Published Wednesday, July 8, 2009, OK personal/derivative use; link lovethatimage.artsquadgraphics.com.
Think Green Thursday tomato growing tip
Everyone loves to grow tomatoes but not everyone knows how to make sure there are lots of tomatoes on the vines. With bees experiencing serious decline for unknown reasons (although I seem to see more this year than last year in my own garden), pollination can be a problem.
The solution? You! Assisted flower sex is the answer, and you get tomatoes for your trouble. Unless you are a farmer with acres of tomatoes, for a few backyard plants you can make a big difference in yield by going around your plants with a child’s little paintbrush, or even a cotton swab, and brushing each little yellow flower in turn. Do this every few days to catch as many flowers as possible, and you will be amazed at the results. And it’s fun!
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Nice shot. Can’t think of the last time I’ve seen a tomato vine. I’m sure I won’t be growing any but if I ever do I’ll be grateful for this info. 🙂
Thanks for the great tip.
Hello Sara..I am so late in getting around but I am so happy to read this. I had never heard of that, but it makes perfect sense. I only have one tomato plant and it is a container plant and only has a few green tomatoes on it so far. This is a wonderful addition to Think Green Thursday…..Michelle