"Bonnie Best" (if that is what you have) is a determinate tomato. Determinates will ripen a majority of their fruit over about a two week period, so having a ton of flowers and buds at one time is normal for them.

Not all flowers will make a tomato, but most of them should. Be patient. If you want to see what an itty bitty baby mater looks like check out this thread: Is This a Tomato or Just a Mosquito Bite?

Hope that helps.

Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ on determinate and indeterminate

Bulbs? Do you mean flower buds? Immature [baby] tomatoes?

BTW ... your plants look very healthy. In other years, have you had fruit-set earlier in the season? Something different about this season,or because its a variety you havn't used before? I see that your planter is on wheels. is that to move into sunlight?

Betsy, I checked the tag the planter came with. It's actually "Bonnie Original." My memory tricked me because right below it it says "Our best tomato." Anyway, as you can see below, it is Indeterminate.

I guess I do just need to be patient. I'm just about half way through DYM anyway. I planned on May 2nd (35 days ago). and have another 40 left, though I know the fruit take a while to grow. Perhaps if I go another 2 weeks without buds I'll start clipping some of the new buds.

borderbarb - Yes I did mean buds... sorry for the confusion.

Here are some close-up pictures of my buds & blossoms just to illustrate their progress.

And thanks for the positive reinforcement that my plants are healthy. I was fairly certain they are, but always nice to hear from experts. This is my first "real" attempt at gardening. I've half-heartedly tried to grow tomatoes twice before before but didn't do my homework prior to planting and made silly rookie mistakes (over-watering, pots too small, shady area right next to tall wall), and results were quite poor. This year I did my homework, studied the growing requirements, and should have *much* better results. Buds alone are about 10x more than I had before. If I get 50% of the buds to produce, I'll be very happy.

So to answer your other question-- my previous year's experiences don't make for good reference. I've also not used this variety before, so it probably wouldn't help.

I'm also really enjoying it this year much more than previous years since I understand much more, do's and don'ts, etc. Next season I would like to grow some heirlooms from seeds. Though the hardest part for me is picking one. Without tasting them first, it's nearly impossible. There are sooooo many to choose from online, but anyways... I'm rambling here... I have several more months to think about that.

Regarding the wheels-- I'm in the Northeast region (Boston, zone 38), where early May (when I planted) was still at some risk to frost. Some people don't plant until late May. So I wanted wheels to be able to move it indoors on cold nights. Had to use it twice. At this point it's not moving anymore, but I left it on wheels so I can rotate it 180 degrees to keep growth as even as I can, so I rotate once a week.

{{gwi:1340812}}

my two starter plants actually had two rooted stems each, and I didn't split the plant when planting, so effectively I clustered 2 plants together, which is probably why it's so bushy.

So what you really have is 4 plants growing in that one container. That is very over-crowded and that can lead to all sorts of problems - inadequate air circulation, disease, pests, nutrient deprivation, watering stress, etc.

I would cut out 2 of the plants - just cut them off at the soil level so that the other 2 can thrive. At the very least you need to do some sucker and leaf branch pruning to open up the plants somewhat and improve the air circulation. And be sure to feed on a very regular basis and do what you can to maintain the soil moisture levels at consistent level.

Good luck.

Dave

digdirt,

I'd hate to kill off two of the four plants at this point, when they've grown so much. I agree that it's overcrowded but wouldn't the disease/pest/air-circulation issues have come up by now? And it's not like their growth rate is low. I don't need the foliage to develop faster.

Does anyone else share my sentiment/perspective? or also vote for the haircut?

You have four INDs growing in a tub that, at best, would do fine for two DETs. The season has just begun and those plants are not even close to the size the can attain. I agree with Dave that you should cut out two stems, but if it were me, I'd prep three more containers, unpot what you've got there, tease out the roots with as little disturbance as possible, and then give each tomato its own pot.

So, you can...

1) Do nothing and go nuts with constant watering and feeding because container tomatoes are water hogs and with that many stems in a container you will need LOTS of water and tomato food.

2) Cut out two stems and still do a lot of watering and feeding.

3) Separate them all, place the containers in shade for a few days while the plants recover, keep moist, and over the next couple of weeks reintroduce them to more and more light.

but wouldn't the disease/pest/air-circulation issues have come up by now? And it's not like their growth rate is low. I don't need the foliage to develop faster.

No, not necessarily as those plants are still quite young and small and the worst of the weather stress for them is still to come.

As you pointed out they should have been separated at initial transplant time. If that can be done now as Trudi suggests then fine, but it needs to be done ASAP. If not, then 4 indeterminate plants in that size of a container are eventually doomed. They will quickly become stressed and rootbound and then it will impossible to keep up with the nutrients and water demands. That is why I suggested cutting out 2 of them. That way you will at least know that the 2 you originally wanted will make it.

If you want to see what they should look like look at Jaybo's pics and posts on his Earthtainers. His containers are 31 gallons and self-watering and have only 2 indeterminates in them. You can imagine what your 4 are going to look like if they survive.

It's your choice of course.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Earthtainer Update pics

trudi,

I thought about a transplant but am concerned that like a cutting, a transplant will kill existing blossoms and buds.

What about pruning top growth to stop vertical growth after the plant reaches a certain height (e.g. I think 2-3 more feet is enough for me).Since there are plenty of buds already, if 50% produce, I will be satisfied with the season harvest.

Will that be as effective?

Experienced gardeners will listen to Dave. That's because we know what he's talking about. Thin them now. your end results will be much better. Look beyond the present and what will be much better in another month or so. If you do nothing your going to stunt all 4 plants. That container is good for 2 plants at most.

root,

You're groing INDs which means they don't set all their buds at once. You've been given some advice that you can think about and then act on or not.

I found a few links you might find helpful. I think the one rule about tomato gardening is that there are no hard and fast rules that apply EVERY year. My small city lot is hemmed on all sides by trees and houses. So the "full sun" rule has to be broken all the time. But I manage to get enough toms for our family and friends.

I was looking for a link that I read some time ago, about yanking/pulling on the tomato plant to hurry/increase fruiting. Might be interesting to test the 'trick' on one plant.
http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch26.html scroll waaay down to 'Pruning' for the technique mentioned above.
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...snip...Pruning the roots by pulling on the plants and thus breaking the root system to a considerable extent stimulates early ripening of the fruit. Of course such treatment early in the season is harmful. In North Dakota two varieties of tomatoes thus pruned early (July 23 and Aug. 17) produced a smaller total crop than those unpruned. Late pruning (Sept. 1), however, resulted in a decided increase in total yield. Plants thus stimulated practically ripened all of their fruits before the end of the season.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tips for setting fruit

Alright, it seems like everyone agrees that removing two of the plants is the best option so that's what I'll do.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'll keep you posted on how it goes, maybe a picture after the haircut.

You can also cut the two plant out and root them in a container of water. You may need to take smaller branches from the two that you cut down. Keep the rooting container in a somewhat shaded location until you see new roots then transplant into your new container. Tomato cuttings root very quickly.

Just another option that still gives you four plants, or more if you want them. You can root as many cuttings as you like.

Cindy