Also, you may have pruned off the fruiting wood, which on plums produces for several years. Q. Two years ago I had topsoil brought in, and the first year's vegetable garden was excellent. But after picking the first crop, the plants seemed to slow down, the tomatoes being very small and sparse. Last year I had tomatoes up the ying-yang. The watermelon and cantaloupe last year were perfect, this year they were small, sparse and not even edible.
Tomatoes require nitrogen for top growth, phosphorus for fruit development and potassium for roots.
Complete fertilizers of 5 percent or 8 percent nitrogen and 10 percent phosphorus and 10 percent potassium work best with vegetables. Tomatoes prefer infrequent, deep watering. Excess water will discourage fruit set and alter fruit development and flavor. Last summer was too cool for good melon development. Melons also prefer infrequent and deep irrigation.