Question
I'm a first-time homeowner in Lawrenceville, Georgia and decided I needed to grow something in my backyard, so I planted tomatoes and peppers--of course not knowing squat about how to grow anything.

I have two detereminate plants on one side and two indeterminate plants on the other.

The two indeterminates are all over the place. In the last couple of days, we've experienced some really short but very hard rains coupled with unreal winds. Last night, one of my indeterminates snapped in half on the top 25% of main stalk, right above where a fruit is developing. I just figured out it's probably because I needed to prune and stake/cage them. Otherwise, they're both laying all over the ground which I know is not good.

One, is the plant that broke going to be alright, two since it's growing all over the place, do I need to prune off all but maybe four or five suckers up high and three I bought a couple of cages and I'm thinking at this point, I need to stake them.

My two determinate plants are doing okay, I suppose. One refuses to grow. It's still the same size as the day I put it in the ground. I planted basil, marigolds and nasturtiums as companions and now you have to search for the tomato plant. The main stalk on the the other one is getting thicker and bushier, so I figure it's doing fine--it's just growing really slow.

The last question I have is what could be causing the one derminate to not grow at all?

Thanks for your help!  

Answer
It is important to stake the tomatoes once they reach 2' tall to protect the main stem from breaking.  I always place my stakes in the ground prior to transplanting.  

At this point, the indeterminate plant with the broken stem will recover, but it will be set back 2-3 weeks on production.  I would continue pruning the suckers to harness the energy of the plant to the main stem.

In regard to the determinate plant, it sounds like it is either experiencing transplant shock or is in an area of the garden where the nutrients are depleted.  This could be caused by the excessive rains and wet soil.  If this is the case, the roots are being deprived of oxygen and nutrients.

The good news is that the plants will recover once the soil and weather conditions improve.  In the meantime, apply a high phosphorus fertilizer to the plants.  Also, work in some organic materials around the base of the plants.  These would include peat moss, manure, and compost.
 Finally, I would compliment the fertilizer with an application of 3 tbs. of epsom salts per gallon of water.  The magnesium in the epsom salts is renown for its ability to aid tomatoes in drawing nutrients from the soil.

Good luck, and have a great evening.

Regards,

Mike