I have 3 Bonnie plants this year, Big Beef and 2 Sweet 100. The rest are from seed. The Bonnie plants are very healthy and are as tall as the plants started from seeds. So no problems for me.

Not really sure what the cultivator has to do with it. The variety pretty much determines what you get. But I suppose Bonnie could have done something funny with the soil they were originally planted in.

I actually wrote to Bonnie's customer service and they told me that factors such as low humidity, cool temps, etc., can do that. That's what I was suspecting myself. She suggested tying them to a stake, which I did. I was happy with her response. But seeing this happen makes me wonder what climate change will do to our gardens in the future? Our nighttime temps are still in the upper 40's and 50's. I've heard that tomatoes need nighttime temps above 65. Anyhow....Thanks for your responses. I'll just have to wait and see how things go.

Actually, tomatoes do fine with cool-ish temperatures, though stunting can happen if the temps get into the 40s. Certainly growth will be better with higher temps, but once nighttime temps get into the 70s, pollination will suffer.

We had many nights in the 40s here quite recently--unheard of here. But all my tomatoes are doing very well.

Thanks everyone. Like I've said, I've grown tomatoes for years and they just never grew like this before....sort of sparse, thick side stems and very curved and winding stems. Seems like the Roma variety has done the worst. But we'll see how the rest of the summer goes. Thanks!

Could you get a photo and post it? I'm certainly no expert, but someone else might recognize your particular deformities and have some ideas or suggestions.

Martha

Oops. I just saw your previous post. I agree that the picture from that day looks like a healthy plant.

Martha