Thanks for the response and the pictures; I got them.

The two varieties of cherry tomatoes you used are good producers and do well in Minnesota. I suspect that you have planted them in past years.

Essentially there appears to be a lack of vegetative growth in your plants. The most obvious reason for a spindly appearance is a lack of sun. Tomatoes require 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily. This causes me to ask if the tomatoes are receiving this amount of sunlight and/or did you change the location of the tomatoes in 2021 as compared to 2020?

In general it appears as if vegetative growth is minimal including the stems. This is often indicative of insufficient nitrogen. Did you fertilize your tomatoes at the time of planting? I would be very hesitant to fertilize them at this time considering the stress your tomatoes are already under due to high temperatures and lack of rain.

In looking at the picture showing the entire garden, it looks as if you have black plastic down. Perhaps you did this to control weed growth? This black plastic would have led to increases in the soil temperature. This could have produced a stress upon the tomatoes leading to their current states. Unfortunately this plastic would also prevent water from getting into the soil other than through the holes around each tomato. I suspect that your tomatoes are simply dehydrated and/or have been subjected to heat stress. I am assuming that you do not remove this plastic prior to watering. I would suggest that you immediately remove this plastic covering and water extensively (at least 0.5 inches/day) for at least one to two weeks. I am not sure if the plants’ appearances will improve or not. Time will only tell. Even though you might have used plastic in past years, this year (2021) is bringing us record temperatures and little rain. In the future I would suggest using straw (not hay) as a mulch for your tomatoes. It will impede the growth of weeds but allow for water to pass through.

See the following:

https://gardeningmentor.com/how-to-get-thick-stems-on-tomato-plants/

Please feel free to get back to us with any additional thoughts you might have. Thanks for using our forum.

Thanks for the response. 

With a fabric cover, this will allow water through which alters my initial remarks.  Although you took steps to correct the nitrogen deficiency detected by the soil analysis, adding any type of fertilizer during these hot days can further stress your plants. 

Three questions:

1),  In 2020 did you plant tomatoes in exactly the same spot as you planted in 2021.  If so, how did your 2020 plants look?

2).  Did your tomatoes develop any blossoms and fruit?

3).  Was your rhubarb close to where your tomatoes were growing?

By a process of elimination I come back to our drought conditions as the cause for the thin stalks in both your tomatoes and your rhubarb.  See:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/rhubarb/spindly-rhubarb-stalks.htm - :~:text=Lack of Vigor,of drought, water rhubarb weekly.

Finally take a look at two University of Minnesota publications that just recently came out:

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/heatwave-makes-vegetables-misbehave

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/hot-weather-fertilizer-tips-your-yard-and-garden

Keep up your watering  Good Luck!!

. 

Thanks for the further information.

I now gather from your latest comments that since you are getting tomatoes from your plants, the only issue is that the stems are tall and spindly. I am still of the mind that high temperatures and little rain are primarily responsible for this. Be sure your tomatoes are staked or supported in some manner. Keep watering them. As I said before, I don’t think adding further nitrogen at this point will improve the stems. After you pull the plants at the end of this season, you may consider removing the fabric cover and adding some compost to the soil. Application of Milorganite this fall is yet another possibility. Alternatively, think about planting a cover crop (e.g., annual clover). Any of these approaches would provide a slow release of nitrogen into the soil this fall and over the winter. If you take the clover approach, pull it up in spring 2022 or just put your fabric cover over it. See:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/management_and_planting_of_crimson_clover

https://www.milorganite.com/faq

The rhubarb is a different matter. The fact that it has been showing thin stems for many years implies that 2021 high temperatures and lack of moisture are probably not the sole contributing factors. I don’t know if you tested the soil around the rhubarb or not to ascertain if a nitrogen deficiency exists there. Perhaps you should work some compost or Milorganite into their soil this fall as well?

Good luck and please feel free to get back to us with your thoughts and/or any additional questions.

On Sunday, August 1, 2021, 12:03 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

Glad to have been of assistance.