My dd has been picking off all the flower buds on my tomato plants!! AHHH!!

[anewday]

She's been doing it for a while...since she saw me pinching the flowers off my basil plants so they would grow better.

 

I KNOW she meant well, but she did it w/o clarifying it...and she knows tomatoes start from the buds (at least I know we've discussed it before) and I'm struggling with not being angry with her. :(

 

My tomato plants! :banghead: I had such high hopes this year!!!

 

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

 

:crying::crying::crying::crying::crying::crying:

[Krista in LA]

My dh did this one year. He grows roses and decided that since you cut the hips off to promote growth on them, you should do the same with the tomatoes. He had never thought about where the actual tomatoes come from. Fortunately, I caught him doing it one time and straightened him out! We ended up with some nice big plants and they did eventually get some tomatoes on them.

[Remudamom]

I'm so sorry, but I'm laughing anyway! Poor plants.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Different issue with tomatoes here. Just as frustrating. I understand!

 

Dh and kids planted some planters with a few tomato plants for a Mother's Day gift. Big branch fell. Right on my plants! Broke a couple of nice looking stalks that likely will not recover.

 

Now, we get some rain and they shoot up so quickly that I don't get them tied up well. They bend over and break off. Another big sigh. I hope I get something from them, but odds are looking low right now.

[Jill- OK]

She's been doing it for a while...since she saw me pinching the flowers off my basil plants...

 

...this has been a secret fear of mine.

 

("Do I tell him (the 3yo) that we don't pick those flowers?!? If I say something about it, would it put the idea in his head, when it might not have been there, orginally?!")

 

So far, we haven't lost any.

 

But your story...it frightens me. :eek:

 

So sorry about the plants. :grouphug:

 

ETA: I did talk to my middle girls (6 and 7) about leaving the flowers alone, how the fruit comes from the flower, etc., etc...but it's the little one that concerns me, lol.

[sdWTMer]

Oh, how frustrating. So sorry!

[Doran]

I KNOW she meant well, but she did it w/o clarifying it...and she knows tomatoes start from the buds (at least I know we've discussed it before) and I'm struggling with not being angry with her. :(

 

 

 

If you knew how often the city-dwelling, well-meaning, owners of the farm where I lived and worked did crazy stuff like that "in the name of helping", you'd be ready to Knight me. Ditto the above (minus the in the name of helping) for their dog. Sooo much damage from one little adorable canine. :glare:

 

So, from one who has walked in your shoes, let me offer this: All may not be lost. I see you're in Northern Cal. I don't know what your growing season is, but it may be that you'll get tomatoes, yet, and that they'll be bigger and better than ever since the plants have had so much time to put energy into big, strong root bases, and healthy vines. I sure hope so, anyway. Meanwhile, maybe you can find a farm stand or market selling vine ripe tomatoes.

 

I'm so sorry!!! I really do understand.

 

:grouphug: