Why is my tomato plant not bearing fruit?

by Haresh
(Singapore)

Q. I have had a tomato plant for about 6 months, and it's growing so big and green. Currently, it's filled with flowers, but they just dry up and fall off. There is no fruit at all. What could be the cause? And right now, there are little white spots appearing on the bottom part of the leaves, too. Help!

A. From your description, it sounds as though there are two different things going on.

1. Blossom drop. Sometimes, a healthy tomato plant flowers, its blossoms drop, and no fruit develops. It's a condition that is result of plant stress or poor pollination. Extreme temperatures, stress, poor pollination (no insects to help), improper fertilizing, and improper watering can all contribute to blossom drop. In particular, since you mention that the plant has been growing furiously, you may have been fertilizing it with too much nitrogen (or there may be an excess amount of nitrogen in the soil.) Learn more about blossom drop here.

2. Nutrient deficiency. The white spotted areas on your leaves may indicated your plant's need for more iron. You can work some into the soil with dried blood, manure, or chelated iron.

Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Your friends at Tomato Dirt