Comments on: The Best Time to Pick Tomatoes for Peak Quality (It’s Not What You Think!) https://gardenbetty.com/best-time-pick-tomatoes/ Gardening made easy, life made simpler. Fri, 23 Aug 2024 04:10:47 +0000 hourly 1 By: Linda Ly https://gardenbetty.com/best-time-pick-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-69466 Sat, 03 Aug 2024 03:27:28 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=48959#comment-69466 In reply to Rachel Charles.

Here’s what I usually do for my own (indeterminate) tomato plants: I remove the lowest vines that don’t have any flowers, and let all the suckers grow unless they, too, don’t end up producing flowers (at which point I cut off those vines). In my experience, removing non-producing vines seems to tell the plant to send more energy to the flowers and fruits it’s already got (and to stop growing so many leaves). So it doesn’t feel like I’m reducing yield as I allow all suckers to grow as long as they want, as long as they have flowers. Hope that makes sense!

]]> By: Rachel Charles https://gardenbetty.com/best-time-pick-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-69210 Sun, 28 Jul 2024 16:23:18 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=48959#comment-69210 Hi Linda x I hope you’re all enjoying your adventure hold on route 66?!
I am a new gardener and I have followed your growing tomato guide, I love reading about the science behind it as well.
I loved seeing the benefits of potting on for a second time and I save all of your newsletters to re read!
I have grown moneymaker tomatoes here in south west uk ( could have chosen a better variety with hindsight) but they’ve grown well.
A couple of problems I could use a bit of knowledge and advice on, firstly I went away for a week at the end of June and when I got back my daughter was quite poorly in icu hospital so apart from watering the tomatoes I didn’t have time to do much else . The side shoots have grown into branches with flowers on ( luckily I had been removing them up until she was in hospital) so I’ve got 7 plants all with between 5-8 trusses on , I have been taking excess leaves off and any other side shoots that are forming and I have been tying them to the stake etc.
I am having trouble understanding about when and how to pinch out the growing tips of each plant. Am I supposed to only leave on 5 or 6 trusses ( some of mine have quite a few more) . Is that too many?
If I pinch out growing tips and stop them will they still develop more trusses from different places on the plant?
Wouldn’t that reduce yield?
I understand that the plant sends its energy towards the ones already growing but if I pinch it out/off will it grow more trusses ( and would the new truss grow from the same place or in a different place?
I feel a bit dumb asking all this but I really don’t want to jeopardise my chances of success at harvest time.
I hope you have a great holiday and I look forward to your emails.
Rachel x

]]> By: Jan https://gardenbetty.com/best-time-pick-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-54028 Sat, 23 Sep 2023 15:43:50 +0000 https://gardenbetty.com/?p=48959#comment-54028 Very good advice. We pick all tomatoes early ahead of a frost, and always pick heirlooms early because they split as they ripen fully outdoors. No birds or insects indoors.

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