Leggy Tomato Plants

[The Chili Monster]

My cherry tomato plants are quite tall. There are leaves, quite large in fact, but I wouldn't describe the plants as bushy. This is the first year that I've felt brave enough to attempt to cultivate tomatoes from scratch.
They're supposed to be ideal for containers. My original plan was to pinch out at two feet in height but just to really annoy me several are flowering before I've had a chance to do this.
I'm an absolute tomato novice when it comes from growing from seed. What should I do? Help!!!

[Millymollymandy]

Ok, the only tomatoes I've ever successfully grown are cherries and always in large pots! However the principal of tomato growing is the same no matter what size the toms are; what is necessary to know is whether the plants are bush or cordon type.

I'm unsure what you mean by pinching out at two foot. Do you mean to pinch out the growing tip? For cordons you do that after 3+ flower trusses depending on your climate, to encourage what fruit has already set to ripen rather than letting the plant's energy go on producing more flowers. My cherry toms are usually about 4 foot high and I pinch out after about 4 trusses.

For cordon type toms all side shoots should be pinched out so that you form only one main tall stalk. You should be doing that about twice a week during the growing season, and tying in the new growth regularly to a bamboo cane or similar.

If they are leggy it is the lack of light and you need to make sure they are well staked, repot if necessary into bigger pots before planting out in May (ish) into their final large pots. Start feeding with a high potash fertiliser once the first two trusses have fruit formed.

[Muddypause]

I'm guessing here, but mature tomato plants in the UK in April = heated greenhouse? This is really out of my experience, as I've only grown them out of doors in the ground or in growbags. My plants are 1" tall ATM.

I go along with M3. There are two distinct types of plant - the 'bush' variety, and ...err... the other kind. Some non-bush varieties can get quite tall. For bush varieties, you don't need to nip out the side shoots that grow where the leaf meets the main stem, but you have to do this for other types (you need to be vigilant about this and check every day - sometimes they are easy to miss, and before you know it you have a side branch growing). Generally, you pinch out the growing tip when there are three or four flowering trusses.

[The Chili Monster]

I've taken a look at the packet and they're of the Gardener's Delight persuasion. It doesn't say anything about cordons on the packaging, but according to internet research this does apply.

Anyway, at least I know where to pinch out now ... could have been

I don't have a greenhouse. I sowed them in mid February. I reared them on a south facing window sill along side some jalepenos. I'm going to start hardening off the taller plants with a view to getting them outside at the beginning of May.

[alcina]

Gardener's Delight are a cordon variety! They'll need support. I usually cut them off after the fifth cordon which is around 5.5 feet. I grow them outside on the patio. One of my favourite varieties.

It's up to you whether or not you pinch out side shoots - hotly debated topic! The pinching out theory is that the plant can put all its energy into one (or two) vines rather than many vines. It certainly makes support easier if you have only one or two vines per plant. Conversely if you leave the sideshoots, you top off the plant shorter.

Alcina

[Muddypause]

It's up to you whether or not you pinch out side shoots - hotly debated topic!

Is that right? The debate must have passed me by. I've occasionally had an extra vine on a plant because I didn't notice the side shoot growing until too late, but I might try leaving one or two with all their side shoots on this year, and see what happens.

[albert onglebod]

On a US site,there was an article which was called the forever tomato.They said if you leave a side shoot to get big and strong,then carefully take it off,you can plant it and keep it indoors and it will establish as a cutting to plant out next year, When you can start the whole process again. Not sure if it would be warm enough even in my house to do that here but its an interesting idea,I might just give it a go.

[gunners71uk]

gardeners delight is what i have done did mine in march about an inch or less and two leaves at the mo.they have been grown in a cold room and are looking great at the mo.it says 50 seeds on the pkt more like 20 fothergills seed tut tut.

[nick]

If you leave the side shoots, it has been found that you will get a higher yield from each plant. The side shoots will also grow roots if stuck in the ground.

[The Chili Monster]

Thanks all
Think I'm going to experiment by letting a couple grow "wild", pinch out the side shoots on a few and perhaps use on to generate new plants using side growths. The latter system shows greater promise for the future, I'd have to sow fewer seeds, and so I would not need as much room indoors to start them off. However, the scenario that works best will become the preferred method in the future.

[Millymollymandy]

Be interesting to see what happens. Keep us posted!

[hedgewizard]

Well folks? How did the experiments turn out?

I have a bit of a problem with my bush toms Roma at the moment. Not having been pinched out, it's top growth a-gogo and they've gone a bit nuts in the tunnel, spilling out over the path and generally running riot. I wouldn't mind this except there's so much leafy growth I can't see the toms in there. Any ideas how I might tame them, or should I pick the whole damned lot green?

[The Chili Monster]

Leggy Tomato Plants: an update

Well, three of the original crop survived; the smallest I took cuttings from (the "sideshoots") before I consigned it to the compost heap. I removed the sideshoots from one as they appeared whilst allowing the other to grow unabated.
Of the cuttings that survived the storms that ravaged my garden back in May, two are participating in the upside down experiment whilst two are living out their days in a friend's garden - not that far from Martin's stomping ground (I'd promised her a couple).

OK, they have all flowered and produced fruit; I have sampled produce from all plants. The fruit of the "chopped" plant is larger but the wild plant has smaller fruit but features a greater number of tomatoes (no great surprise, really).

Now two plants don't make an experiment and so I'm offering observations.

I will say that the cuttings I took turned out to be strong and that I'll probably use this method again in the future just to free up seed tray space for other stuff.

[hedgewizard]

Interesting. So pinching out doesn't increase yield, it gives you fewer and bigger toms. I'll take that deal!

Right, I'm off down the toms with a pair of scissors and a bad attitude. See you later!