This Classic Soil Mistake Is Probably Why Your Tomato Plants Aren't Growing Fruit

For tomato lovers, the joy of plucking a perfectly ripe fruit from the vine, slicing it, adding a sprinkle of seasoning, and eating it while it's still warm is hard to describe. The disappointment of never having your plants blossom and set fruit, of never enjoying that anticipated delight is also indescribable. If you have beautiful, bushy tomato plants but no tomatoes, your soil is probably too nitrogen-rich. It may be naturally overstocked with nitrogen, or you, in your enthusiasm for big, bushy plants, applied too much nitrogen fertilizer.

Too much nitrogen in the soil is the most likely culprit for lush tomato plants that don't have fruit, but it's not the only reason. Starting with the right growing conditions — full sun, rich acidic soil, good drainage — is critical. Daytime temperatures consistently above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime temperatures above 72 degrees also prevent tomatoes from setting fruit. Additionally, high humidity makes it difficult for the plants to pollinate because the pollen sticks to things rather than dispersing, a process that's required for the creation of tomatoes. Lack of irrigation will also cause the blossoms to drop before they can start making fruit. Make sure you are watering your garden for healthy vegetables by making sure it gets at least an inch of water a week; more when the temperatures are high or there's a lack of rainfall.

After determining that there's too much nitrogen in your soil, either by testing or observation, you have a few options for mitigation. If the problem is in your soil before you've planted your tomatoes, you can neutralize some of the nitrogen by working organic material that's high in carbon, like fallen leaves and paper, into the soil. If you've added too much nitrogen by applying too much or the wrong fertilizer, your options include irrigating the tomato plants thoroughly — but not enough to drown the tomatoes — to push the nitrogen farther down into the soil. You can apply a layer of sawdust or mulch made from wood scraps, or you can do nothing and wait for the problem to self-correct. 

Tomatoes do benefit from a judicious amount of fertilizer during the growing season for stronger, healthier plants. It's wise to have your soil tested before you plant, either by sending a sample to your county extension office, a local university, or with a home test kit. When you're preparing the soil in your garden before planting tomatoes you should work in a complete fertilizer that's light on nitrogen, high in phosphorus and moderate to high in potassium. 

Fertilize the tomato plants when the fruit is about a third grown, again after the first harvest, and for the third and final time, a month later. Use a commercial product designed for growing tomatoes in the amounts recommended for the number of plants you have. Be careful not to get fertilizer on the foliage, and water thoroughly if there's no rain in the forecast.