Leggy tomato plants

[grow_my_own]

Greetings, fellow gardeners! I haven't been on this forum in a while and am glad to be back.

I've been growing tomatoes pretty much my entire adult life (I'm 54). This year, even though I am using the same brand of soil (raised beds), same fertilizer I have always used, etc., all of my tomato plants are leggy and super tall with a lot less foliage than I have seen in past years. Any idea what could be causing this? Some of them are super heavy with fruit to the point where the tomato cages are falling down, while others have maybe 2-3 tiny fruits just now starting to develop. I water deeply, consistently, by hand twice a day, same as I always have.

I started some of these tomatoes in my greenhouse from seed, and some are seedlings I bought at local nurseries, big box stores, etc.

Every single one of my plants is long and leggy, regardless of variety. Any thoughts/ideas on why this is and how I can salvage it?

Thanks in advance!

Oh, if it helps, we are in USDA Hardiness Zone 9a.

 

[Sam BigDeer]

My first thought on this problem is: too little sunlight!
Sam

 

[Collector]

I do not know anything about 9a, but it probably has something to do with weather or maybe like Sam said to much shade. There are many very good tomato growers here so someone will hit the right answer.
Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first thought agrees with Sam, they are competing for sunlight.

 

[Beekissed]

Mine are all leggy this year too, with very little foliage, very little bloom and very little fruit thus far. Other than that they look healthy enough but are growing very slowly. I planted mine a month later than usual, so I'm not sure what to expect right now...usually by now we are eating tomatoes but my biggest one on is about baseball size and nowhere near done sizing up.

Anyhoo, same sunlight as per usual....lots of it, also lots of rain. The same tomatoes that are planted in my garden are all very stubby, thick and full of foliage in my sun's garden...different soil but same gardening method and planted at the same time as mine. Still not much bloom or fruit, though.

A little fertilizer used on both places but didn't overdo it and haven't side dressed for 3 wks now.

 

[ducks4you]

I dig holes as deep as possible for mine and put horse manure at the bottom of each hole before planting. I use my post hole auger and the soil is very loose. I plant them as deep as possible so that they grow really good roots. You know that tomatoes with their leaves buried will grow more roots where the leaves had been above ground.
This year I saved up egg shells, crushed them and put them at the bottom also for calcium. I also have saved up banana peels to use next week to feed for potassium. ALL of the tomatoes that I grew in the water tank were leggy, but after 3 weeks they are flush with leaves. Tomatoes like to sprawl and need to be supported no matter how UNleggy they are at the start. They'll turn out fine.

 

[Nyboy]

Duck @Larisa makes banana water, she swears by it. She soaks a banana skin in a jar of water for 2 days.

 

[ducks4you]

Duck @Larisa makes banana water, she swears by it. She soaks a banana skin in a jar of water for 2 days.

I think it's the same thing but I am impatient and will use my blender.

 

[Nenebynature]

Greetings, fellow gardeners! I haven't been on this forum in a while and am glad to be back.

I've been growing tomatoes pretty much my entire adult life (I'm 54). This year, even though I am using the same brand of soil (raised beds), same fertilizer I have always used, etc., all of my tomato plants are leggy and super tall with a lot less foliage than I have seen in past years. Any idea what could be causing this? Some of them are super heavy with fruit to the point where the tomato cages are falling down, while others have maybe 2-3 tiny fruits just now starting to develop. I water deeply, consistently, by hand twice a day, same as I always have.

I started some of these tomatoes in my greenhouse from seed, and some are seedlings I bought at local nurseries, big box stores, etc.

Every single one of my plants is long and leggy, regardless of variety. Any thoughts/ideas on why this is and how I can salvage it?

Thanks in advance!

Oh, if it helps, we are in USDA Hardiness Zone 9a.

I'm in zone 6 Have you tried pinching them back at all?