tomato plants deeply but fewer days of the week.
When you think it might be time to water again, check the soil with your finger. If the soil is dry to your first knuckle, water the plants deeply. If not, hold off for a few days before checking the soil again.
Tomatoes must also be fertilized one time every other week once you see fruit appear on the plant. This will ensure your tomato plants have all the nutrients necessary to produce quality fruit.
You should also invite pollinators into your garden. The more pollinators in the garden, the more pollination which will occur. This equates to more blooms and more fruit.
Plant gorgeous flowers around your tomatoes to encourage these types of guests to visit your garden space.
Finally, keep an eye out for pests and diseases. If you see signs of fungal issues, bacterial diseases, or unwanted bugs in your garden, be sure to treat the issues accordingly. Healthier plants are better producers.
After you’ve waited the length of time it takes for your variety of tomato plant to produce, be sure to harvest at the correct time. Don’t remove the tomato from the plant until it has reached its full color and is firm.
Once this occurs, you’re ready to enjoy your homegrown tomatoes. Take this information and use it to, hopefully, produce the gorgeous tomatoes you’ve been dreaming of.
Learn More About Growing Tomatoes
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-tomatoes
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-1624
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