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Oklahoma Gardening

Everything's just sitting there...

14 years ago

When I read about the problems others are having with diseases, etc. I feel like I've dodged some bullets in my first year. My tomatoes and peppers are hanging in there, and not looking too much the worse for wear in the heat (yet). the bell and hot peppers haven't set much fruit yet, but they're really only starting to bloom now, and the local bees seem to have discovered my new bed, so I'm hopeful I'll get something out of most of them. What's really driving me nuts are my tomatoes. I got a heat tolerant variety that set oodles of fruit in late may and early june (and is still fruiting a little bit now), but after an early spurt of growth they have all sat there for the last 2 weeks, not growing, and stubbornly whitish-green with very few progressing to the breaker stage. It's like Groundhog day--I keep coming home after work to water and to see if i have any ripening tomatoes, only to see the same white-green orbs, with no change in size or color. Is it just that the heat is so brutal that the plants are putting everything into surviving and not ripening the fruit? Are they getting too much sun? do i just need to be more patient? Will I be able to make my husband his promised homemade salsa before october? Suggestions are welcome, even if they're just to pour myself a nice glass of iced tea and chill out.

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Comments (3)

okiefamily
14 years ago
I had the same issue, they sat there for a month, not kidding, and then, one day I saw a little pink on a cherry tomato and it was contagious and then all my maters ripened at the same time! My advice is to just be patient! It won't be long.
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
14 years ago
To a certain extent, it is the heat. However, the tomatoes also have to grow for a long while before they go from red to green. Look at the attached link of a ripening Big Beef tomato and note how long it takes it to go from green to the red breaker stage.

I do think that the plants go into survival mode when it is this hot and put a lot of energy into survival and that might slow down ripening a bit.

So, have that big glass of iced tea, relax, maybe even take a little nap and dream of ripe tomatoes. They'll ripen soon, I hope, and put an end to the torture of waiting for them.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Day-By-Day Images of Tomato Growth
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elkwc
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That first one takes forever it seems. Then they all come fast after that. I know a lot of it is it just seems like a long time. But I also keep decent records some years and try to mark down when I notice first fruit set on a plant. And then have marked one down that is easy to keep track of set in late August on the same plant. It usually ripens a lot faster than the one set early. I think there are several reasons. The plant is mature. So more of the nutrients can go to making fruit rather than growing plant. Yes the plants still grow but they also have a lot more foliage for photosythenisis. And like Dawn said during this time it takes a lot of the available resources just to keep it alive. I have picked 3 fruit so far. All smaller than I hope the later ones from this plant will be. I also noticed a Spudakee starting to blush some last night. I will check the date I first saw this fruit. Know it has been awhile. I expect the later fruit from this plant to be 3-5 ounces bigger. In my opinion stress causing a fruit to either ripen slow or prematurely. What makes the difference I'm not sure but have seen both happen. Jay

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