as i stated below i cut a beefsteak tomato in half because it was just growing tall. it bloomed, but they fell off. should i just fry the one sole green tomato and pull up plant? i haven't seen one honeybee this year. is there a organic hormone i can use to set flower? the other plants have been fairly productive. all but the sweet 100's and they are just loaded down. thanks]
bagins

Tomatoes are self fruitful and they don't rely on bees, or any other pollinator, to set fruit. But temperatures do keep the plants from settng fruit. Try erecting something to provide shade for your plants, maybe with a misting system, to lower the temperatures some and maybe then they will set fruit.

Just leave it alone; wait and see. If you don't want tall plants, plant determinant types. The indeterminate types grow up and up until killed by heat, cold, or disease. You can prune by removing suckers, but DO NOT cut the plant in half. Tomato flowers are self pollinating.

Why not cut it in half?

I'm wanting to hear your experience/knowledge on this. I was thinking that if a tomato plant got too tall, you could just cut off the top and plant it for a new plant, or toss it if you don't have room. Sounds like that's not a good idea. Would you mind saying why?

I wasn't necessarily planning on doing this, but it had occurred to me (I've got heirloomers planted, and I have a feeling they are going to go absolutely nuts on me by mid-summer).

Thanks!

Heather

Someone posted last month that they had a problem with fruit set that was solved by simply shaking each plant gently to cause the flowers to pollinate. I'm trying itwith half my plants this year to see if it does any good.

i tried shaking, threatening and a few other things, but nothing worked.
bagins

maybe it's just the variety--I planted a bunch of beefsteaks too, they were just gorgeous (raised them from seed since January) and I just knew I'd have lots of great tomatoes--I think maybe there's ONE out there. the romas on the other hand are loaded. I didn't plant any Better Boys, which always do well for me, since I already thought I had too many tomatoes. it's a bit too late to plant any now, since the summer heat has hit and they won't produce anyway--

I have cut tomato plants down due to no production of fruit. However I have also read this past year that too much nitrogen will make the plant grown without bearing fruit. Tomatoes like warmth and lots of sun. I would just wait it is early in the season and beef steaks do take longer than some early varities.

sounds like soil to low in phosphorus.
try adding crushed bone meal or other high phophorus fert.