Question
I planted 4 tomatoe plants in a half barrel on my East facing balcony. Lots of vegatation and flowers but no fruit. There is a mesh barrier covering the front of the
balcony, would the absence of bees be the reason?
Thanks Eileen


Answer
You could be on the right track. The lack of pollination will indeed, affect the amount of fruit produced. You can do the work of the bees, by manually pollinating the flowers. Simply shake the flowers to release the pollen. Direct it to land on another flower.
Don't let the plants get stressed. Don't crowd the plants. They need plenty of room for the roots to grow. 4 plants may be too many for a half barrel. Make sure they have an even amount of water at all times. Not too dry, or too wet.
Don't over fertilize.
Make sure they have plenty of sunlight, but not too hot. Because of the East location and mesh barrier, there may not be enough light to produce Tomatoes.
Look for bugs and disease. Both can cause barren plants.
Try spraying the plants with one application of seaweed extract to prevent blossom drop.
Don't get the leaves, or flowers wet. Just water the soil, not the plant. Wet flowers will not pollinate.
Next year, you might try a patio variety that produces fruit easily in a container. I have three on an East deck and they have been producing tomatoes since May. The tomatoes are smaller, and each plant only produces a few.
But they are much easier to grow on a balcony.