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I know this is the food section but there seems to be a shared passion for gardening here also so a few questions...

how many trim their tomato plants? The suckers? Do you trim the low small branches that tend to just turn yellow and die anyways?

Do you support the continual vining style growth of your tomato plants or try to have them be bushier?

I have several varieties in my garden and all are doing well. The cherry tomato plant was the largest when I put them in and really took off but now is tending to grow slower and is fruiting heavily (red tomatoes should be ready for harvesting in a few days already!!! That is way early here!!) this plant is shorter and stouter with fatter leaves then my others. so I am worried about the other growing to large and blocking out the light. My grape tomato plant is really wanting to grow long and thin.

Any thoughts in general are appreciated including watering, fertilizing, etc... in general things are going great and growing like crazy.

Kinda depends on whether it is a determinate or indeterminate variety.

I do sucker mine until they get about knee high, and I always pull off the lowest leaves just prior to planting them.

They type of nitrogen in the fertilizer you use can also make them grow fast and spindly.

i have some now that are 2ft high and starting to bloom. i plant mine i barrels instead of in the ground. tomatoes and cucumbers are all i ever plant.

I went out on a huge risk and planted mine in early March, where common practice in this area says not before April 15th do to frost concerns... well I got away with it due to our super warm spring and I have tomato plants that are likely a solid 5 feet tall.

I will be harvesting the first batch of cherry tomatoes and jalape�os this weekend most likely.

You need to chat with flyboyflem (Woody). He is a tomato expert whether he'll admit it or not.

Mike

Here a 7650 ft, it's darn hard to even grow them.I do pull the suckers ,but plants seldom get more than 3 ft high. We have a lot more green tomatoes inS ept than we do red ones.

I have two front end loader tires filled with dirt, with a small green house type of enclosure around each.I cover every night anduncove revery morning. Right now plants are a little less than 1 ft tall. I just set them out last week,I have had them in 6" pots for 4 weeks, taking them outside every day and back in at night.

I cage all of mine in 6-7 foot cages 24" diameter. No need to trim unless you do like I did this year and plant mine to close to each other.

Tomatoes like it on the dry side. I water mine about every 10 days but that might change if the wind is blowing hot.

I use an organic fertilizer every 6 weeks.

WOW!!!! that is forest of tomato plants!! I may need to cut back on my watering a little... I water about every two days b/c I thought it was pretty dry here and the soil they are in should drain pretty easily but I am sure its hotter in TX! My chard and brussel sprouts wilt if I go more than 2 days or so.

I used cages for most of mime but just the 3' x 24" or so size and they have all grown right out of the top. I planted some Roma plants without cages and created a bit of a mess of trellis system that I am training them to grow on.

I'll see if I can snap some pictures later today. Going to be over 100 with the heat index this afternoon!

You warm weather guys are killin me. I haven't even planted mine yet. It might freeze here tonight! The Bighorns are expecting 12 to 18 inches of snow.

Not to rub it in but I picked 7 cherry tomatoes yesterday... first of the year!

The season is about 3 weeks early in KS this year. One of my gardening buds picked some Early Girl tomatoes in May. He is 76, and said it was the first time in his lifetime. He has been digging potatoes all week.

I'll probably pick my first actual tomato this weekend. Been picking grape tomatoes for a couple weeks now. Haven't pulled any potoatoes in a couple weekends, but the new ones were sure good a few weekends ago, gotta dig the rest soon. Have more squash than I know what to do with. Stop by sometime and help yourself-

I once read a funny story about a traveler in Maine. He watched a local lock his car, and asked him about thieves. The reply, "No, neighbors with zucchini".

Drew,
Are you using the EG style tomato stakes????
Jim

I always take off the Suckers.
Steve

Picked our first ripe (real) tomato today...have had cherry tomatos for a couple of weeks. We'll have lots in 2 more weeks.

Elwood

I tried to go early this year and lost to frost twice. Replanted about 2 weeks ago and they're not really taking off yet.

Bb

Godfrey Daniel!!! what a bunch of monsters!!

Picked 28 lbs. a few days ago and I'm still getting around that much every 3-4 days.



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