Early flowering/fruiting

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LAS14 Albany, ME(Zone 4b) Jul 02, 2015

Our buckwheat this year is flowering when only a foot tall. Likewise, our tomatoes have green fruits, very early for our place in Maine. And the plants (early girl) are only 1 or 2 feet long). We have had an extraordinarily cool summer. The only days I remember above 75 were the days I had to plant my seedlings. :-(. Could the very cool weather have caused this? The tomatoes were the same kind I plant every year and were not root bound.

TIA
LAS

This message was edited Jul 2, 2015 5:40 PM

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sallyg Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b) Jul 05, 2015

Sorry no answer yet, I can't say. Hope someone comes along with an idea.

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tapla Bay City, MI(Zone 6a) Jul 05, 2015

I would look to photo load as having high probability of being primarily causal, with lower than normal temps as a contributor. If you've had an abundance of cool cloudy days, the plant's internal calendar may have been tricked into telling the plant to behave as though it's later (in the growth cycle) than it really is. A pigment (phytochrome) measures the amount of light the plant receives and triggers chemical messengers that guide the plant's response. If the plant "thinks" it's experiencing shorter days than it actually is, it would set blooms and fruit earlier than normal. Cooler temperatures can also signal the plant that fall is approaching, and, if there is any fruit production that needs doing, it's time to get after it.

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." ~ not sure who said it, but it wasn't me - I just remembered it.

Al

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LAS14 Albany, ME(Zone 4b) Jul 08, 2015

Tapla, interesting info. Thanks. I talked to a nearby gardner and she's having the same experience with tomatoes. It's certainly been cooler than normal in June, but I can't recall if it's been cloudier.

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