| what is the night air temperature range for your super beefsteak tomato. i would diagnose my problem as one of 1) lack of pollination 2) permature blossom drop. got foliage, got flowers, got bees...been 3 weeks since the first flowers opened/dropped (is this an indeterminate variety?)...no fruit set...other references indicate that night temperature is critical. so, what's the range for this super beefsteak variety? by the way, these are outside, in a windy field...could you elaborate on your library question re: peppers being wind-sensitive...hot nights and windy days just about explain my conditions...aloha, bonnie |
| In answer to your first question, Burpee's Supersteak is an indeterminate variety, meaning you will have more blossoms as the summer goes on, providing the plant gets what it needs culturally. So, all is not lost! Tomatoes will not set fruit if night temperatures fall below 55 degrees or day temperatures rise above 90 degrees. They will also not set fruit if they have poor pollination (which you say is not a problem) or if they have too much nitrogen. They should have a side dressing of fertilizer or composted manure as they begin to set fruit, but too much fertilization before that produces plenty of leaves and no fruit. Wind is good for tomato pollination, but not for peppers, which can't stand the wind. They lose too much water from the leaves and the roots cannot take up enough to replace it. Consequently, they drop blossoms and small fruits in order to conserve moisture. Since yours are in a windy setting, is there some way to set up something to deflect the wind? Hope this gives you some help! |
