Tomato plants not flowering

[IPoopRainblows]

First time tomato growing and not feeling hopeful. They are tall ( 4ft or so) and very dense with leaves but no sign of any flowers at all. They are in a plastic grow house and kept watered and fed, they have not had much sun though as the weather here on east coast of Ireland has been shite.

Anything I should do. ? This pic is around two weeks old, they are much taller now and have reached the top shelf so I have moved everything else to the garden and they have the whole grow house to themselves now whilst the slugs ravaged the lettuce now that I’ve had to move them to the garden.

I've given up this year.

Could it be that there's not quite enough light for them? That green plastic looks like it will reduce the amount of light getting in, and as we've had a lot of grey and overcast weather this year, it's less bright than usual already.

I'd be inclined to take them out of the greenhouse and put them against your sunniest wall (usually south or west-facing). The wall will absorb heat and then radiate it back to the plants, and give shelter too, and they'll almost certainly get more light. My tomatoes are outside and are flowering reasonably well.

I’m tempted to try this. I think they are not getting enough light.
The front garden is south west facing so I may move them there and reclaim the space for spinach, lettuce, mixed salad leaves, basil that were all doing really well in the grow house and fear it’s too wet for them to be outside.

I’m out every night picking slugs off them too. I can’t stand even touching the slugs with a gloved hand so I’m getting fed up now and not sure If it’s worth the effort.

We are sw England and have only just had flowers on toms. Think it is just going to be a shit year.

Those do look like they are shaded in there. How many plants do you have in each bag?

Remove some of the leaves as well. That might help. My plants are loaded but not sure what I've done to get them! Mine are cherry Tom variety though.

Mine are slow flowering this year too. Just feed them once a week and hope they’ll come good.

don’t be disheartened every year different things thrive whilst others flounder.

My have flowered and we have fruit, also south of England but they’re in a sunny greenhouse.

I’d also give them more light. Make sure you pinch off the extra growth, cut back any bottom straggling leaves. Best of luck. It’s been a mixed bag in the veg garden this year!

Can't quite tell but looks like you may have several plants per bag? 1 or maybe 2 in a bag that size is probably about right so check they aren't fighting for nutrients.

Thanks all, I’m a novice at this and was surprised they even grew at all seeing as I’ve no idea what I’m doing.
There’s two in one bag and three in another and two smaller ones in pots.
They are cherry tomato varieties.
.i’ll take out the smaller ones in the grow bags and thin them out.
Don’t think iI’ll be able to move them at this stage as I may damage them getting them out as they are growing up through the bars, I’ll leave the front cover up and hopefully that will give them more light.

I only have flowers on one tomato plant, Moneymaker, all the others have hardly grown let alone started flower pods. They are Red Cherry and yellow (Sun Baby) cherry.

The one that's flowering is in a large pot with two other tomato plants, they are half the size of the Moneymaker.

I think the weather and lack of sunshine is the culprit so I am not expecting much of a crop of tomatoes this year unless we get a heatwave for weeks and that doesn't seem likely.

I think they need more light too. Could you completely take the plastic cover off of the greenhouse?

Are you using a tomato specific feeder? Tomatoes are hungry, thirsty plants and as you've had several sharing space they'll be competing with each other.
Tomato specific feeders encourage your plants to produce flowers and fruit rather than lots of green growth which you might be getting with other feeds.

The poster who suggested planting against a warm, sunny wall in future had it spot on.

Yes using Westland Big Tom Super Tomato feed weekly.

If your front garden is SW facing, I assume these are in a NE facing area? So very little direct light, in what's been a rather cool spring and summer. And the big black containers are the size I'd use for a single plant. The plastic pots I can see are all much too small for a tomato.

I'd move them.if possible, or uncover if not. Feed weekly with a specific tomato.fertiliser. and pinch out all side shoots so they put their energy into flowering (but make sure you can tell the difference between a side shoot and a flower shoot!).

Keep watering but stop feeding them until they have flowered and set tiny tomatoes. At the moment they are using all those extra nutrients to make more leaves! Starve them a bit and they’ll put out flowers/fruit.

Doesn’t look like light is a problem the main symptom would be legginess (tall, thin, floppy) but those look pretty bushy. Agreed on pinching out side shoots, again to reduce energy/nutrients going into making leaves.

you don't need to feed tomatoes until the first vine has small fruits

Thanks for all the advice.

I repotted up two into new grow bags and moved them to a south west wall, which is nice and sheltered.

Pinched and thinned them out and gave them all a fresh top up of compost.

The plants in the grow house are in a north west garden but are up against the south facing gate at the bottom so it does get good sun but we have had so little sun this summer, it’s mostly been overcast, humid and rainy.
It’s also very exposed so will keep the green cover on for now as they won’t withstand some of the gusts that corner of the garden is exposed to and will keep the front panel open.

Will be away next week and won’t feed or water them and see how they fair out, I may have been over watering / feeding.