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I have been growing tomatoes and peppers for several years, either on my window sill and now in a mini-greenhouse and troughs on my big balcony. I have done every thing the same as always this year, grown my babies on the window sill, potted them on when they got bigger, and then put them outside once they were established.

Normally I end up with big rambling tomatoes which have to be restrained in order to get past them and get down the stairs, and peppers that take up the bottom two thirds of my green house.

This year I have mini plants. They are fully formed, look mature, and have flowers forming, but the plants themselves are just not growing. The beef tomatoes are only about 10 inches tall, but have large, dark green leaves, and good sized buds coming, and the tumbling cherries are about 8 inches tall, with flowers already open, all normal looking, just on really small plants!!

I moved the cherries (which are in a hanging basket) to a warmer, sunnier spot, and put a poly tunnel on the beef tomatoes troughs in case it was the chilly weather, and whilst they have matured the plants are not getting any bigger really.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Yes something along those lines...and I think is to do with out hot spell earlier on..we've had really a July weather when it's been still spring and even now..hadly any clouds about..so the plants haven't needed to strectch towards light..

Mine havn't put on a lot of growth with all the cold weather we've had, but these last few days they've really put a spurt on. I think they were just waiting patiently for Summer  ;)

I presume they are not the variety called  Bonsai..have you changed the variety you usually use , you didn't say what they are. XX Jeannine

Quote from: Jeannine on June 04, 2010, 04:12:16
I presume they are not the variety called  Bonsai..have you changed the variety you usually use , you didn't say what they are. XX Jeannine

LOL! No, they aren't actually bonsai!! They are bog standard tumbling cherries (red and yellow) in a hanging basket, and beef steak tomatoes, in the same troughs I use every year. (the exact variety names have escaped me!)

They are coming on a treat, I have fruits on the cherries now, and lots of flowers on all of them, but the plants are wee, really stocky and chunky, loads of leaves, but really short. It's mad, my tomatoes normally have to be tied back and threaten my washing line!!

Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens......

Just to update, my beef tomatoes are still short of stature, but have turned into very vigorous bushes, with masses of flowers, but still only half the height I normally have my tomato plants grow to, same with the tumbling cherries in the hanging basket. The peppers are also smaller than normal, but very bushy and flowering well, so it seems they have all caught up with themselves, but are just not as tall as I'm used to!

oho! plenty of time yet!