Health & Fitness
Susan Says: Cooler Weather Could Still Bring Tomatoes!
Susan, horticulturist at Culver's Garden Center and Greenhouse in Marion, explains why your tomato plants aren't producing much fruit this summer.
WHERE ARE ALL MY TOMATOES (and peppers,squash, etc)….?
When temps remain as hot as they have this year, and we also have very little nighttime cooling, these plants often flower but fail to set fruit. Depending on how mature your plants were (and how much if any flowering had occurred) when the extreme heat arrived in June, you may have picked some decent fruit in July, but now are noticing little or no green fruits for future harvest. Sun exposure and cultivar also account for differences with hot weather performance.
Don’t be too discouraged though, if we get some cooler weather (below 90s), you could still get a decent tomato, pepper and zucchini harvest, especially if we get a later than usual frost this fall.
Find out what's happening in Marionfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Do you love tomatoes? Culver’s Garden Center and Greenhouse wants your help in choosing which varieties to grow next spring! On Saturday, August 25th, visit the garden center off Highway 151 E. Marion to sample 15 – 20 varieties of tomatoes at Culver’s Fresh off the Vine event. The tasting from 3 to 5pm will include wines from Stone Cliff Winery in addition to tomatoes. Local folk/rock trio Bruner, Drake, and Johnson take the patio stage from 4 to 7pm, beer and wine will be available at a cash bar throughout the event. Enter your homegrown tomato for Culver's contest starting at 3pm, the grower of the heaviest homegrown tomato wins vegetable fertilizer from Dr. Earth! The event is free and open to the public.