Growing tomatoes in Ocean Shores presents a few unique challenges. Our cool temperatures, frequent coastal winds, and damp marine air can make tomatoes a little more difficult to grow than when they are in warmer inland climates. Many gardeners also protect their plants with greenhouses or plastic wind barriers, which greatly improve growing conditions—but can reduce the natural airflow needed for pollination.

Fortunately, two simple maintenance tasks—pollinating and pruning—can dramatically improve both the health of your plants and the size of your harvest.

Helping Nature Pollinate

Tomatoes are self-pollinating, meaning each flower contains both the male and female parts needed to produce fruit. Unlike squash, pumpkins, or cucumbers, tomatoes do not require bees to transfer pollen between flowers. Instead, each flower simply needs a little vibration to release pollen from the anthers onto the flower’s stigma.

Outdoors, wind and buzzing bees usually provide this vibration. However, in Ocean Shores many tomato plants are protected behind plastic wind barriers or grown inside greenhouses where there is very little air movement. Cool, damp weather can also make pollen sticky and less likely to move on its own.

The solution is simple.

Every two or three days while your plants are flowering:

• Gently shake the flower clusters or main stem for a few seconds, or
• Use an inexpensive battery-powered electric toothbrush. Hold the vibrating brush against the flower stem—not the petals—for one or two seconds. The vibration closely mimics the buzz of native bees and is one of the most effective ways to pollinate tomato flowers.

Pollinate during the late morning or around midday, after the flowers have dried from overnight moisture. This is generally when pollen is most viable.

Remember that tomato flowers continue opening throughout the season. Pollinating once isn’t enough. Spending just a minute every few days can significantly increase fruit production, especially during our cool coastal summers.

Recognizing Poor Pollination

Sometimes a tomato plant looks healthy and produces dozens of blossoms, yet very few tomatoes develop. This is often a sign of incomplete pollination.

Watch for these symptoms:

• Flowers dry up and fall off without producing fruit (blossom drop).
• Only a few flowers in a cluster develop tomatoes.
• Tomatoes are unusually small or oddly shaped.
• Fruit develops slowly or never reaches its expected size.

This happens because every successfully fertilized seed produces natural plant hormones that help the tomato grow larger and more uniformly. The more complete the pollination, the better the fruit.

Keep in mind that blossom drop can also be caused by prolonged cool weather or other environmental stresses, so not every dropped flower is necessarily the result of poor pollination.

Smart Pruning

Pruning helps improve air circulation, allows more sunlight to reach developing fruit, and directs the plant’s energy into producing tomatoes rather than excessive foliage.

If you’re growing indeterminate (vining) tomatoes:

• Remove the small “suckers” that develop where a leaf joins the main stem.
• Remove lower leaves that touch or nearly touch the soil.
• Thin enough interior growth to improve airflow and light penetration.

Healthy leaves are the plant’s food factory, so don’t overdo it. Avoid removing more than about 20–30% of the foliage at one time. The goal is a healthy, open plant—not one stripped of leaves.

Determinate (bush) tomatoes usually require much less pruning. Removing too many branches can actually reduce your harvest because these plants naturally stop growing after reaching their mature size.

A Few Tomato Secrets

Following are a few simple practices that can make a surprising difference.

Every flower gets only one chance. If a blossom isn’t successfully pollinated within a few days of opening, it naturally drops from the plant. That’s why regular pollination every two or three days during flowering is much more effective than doing it only once.

The biggest blossoms often produce the biggest tomatoes. The first flowers on the plant are usually the largest and have the greatest potential to become large, beautiful tomatoes. When hand pollinating, spend an extra second vibrating these larger flower clusters.

More leaves aren’t always better—but neither is heavy pruning. The best tomato plants have plenty of healthy foliage along with good airflow. Finding that balance results in healthier plants and larger harvests.

Did You Know?

Every seed inside a tomato began as a single grain of pollen. The more ovules that are successfully fertilized, the more natural growth hormones the developing fruit produces. That’s why well-pollinated tomatoes are often larger, rounder, and more uniformly shaped than poorly pollinated ones.

Ocean Shores Tip

Wind barriers and greenhouses are excellent tools for protecting tomatoes from our coastal weather, but they also reduce the natural air movement that helps pollinate flowers. If your plants are growing in a sheltered location, make hand pollination part of your regular gardening routine.

Likewise, don’t completely seal your tomato enclosure. A small amount of ventilation improves airflow, reduces humidity, helps prevent fungal diseases, and creates a healthier growing environment.

The Bottom Line

Growing tomatoes on the Washington coast requires a little extra attention, but the rewards are well worth it. By spending just a few minutes every few days pollinating flowers and pruning thoughtfully, you’ll enjoy healthier plants, larger tomatoes, and a more abundant harvest throughout the season.

A little vibration and a little pruning can make a big difference!

For more information on this article or Garden by the Sea, contact us at info@gardenbytheseaoceanshores.org.