Bungle in the Jungle - Ask Extension
I have a raised bed approximately 4Ft x 8Ft surrounded by untreated 2 x 8s standing 22 inches high it is overflowing with Indigo Rose, Pink Berkeley ...
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Bungle in the Jungle #876930
Asked July 12, 2024, 8:40 AM EDT
I have a raised bed approximately 4Ft x 8Ft surrounded by untreated 2 x 8s standing 22 inches high it is overflowing with Indigo Rose, Pink Berkeley Tye dye, and Cherokee
Purple. Tomato plants, fruit is setting low on the plants and in the middle. On top of the Jungle I have what look like viable blooms and many dried up blooms. I have noticed very few bees around..Any advice on how to proceed?
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi David,
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
The recent hot spell is likely the culprit for the dried blooms. When temperatures are over 90 degrees F, tomatoes will stop blooming and it is sometimes recommended to use shade cloth.
For my tomatoes, I purposely remove the flowers that are low on the stem and I also prune/thin the vines to avoid the 'jungle'. that means cutting out stems that grow at the leaf nodes. I maintain three main leaders of the indeterminate vines. My goal is to ensure I get a reasonable harvest so I manage how much fruit actually gets set. That may include cutting the ends off of the fruiting branch so I only have 5-7 fruits instead of 12 or more. there is a point at which I want the fruit to mature and ripen and not set more blooms (not there yet.)
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
The recent hot spell is likely the culprit for the dried blooms. When temperatures are over 90 degrees F, tomatoes will stop blooming and it is sometimes recommended to use shade cloth.
For my tomatoes, I purposely remove the flowers that are low on the stem and I also prune/thin the vines to avoid the 'jungle'. that means cutting out stems that grow at the leaf nodes. I maintain three main leaders of the indeterminate vines. My goal is to ensure I get a reasonable harvest so I manage how much fruit actually gets set. That may include cutting the ends off of the fruiting branch so I only have 5-7 fruits instead of 12 or more. there is a point at which I want the fruit to mature and ripen and not set more blooms (not there yet.)
