not many tomatoes set...

Hiyah Mel...Haven't heard from you for a while. Hope all is well. Any deliveries lately?

Ok, now down to business--
I am not exactly clear on what you are asking, but it looks like you asking two questions: why are there so few blossoms and why are there so few fruits?--If I misunderstood, just set me straight.

#1 -Too few blossoms: When toms begin to make buds and the first blossom appears, you need to from that point on begin giving the plants water and lots of it on a tight schedule(always the same amount and always at the same time[for instance, every other day...or even EVERY day during extended dry spells]).
You also need to begin feeding your toms on a regular basis, like every other watering. There are special liquid or water solvent powders of tomato food that you can buy either on the internet or at garden centers.
It is my opinion that this is essential, as I find toms a very thirsty and hungry plant. They do not perform for me either if I do not water and feed them as I outlined above.

#2 -Fruit not setting: Insects and wind can help pollinate your toms, but I help out a bit by spraying (a light misting)the blossoms and then shake the blossom stems every morning (before 10 a.m.). It seems that this is the best time to do it. Some pros say that it is critical to do it at this time.
Once your tom plants get going and producing as they should, you can stop spraying the blooms. Having said that, I would still give the flower bloom stems a little shake a couple of times a day until the end of the season.

Good luck with those maters. Fingers crossed that things improve. Just don't give up.

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Sjoerd http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoornenomstreken.nl/Page11.html

I transplanted my tomato plants outside early this year when they already started blooming and the weather is still cold. Flowers start falling due to lack of pollinators (absense of bees).

Some types of tomatoes can be pollinated well by wind or shaking, but others do not. They release pollens in responding to viberations at a certain frequency only, which is usually the frequency of the bee's buzzing (bumble bees are the best pollinators to tomatos).

When I see this problem, I use an electric toothbrush (I use a type of Sonic Oral-B with three viberation modes and the middle mode is close to the frequency of bee's buzzing) to gently touch the flowser stems. During the viberation, I can even see pollens bursting out from the small hole of the flowers. Since then, no flowers fall, and magically, each turns into a fruit. I've already got some turn to red!

To encourage blossom, you need to feed them with fertilzers in high potassium and phosphorous. If you are looking for fertilzers specially made for tomatoes, you'll notice that they conatin high ratio of potassium and phosphorous. Also, you'll need to pinch off suckers at bottom and sides to force the plant to provide more fruit on main branches. They will put less energy into growing vines and more into producing flowers and fruits.

When you water your plants, run the hose at the base of the plants. Do not water tomatoes overhead. Do not allow water to splash from the soil to leaves. Overhead watering or splashing can creat blight (fungus) on your plants. Water thoroughly and then hold off for several days before rewatering. Lacking for water may stunt the plants and discourage blossom and fruit forming.

However, too much water and too much nitrigon will result a lush foliage growth with less blossom and fruits, and produce less tasteful fruits and cause slow ripening. This is the typical mistake that many home gardners make.

Cool soil could also be the problem. Try to use black plastic sheet to cover the ground when the whether is still cool. Avoid watering in late afternoon. Instead, water them in early morning, so the soil can warm-up during the day. When the weather becomes hot, cover the ground with straws ot multch to prevent over-heating.

When use commercial sparying product to enhance fruit setting, be careful. Use it very sparingly. Too much spraying on the flowers may cause the fruits deformed.

You can also try to plant fragrant plants or flowers near tomatos to attract bees to aid pollination.