Melanie, How long have they been "setting" there? My Big Rainbows seem to take forever to go from bloom to ZOOM. But now they are putting on the weight. I very impatiently watched mine for what seemed like to weeks.

Big Rainbow is one of my holdouts this year too. The plant is big and healthy and is the tallest. We have had awful weather this year, with wild swings in tempurature and then a triple digit heat wave. All of my plants have experienced blossom drop, but except for BR and Rose, all have produced tomatoes. There is another round of flowers that have formed, so I'm hoping that these will set into tomatoes. I've only grown BR once before, and it was a fine producer. Maybe BR is just more "sensitive" to less than ideal conditions. Since your blossoms have formed small tomatoes, then maybe it just needs more time.

Containerted, they have been "setting" there for a little less than a week, give or take a few days. Will they just sit there for a while before they actually start to grow?! It's so frustrating, and the other plants are in the same raised bed, so I don't think it could be the soil. Thanks to you and Slo_Garden (and anyone else) for any more suggestions!

Melanie

Melanie, as others above have indicated the name is just Big Rainbow ( no stripe as part of the name) and it's an excellent gold/reed bicolor.

it's good to remember that varieties are either early, mid or late season which often explains why you don't see developing fruits on all varieties at the same time.

You say you see a little tomato after the petals fall off. So it could be that the blossoms were self pollenized and all is well and soon that small tomato will enlarge.

it could also mean that what you're loking at is the green tomato ovary at the base of every blossom and if pollenization didn't occur then it just sits there.

Let's take the positive approach and say that Big Rainbow is a late season variety, which it is, and if temps are OK for pollenization the fruits shouold start setting.

Carolyn

Thanks, Carolyn. I'm a newbie...are the Big Rainbow's not self-pollinating? Are the others (mentioned in the first post of thread) in my garden self-pollinating? I kind of thought (stupidly, maybe) that the tomatoes are all self-pollinating. It sounds like I don't have the best understanding. Can you explain more? Thanks!

Thanks, Carolyn. I'm a newbie...are the Big Rainbow's not self-pollinating? Are the others (mentioned in the first post of thread) in my garden self-pollinating? I kind of thought (stupidly, maybe) that the tomatoes are all self-pollinating. It sounds like I don't have the best understanding. Can you explain more? Thanks!

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The blossoms of ALL varieties, hybrid and OP ( open pollinated) self pollenize since both male ( anthers with pollen) and female ( stigma in the center of the blossom) are present and the pollen from the anthers of a blossom falls on the stigma of that same blossom.

This happens about 90-95 % of the time as long as temps are correct for that to happen. No insects are needed to pollinate tomato blossoms.

So your Big Rainbow is no different that the maybe 12,000 other varieties that self pollenize.

Does that help? If there are still questions please ask them here in your thread.

Carolyn

Carolyn, how big is the green tomato ovary? In most of my blossoms that don't set fruit, the apparent tomato ovary is extremely small (i.e. same size as it would be if I pulled the petals off of an immature flower). However, I have many tomatoes that seem to be pollenated but that never grow. These tend to be the size of a large pea, much larger than the vast majority of apparent ovaries on flowers that do not seem to pollenate. Further, it appears that the flowers that produce the pea-sized non-growers look like other flowers that have been pollenated (vs. flowers that do not appear to have been pollenated). I think that this is the same thing that others have been describing. Do some unpollenated ovaries grow to to the size of a pea, while other unpollenated ovaries remain very small?

Anthony, I haven't bothered to check the size of the tomato ovaries on a lot of different varieties but I'm sure there must be a size difference that can be found.

What I do know is that when there's inadequate pollination the petals fall off and one can usually see the small green ovary left at the base of the former blossom.

If it enlarges b/c the ovules in the ovary were fertilized sufficiently then it's on its way to becoming a mature fruit.

If there was no or insufficent pollenization then it doesn't enlarge.

Carolyn

Carolyn, Assuming that inadequate pollination is occurring, what can/should I be doing to make sure my tomatoes grow?! And why would this only be happening with Big Rainbow and not my other varieties? Thanks!

Melanie

Carolyn, Assuming that inadequate pollination is occurring, what can/should I be doing to make sure my tomatoes grow?! And why would this only be happening with Big Rainbow and not my other varieties? Thanks!

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Melanie, there is nothing you can do to ensure that any tomato plant will be productive. Once the plants are big enough to form blossoms weather kind of takes over in determining whether pollen is viable or not.

Many folks will suggest shaking plants, etc., to help facilitate pollenization, but if the pollen is no good, then all the shaking in the world won't help. But if you want to try that then go ahead.

Above I mentioned that there are early and mid and late season varieties and looking at what else you're growing it seems that Big Rainbow is the only late season variety you're growing.

Not all tomato varieties form blossoms and self pollenize in an identical manner so variation in that regard I wouold expect.

The person who does my gardening for me since after a fall I'm now in a walker and can't garden, went through my tomato plants with me inside and her outside shouting out data with me recording and there were significant differences as to which varieties had blossoms or just buds or small fruits, and that's to be exptected.

I do think that the problem with Big Rainbow will be self correcting soon,

Carolyn

Carolyn,

Thank you so much for your help. I'll try the shaking...what do I have to lose?! I'm sorry to hear you had a fall, but I'll send my get well wishes your way so you can get back out there to your plants. Thank you again!

Melanie

I just found my first Big Rainbow tomato. It is very late to the party, but I'm glad to see it. Don't despair. Your BR will produce.

I found my first BR this morning, too! There is a small light brown, soft spot on it, so it might not be edible by the time it is done growing, but at least it's there! I hope more will follow. I shook the plant last night and this morning, so maybe that will help. There is hope! Thanks again to everyone!

Having the same problem... The plant is HUGE and has tons of small " green " tomatoes. When will they ripen? Does anyone know?