"Ottawa" wrote in message
. ..
I got the same problem with a few of my plants. I have them in 8-10 "
pots.
It is supposed to be raining a lot today. Should I have taken them in?

Assuming you're not talking thunderstorms, which might break the young
stems, leave them out. Just make sure they DO NOT have dishes/trays under
them. The water needs to drain out.


Also, is a cage necessary for cherry tomatoes?

Yes, you need cages, unless you are absolutely positive you bought some sort
of dwarf variety. Stakes sometimes work, but most self-respecting tomato
plants become elephants, and need more support than they'll get from a
stake. By Saturday or Sunday, I'll post pictures of some cages that are very
easy to make. The ones you buy in the store are almost useless, although
better than nothing.

By the way, your pots are too small. Many varieties of cherry tomatoes grow
just as large as any other tomato plant. The weight of the vegetation will
make the whole thing top heavy. You want pots that are at least 16-18" tall,
and equally wide. The root system is one reason, and the other is that if
you're away from home during the day, or longer, larger pots will stay moist
longer.

Right now, go out, buy bigger pots, lots of nice potting soil, and repot
them TODAY. Sooner than you think, the plants will be monsters, and harder
to handle.

My plants are about 20" tall
now but no flowers or anything. Should I worry? Someone told me its
because
I need to pollinate them with another plant?

That's silly. The "somebody" is silly, too. The plants will have flowers
soon. Tell your "somebody" friend to go pollinate with a lizard or
something. :-)