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sharonp68_gw

Need help! Roma tomatoes dropping before ripe?

sharonP68
10 years ago

I am desperate to find an answer as to why my Roma VF tomatoes are dropping before they are mature and ripe. The color breaks when the fruits are not full size and they fall on the ground or fall off the vine when barely touched. The vines are absolutely LOADED with fruit and we were looking forward to a bountiful harvest.

Once they fall, I bring them into the house to finish ripening out of direct sunlight. They do ripen a bit, but they begin to dry out/shrivel before fully ripe (see the picture). The tomatoes on the left have been in the house for three days. The tomatoes on the right fell off today. You can see how small they are compared to he nickel.

Here are some details:

These plants were grown from seed and planted out in our raised beds which were amended with 2" of compost (cow and mushroom). We also added the recommended organic fertilizer per planting hole. We grew the same tomatoes under the same conditions last year with GREAT success.

The weather conditions this year are vastly different. Last year, we were under severe drought conditions and I had to water deeply every few days using soaker hoses. This year, we have had a LOT of rain and cooler temperatures. We haven't noticed any pests (hornworms or aphids) either.

We are growing three different tomato varieties from seed (Roma VF, Super Sweet 100, and an heirloom called Siberian Pink Honey). We have no problems with the other varieties and we're stumped. Does anyone have any clue as to what the problem is? Not enough fertilizer? Too much water?

You help and expertise will be greatly appreciated!

Sharon

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