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Why do the plants produce fruit that are too small?

While this is not as distressing as getting no fruit set, it can still be a serious problem. Fruit should be in the 8 to 10 ounce size for standard (beefsteak) greenhouse varieties. Possible causes include 1) poor pollination - be sure you are pollinating every other day if doing it by hand (those greenhouses using bumblebees should not have this problem, unless the bees are dead). If this is the cause, the seed count will be low. You can check this yourself by cutting the fruit transversely (left to right) and seeing if the locules are full of seeds or if seeds are scarce. 2) lack of water (wilting) can cut down on fruit development. 3) high temperature stress will limit fruit size. This is very common in the hot, humid southeast, especially in May and June. 4) shading during the cloudier months prevents full development of fruit. Be sure the greenhouse does not get shaded by large trees or tall buildings.

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RAYMOND, Miss. -- Current and prospective greenhouse vegetable growers can learn about the specialized production method during Mississippi State University’s 2024 Greenhouse Vegetable Short Course on Feb. 27-28. The course will be held at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center’s Magnolia Building in Verona from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. It is open to greenhouse vegetable producers throughout the Southeast.

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