You can try shaking the flowers or any of the other techniques used to help the flowers pollinate, but to be honest you shouldn't need to.

If the flowers aren't setting, it's much more likely that the conditions are not favorable. This could mean that the weather is too hot, too cold, too rainy, too humid or it could mean that there is too much nitrogen in the soil, so the plant is dropping flowers to focus on growing new leaves.

Hm, they're in a raised bed that I built last year that produced heavily. I haven't fertilized all that heavily this year so perhaps it's a nitrogen issue. The flowers aren't dropping particularly rapidly. They just never begin to form fruit. The flowers will be in bloom for a week or more before they seem to give up.

I'll hit the bed with some high nitrogen fertilizer and see what happens. But it doesn't seem to me like that's the problem.

I am new to this too but I read that nitrogen is responsible for vegetative growth and if you want the plant to produce you need other elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium etc. What is the makeup of your fertilizer? Also it could be the weather. When it is too cold or too hot flowers will drop. What has your weather been like?

"I'll hit the bed with some high nitrogen fertilizer and see what happens."

Don't do it! :) I said it may be from "too much nitrogen in the soil". Adding more will just cause more blossom drop, or at least less flowers. From what it sounds like, you have decent soil, so it's probably just environmental conditions (too hot or too cold). What has the weather been like near you?

Check out the FAQ here on 'blossom drop' which is what you are experiencing. As already mentioned the most likely problems is the air temps and the next most likely is TOO much nitrogen fertilizer.

But none of the flowers are being pollinated! There ARE bees in my garden, I see them buzzing around the Salvia all day, but haven't seen them around the tomatoes.

Tomato blooms are self-fertile, self-pollinating.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom Drop FAQ

Thanks, I found that faq after posting. I posted on my way back from Canada for a weekend vacation and I've just arrived home a short time ago to find that small tomatoes have indeed formed. I think the near drought conditions and unseasonable heat NJ had been having may have been to blame.

I don't think it could be a nitrogen issue since I hadn't added any amendments to the soil since last season which had an unusually heavy yield. So it must have been the weather.

Thanks for the tips

"I think the near drought conditions and unseasonable heat NJ had been having may have been to blame."

It's almost definitely the weather. I've never really seen any significant blossom drop on any of my plants, but with the recent heatwave we got on the east coast, I saw quite a few flowers drop after the hottest days. Since the temps have cooled a bit, I'm now seeing things back to normal.

I have the same problem down here. My maters are gorgeous plants with lots of blooms, but it's been so unseasonably hot and humid I've only got two fruit on the Cherokee and two tiny fruit on the Yellow Pear... and both of those popped up a few days after we had relatively low humidity day.

I hope we get a break in the weather soon... I really would like some fresh maters!