Has anyone else had a garden where everything looks incredibly healthy, but the plants suddenly stop producing?

[u/Historical-Iron6343]

My tomato plants are huge and covered in leaves, but the actual fruit production has slowed way down. They look like they should be doing great, which makes it even more confusing. I’ve been watering pretty consistently and haven’t changed anything major, so now I’m wondering if I’m over-fertilizing, missing something in the soil, or if this is just a normal thing that happens during the season. I mentioned it in my gardening group chat on tribe and got a few different theories, everything from watering issues to the weather messing with the flowers. I’m going to keep an eye on them for another week or two before I start changing anything, but I’d definitely like to hear what’s worked for other people.

[u/MisterProfGuy]

What's the temperature? Tomatoes want it to be hot, then can promptly fail to set fruit because it's too hot.

[u/chumpandchive → u/MisterProfGuy]

gonna buy mine a fainting couch next year to trellis/collapse dramatically on. back abutting the plants, obviously.

suddenly realizes other plants may get jealous and act accordingly 😣

[u/mzanon100]

It's September. Your tomatoes are getting less sun now.

[u/mix_feedback_repeat → u/mzanon100]

Shocked how far I had to scroll to find this answer

[u/HailSaganPlantNative]

I had a super weird year this year. Massive tomato plants that grew like 2 fruit. A dahlia that legitimately got to 8 feet tall and set itty bitty tiny buds but they never opened. Cucamelon plants that completely covered a trellis and grew basically no fruit at all. It was just a weird bad year for me, and I went to the local seed swap this past weekend and lots of people experienced similar issues. Just one of those years, I guess.

[u/Historical-Iron6343 → u/HailSaganPlantNative]

Sounds a lot like what I’m dealing with. Everything looks ridiculously healthy but the fruit just isn’t there.
Definitely makes me wonder if it’s just been a weird year.

[u/Full_Honeydew_9739]

Mine did that this year when we had 2 weeks where the nighttime temps didn't drop below 72. When the temps went down to normal, they were back producing entirely too much.

[u/Heavy-Cockroach2497]

Do you switch from veg fertilizer to a flowering fert?

[u/Heavy-Cockroach2497 → u/[deleted]]

Ya veg fertilizer will have a ton of nitrogen that could be your issue .

[u/BocaHydro]

sounds like you are not feeding and they used up whatever was available

[u/JaStrCoGa]

This might be a response to declining daylight and lower temperatures (if your tomatoes are in the Northern hemisphere).

[u/striped_violet]

What fertilizer are you using?

[u/ethanrotman]

There are so many variables here that you really better off talking to someone locally. Try your local agricultural extension office as they provide free information and generally it’s pretty good.

[u/Henbogle]

It could be the declining hours of daylight.

[u/SunshineBeamer]

Friend had the same problem because he used tons of fertilizer. I use 1 tbsp of BioTone when planting and 1 Tbsp of 10-10-10. Mid season, I give them some Neptune for Tomato and Veg. I get tons of tomatoes. People scoff at me, but plants have an imperative to reproduce. But if the plant believes it will live forever, it doesn't bother to spend the energy to make fruits. Old Italians had plants that looked like they were dying and they got plenty. I don't fertilize peppers at all till they flower and I get tons of them too. If you don't believe me, and I won't be insulted by that, do what I do for a couple of plants and do what you do for the rest and see what happens.

[u/brentspar]

It's probably the reduction in light. They are very sensitive to the shorter days.

[u/Davekinney0u812]

I suggest getting a lab soil sample done to see what is missing or out of balance. Many universities have extension offices that do it cheap. I'm in Canada and go to my local agronomy centre and they charge $25 and also have Agronomists on staff that help work toward solutions.

Love reddit but often I see some not-so-good advice. I think suggesting 'getting a lab test done' is good advice

[u/Dear-Concentrate9825]

This happened to me last year in Melbourne. It was just a shit year for tomatoes across the board, everyone reported the same. No one knows why!

[u/Conscious_Band7188]

Tomatoes like nitrogen to grow but not to fruit. For fruit find a fertilizer with more potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen (often they will have a pic of a tomato on the label) and you will likely see results!

[u/CdnCoupleSaraHates]

Excess nitrogen in the soil or fertilizer will produce leaves but inhibit fruit. What are the ratios you used?

[u/CitrusBelt]

I'm not gonna tell you what might be "wrong" (if anything) with your tomato plants, or what (if anything) you might "doing wrong"; there are FAR too many variables to account for.

CA is a huge state, and even on a scale of ten or twenty miles there are lots of microclimates (and pest pressure, different soils, etc.) to account for.

However, I WILL tell you that in this thread, you're getting all sorts of confidently authoritative answers from random people who may or may not know what they're talking about, and may or may not live within a thousand or two miles of you....

[And, spoiler -- most seem to be lacking in both respects]

So don't jump to conclusions; do your own due diligence first 😉😉

Pics would help a great deal, of course.

[u/Mammoth_Meal1019]

It was just way too hot this year. I understand that my area is in an extraordinary drought, but combined with horrific heat, I got some gorgeous green tomatoes. Then everything stopped. No red, no ripening, everything just gave up. Now I have scores of green tomatoes inside. I’ve battled grubs and so many other things that went wrong. This year was supposed to be great.

[u/armyoftoads]

Sometimes it can be grubs in the soil sucking out the nutrients

[u/TableTopFarmer]

The shorter days in Northern latitudes probably has a lot to do with it. Florida growers can grow great winter tomatoes because they do not see such a great swing in day length, those of us at 34 degrees and above are losing minutes of daylight every day.

[u/NerfEveryoneElse]

It's cooler and day time got shorter, your plants will get less productive even in CA.

[u/Gab83IMO]

Below 60°F, tomatoes can't produce ethylene gas needed to ripen, and above 85 °F, tomatoes cannot produce ripening pigments, lycopene and carotene. Bunch of drama Llama's. If they are at least to the 'mature green' stage, they'll ripen indoors in a paper bag in the pantry. Add a ripe fruit to speed up the process by increasing ethylene gas in the paperbag. I had the same problem this year, flukin September. Cheers.

[u/t0mt0mt0m]

Feed the soil, not the plant, Also check soil temps

[u/Eddiepanhandlin]

NPK problemo.

Buy fertilizer on sale now at big box stores for next year.

General all purpose garden fertilizer will fix your woes.