Question: I moved into a new house in June and was late getting my tomatoes in the ground around the middle of June. I live on the north side of Dallas, TX and tomato variety is 'Big Boy'. They have grown quite well but the blooms are falling off just when the bloom develops. The stems of the small yellow flower blooms turn yellow and the bloom dries up and falls off. I tried using a general pesticide spray for garden bugs and catipilars but it didn't help. Its almost like there is a nutrient deficiency. Its now the milddle of August and there is not one tomatoe on the vine yet. Please help. I have attached two pictures to help see the problem.

Answer: I received the email with the images. Tomatoes, other than a few heat setting varieties, will not set fruit when day and night-time temperatures are too high. That is why it is so important to get them planted at the proper time. See also the information found in the article at: http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_column/apr03/4.htm which contains the following: "Tomato, pepper and eggplant blooms drop off plants because of another type of pollination problem. The tomato is hermaphroditic which means that both male and female parts exist in the same flower. So how could it have a pollination problem? The pollination problem of these crops exists because the female part of the flower (pistil), which must be pollinated, is located above the male flower parts which produce pollen. If this pollen is inactivate because of hot temperatures, or made sticky by cool, cloudy conditions, the female flower part will not be pollinated, and the entire flower and potential tomato will drop off. Tomato, peppers and eggplant flowers are wind or mechanically pollinated, so gardeners don't have to rely on bees. The flowers can be artificially set, or made to stay on the plants, by use of blossom-set hormones sold in local nurseries. These hormones are effective fruit-setters only during early spring when cool, cloudy temperatures are the villains. Tomatoes that are artificially set with hormone sprays will have fewer seed. These are not test tube babies but can certainly claim conception by artificial means."