In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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May 16, 2007

Tomato troubles

Several readers have asked why their tomatoes are blooming, but not setting fruit. Blossoms form, they write, but fall away. The problem is called blossom drop, and it happens early in the season. The reason: the temperature at night is too cool. Once night temps stay above 55 degrees, the problem should right itself.

Watering tomatoes is also the subject of lots of discussion. Everyone has a watering regime, and if you ask 20 people how they water their tomatoes, you’ll get 20 different answers.

The goal is to have plants that send their roots as deeply into the soil as possible so they are resistant to the vagaries of watering routines and the weather. If the weather suddenly turns boiling hot, the plants can withstand the heat without wilting, or dropping all of their fruit to stay alive. You want to get your plants used to a deep watering one to three times per week, depending on your soil and other factors, like mulching and how much sun the plants get.

So, that said, here’s what I do. When the tomatoes are young, I water them daily if the weather is warm, less if we have cool days. As they grow I water them longer, and less often. I’m watering every two to three days right now. I have to admit that I like watering the garden by hand at this early point in the gardening season. I find it relaxing, and it gives me the chance to look at every plant and to make sure everything is growing well. Once the hot weather is consistently with us, I’ll turn all watering chores over to the timer and the sprinklers.

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