Have a garden question

dafarmer

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2012
7,223
6,907
113
SW Iowa
Cucumbers and Tomatoes are loaded with blooms, but nothing is setting on, any suggestions?
 

Cupped

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2016
1,747
3,732
113


Too hot of temps and prolonged rainy periods hinder bee pollination. This Blossum Set will help bees pollinate your tomatoes, cukes, peppers, etc.

Tomato blossom set spray works by providing kinetin, which is a cytokinin hormone, to promote fruit production from the flowers on a tomato plant. Tomato blossom set spray can also work on other common garden vegetables, including beans, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, okra, peppers, strawberries, and grapes.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: NWICY

iowastatefan1929

Well-Known Member
Oct 26, 2006
3,203
1,403
113
Seems early for either. I have a pretty complex garden and beans are hitting hard, but everything else is either just starting to hit or has not hit. Tomatoes I havent seen any yet, same with cucumbers and pumpkins. I have seen some watermelons but not ripe.
 

cowgirl836

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2009
51,415
43,272
113
Seems early for either. I have a pretty complex garden and beans are hitting hard, but everything else is either just starting to hit or has not hit. Tomatoes I havent seen any yet, same with cucumbers and pumpkins. I have seen some watermelons but not ripe.
We've picked several cucumbers already and have some plants loaded with green tomatoes, I'm 5a. If they set before the 14th ish they're going, lot of dead blooms from last week's heat.
 

cycloner29

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2008
12,833
12,389
113
Ames
I have a bunch of perennials planted around three of my raised boxes and have seen bumble and honey bees. Tomato plants are starting to set fruit some plants have a lot on them even only being three feet tall. Harvesting six or cucumbers every day.
 

pourcyne

Well-Known Member
Feb 19, 2011
9,809
12,842
113
Very southern tier of counties in Iowa...

Have already harvested cucumbers & zucchini. Lettuce, radishes, and strawberries are distant memories now.

Something is eating the green tomatoes. My guess is an opossum.

I planted pole beans late. They are climbing.

Tons of volunteer muskmelons this year. Who knew?

Pumpkins, zinnias and peppers are blooming.

My complaint: lots of milkweed blooming (smells like heaven) but have seen a grand total of only ONE monarch and ONE of those orange-brown ladies. Makes me sad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cytasticlone

oliver233

New Member
Jul 4, 2024
23
6
3
Sometimes cucumbers and tomatoes bloom a lot but don’t set fruit because of things like not enough pollinators around, or the weather being too hot or too cold. If you don’t see many bees or bugs, maybe try hand-pollinating with a small brush or just gently shaking the flowers. Also, make sure they’re getting enough water but not too much, and some balanced fertilizer can help too
 

mkadl

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2006
2,131
928
113
Cornfield
I actually used a q-tip last year for my english cucumbers. I had all female seeds, apparently. I took pollen from my regular cucumbers and put it on the english cucumber flowers and viola! The plants were about 40 feet apart.
 

mkadl

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2006
2,131
928
113
Cornfield
In dry hot weather it seems to me to help polinate cukes and tomatoes with a sprinkling of water over the plant during the day helps get things polinated. Also evening shade seems to help. (one end of the garden sets tomatoes and the other one doesnt in very warm weather. ) No scientific evidence, but some of the bugs that may polinate may also be thirsty? I know that high overnight temperatures prevent tomatoes from setting blooms.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Cupped

swiacy

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2009
2,206
2,002
113
My Early Girl tomatoes are loaded but the few that are ripe are small. A large cherry tomato plant is also loaded, all three are 6’ tall. The remaining variety died last week and looked good two weeks ago. It rained twice a week in June totally 10.60” and I think that is why it died.
 

swiacy

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2009
2,206
2,002
113
My Early Girl tomatoes are loaded but the few that are ripe are small. A large cherry tomato plant is also loaded, all three are 6’ tall. The remaining variety died last week and looked good two weeks ago. It rained twice a week in June totally 10.60” and I think that is why it died.
The variety that died is Superfantastic and is 4’ tall. The cherry variety is Large Cherry.