will one tomatoe produce fruit?

Question

I live in a small apartment and am looking to plant a tomato but will I need more than one plant or will they self polinate.

Answer 1

Tomatoes are self fertile but do not self pollinate. They need help.

You only need one plant and a couple of bees or butterflies.
Is there any way you can put it out on a ledge or patio once it flowers?

Excerpted from "Tomato Pollination Myths" on the Internet

The best pollinator for tomatoes is the original, a bee which "sonicates" at the resonant frequency of the flower. Sonication, also called buzz pollination is when the bee vibrates its wing muscles but doesn't fly; it just hangs on.

The reason is that tomato pollen is not in the exterior of the anthers like most flowers, rather it is produced internally and then released thru pores in the anther. Motion is required to release the pollen, and the greatest quantity is released by sonication of the correct frequency. However other bees with different frequency, or even shaking by wind will release some pollen.

There are a couple problems: one is that the natural pollinator (a wild bee) didn't travel with the tomato as it was spread throughout the world. The other is that the flower is not very attractive to other bees, and when bee populations are low the tomato generally gets ignored. Bumblebees are the most often seen on tomatoes, though honeybees, when hungry enough will also work them, as will some solitary bees.

So, careful shaking by hand over other flowers or by bees will work. Holding an electric toothbrush barrel next to the stem can cause a measured vibration.

Answer 2

hi luna, yes, one tomato will make many plants as they are full of seeds. set up how many plants you want and put 2 seeds, apart, in the pots. hopefully both with come up, but just in case, plant 2. they need a constant light source. we don't get much sun here in the northeast during the winter so my husband put a fluorescent light over the plants. use pots that drains into a deep dish. sitting water in the pot will rot the seedling. and finally, when you see the yellow flowers, use a q-tip to pollinate the plants. gently dab the tip into the flower and go from plant to plant, dabbing all the yellow flowers. don't forget the 1st one that you dabbed. and there you go! enjoy tomatoes all year around! i hope this helped! :)

Answer 3

Be patient. I'm in Indiana, like the first person. We have over 150 tomato plants out and only 3-4 small green tomatoes have started so far. Once they get going, you'll have plenty.

Answer 4

Theoretically they can self-pollinate, but if I were you, I'd plant two, just for the sake of having another plant's flowers. Since there (presumably!) won't be any bees in your apartment, you might want to get a soft rounded paintbrush and do your own pollinating between the two plants.

Good luck!

Answer 5

To evenly distribute the pollen without the help of a bee: wait for flowers and then gently shake the plant for five seconds once or twice a week.

Answer 6

A single plany will pollinate itself. I "help" mine when the flowers form. I take a piece of typing paper and hold it under each flower and tap on the flower. The pollen drops onto the paper. I then "sprinkle" the pollen over all the flowers. Good luck.

Answer 7

Get yourself a tomatoe plant and it will grow tomatoes as long as you take care of it