Unfortunately its already getting too hot for tomatoes(assuming you're in the Phoenix area?) If the temperature is over 90, the pollen evaporates, and the plants won't set fruit. Your plants look very nice, and are a good size, are they flowering? If not, then too much nitrogen. If they are, and just not setting fruit, try going out early in the morning before it warms up, and shake the plants. That will pollinate them, and you'll get a better crop. Tomatoes like epsom salts, you could dig a tablespoon or so in next to each plant if you didn't put any in the planting holes. Also, when it gets hot, the fruit will stop ripening. Cool the plants and help hydrate them by putting shade cloth over them and misting them in the afternoon. You can get one of those plastic tube mister stands. Not too expensive and they sit at just the right height. Next year, you'll have better luck if you plant your tomatoes mid-February.

I don't know. It depends on where you live in Arizona.

Agree a whole lot with the advice to plant early early early. I planted out in mid January and it took about eleven more weeks to get the first ripe Big Boys, and they're pretty massively fruited. However, everything edible now had set a month ago. Cherries started fruiting weeks later than the BBs and they are just kicking in on a more-that-two-ripe-fruit-per-plant basis right about now.

I will be putting up shade cloth screens this or next week; with the southern exposure of the toms it seems to help.

Don't worry about nitrogen with the coffee grounds; the more the merrier. My raised beds are garbage pits, and except for once at transplant time with some fish emulsion, they don't get fertilized.

Four weeks to fruit is a bit optimistic. ;-) Sorry. On each seed packet you should be able to find a Days to Maturity number. Celebrity is about 70 days, at best, although 100 days is not unusual. If you can keep the plants alive through summer, you'll have a jump start on a fall production. I usually plant out by Valentine's Day for a summer crop - a *pre*-summer crop actually. Good luck! and don't give up......a few more flowers, yellows and blues especially, will help with pollination.

I just planted a couple of plants in pots under shade fabric...first time tomatoes for me. I hope they will be OK and produce some tomato...I have hope.

What variety Michael? New experiments for me this year is the Hawaiian Tropic from Leslie Doyle of Sweet Tomato Test Garden in Las Vegas. Supposed to love the high heat of summer. I read mixed reviews on flavor so we'll see if this one makes it back for a return to my garden next summer. Also just starting Flamenco, [which I'm pretty sure I found out about on this forum] a cross between Silvery Fir Tree (a favorite of mine) and Floridade, which I tried once but was not impressed. These are just now sprouting so I'm not sure how they will do. Also for summer, is Super Sioux which has done well for me in the past. Good luck. Welcome. and Keep us posted. m

Basilgirl, I've noticed that tomato plants will fruit earlier (and more prolifically) if they're in full sun (at least 8 hours of direct sun a day). It looks like the walls they are near will shade them for part of the day.

One problem here in AZ is our sunlight is really hot. To keep the hot sun from killing them, I put a few inches of mulch around their base (I always go out at least 2 feet radius from the center of the plant when it's new), and give them light but frequent watering.

If you start them late in the year (like in April-July) they're going to have a rough time. They will need shade cloth directly overhead (don't let it drape too much on the sides or you can prevent air flow and create an oven). Whether they live through the summer or not depends on their variety and watering schedule. Some varieties just can't handle our heat, while others seem to like it (like Big Beef or beefsteak). Just as an extreme example, putting a 1 month old tomato, no matter what variety, into the ground in full sun in June is basically asking for a dead plant :)

There are things you can do to the soil before planting tomatoes to make them perform better but I found a really good technique is to dump a bunch of fish emulsion into the soil about 4-8 months before you plant the tomatoes (I've heard of people putting whole fish into the ground too, I've never tried this). Just make sure it's watered down and mixed into the soil. Also, make sure the soil drains fairly quick - in other words, water shouldn't pool on the surface for a few hours.

Hi Mary, not sure of the variety, but I think one is the Phoenix Hot something and the other is the cherry variety. Big box store type, small plants.

The cherry should do okay.

Mine are slacking even more than yours. I started mine mid-Feb. Only a few unripe tomatoes so far among 5 plants

Thanks for the all the feedback. I should have mentioned that the toms I planted were about a foot tall already. I got them at Whitfell's for only $5 a plant. I was hoping that starting off with larger plants would make up for me getting them in the ground in mid-March. This plot is on the east side of my yard so gets pretty good morning sun and then is shaded from a huge mesquite tree. I have shade cloth that hangs off the back wall and clips on to the puppy gate so there is lots of air flow underneath. I'm going to add mulch this weekend. I've been watering pretty deeply every other day but will increase that as needed.

Mary, I've had Flamenco in the ground since about mid-February, a later sprouting and plant-out than the first determinate plants by a month or so. They are really green and lush, but are weakly flowering and only now setting fruit. If they carry on in the high heat, waiting will be OK. 60 days isn't a cause for panic, so it's just not quite their time yet.

I hope.

Had flamenco last yr. As I recall production was decent but something about my soil or fertilization must have been off because all my tomatoes didn't taste so good. Sort of a muddy salty taste. I was using potting soil with a sprinkle of Epsom salt. Planted with humic acid. Compost added and mulch on top. Looked super healthy but taste not there. This was across all my varieties so it must be something else causing it. They would have over wintered well but forgot frost cloth one night and they became crispy and died. Trying again this yr.

grubby, maybe the Flamenco is waiting for the heat before it starts producing. Be interesting to see. Mine are still inside, on a heat mat and under fluorescent lights. Just getting their second leaves so my timing is way off. :-\ They will be ready to plant out in June! Thinking like the glass is half full, I have a good start for fall......

A bit late getting mine in this year, but looking good. My old standbys - Early Girl and Champion. I did also put in a Heat Master and a generic cherry.

Picking only fruit from Celebrity today--also new to desert vegetable planting---planted Feb 2 in a 16" pot--planted deep but plant has not grown like i expected it to no more than 12" tall

Well, one month later and I am a happy girl. I admit to being late in putting the toms in but thnakfully Mother Nature has cooperated with a cooler spring so my plants are loaded with green fruit. Even my Celebrity FINALLY has some small fruits on it. I've harvested ripe tomatoes from the two romas, the yellow cherry and Mr. Stripey. This year has been a big learning experience. Lessons learned: plant sooner (like maybe in the fall), choose Early Girl vs Celebrity, add mesquite duff for mulch and shade cloth work wonders.

Congrats! Very nice. I also have a lot of green ones. Only harvested 2 cherry tomatoes from the vine that has now grown 10 ft tall into my ash tree. I'm hoping for good flavor this yr. Love the rain. My plants look happy.

Ours doing nicely. Loving this weather too. The weather report tonight said the average temp for May 15 is 95 wheretomato blossoms won't set. Having sliced tomatoes for supper every night. Also enjoying bacon, peanut butter, tomato and Miracle Whip sandwiches.

Ran into Tolmachoff Farms today for some sweet corn. Their tomatoes are HUGE. An older fellow was ecstatic to find they had green tomatoes. Apparently they have enough people who want them as they always have a box of green along with the ripe ones.