[oldcow]

I was checking my tomatoes today, and one of the plants already has 5 (tiny) trusses. They have just been planted outside. Does it mean I should stop the plant, as most of the advice suggests? It seems early in the season, I wonder if there is some "stop X weeks before first frost" rule instead.

[DD.]

That seems very early, especially for an outdoor plant.

How tall is it?

[oldcow]

They're about 27". They were grown indoors, spent the last couple of weeks being hardened off, and were planted out a couple of days ago.

[gillie]

I would stop them when they have got as tall as I want them regardless of the number of trusses.

Gillie

[oldcow]

How long does it take, on average, for a tomato to go from flower to maturity? I have a mix of cherry tomatoes, medium and large ones. If I know that, I'll know for sure when it's time to stop since the new flowers wouldn't have a chance to mature.

[rikknikk]

Can I ask what you mean by stopping tomatoes pls

[Will1983]

27" ?!?!?!? blooming hell! my biggest is only about 5" tall!

i think ive got a bit of catching up to do!

[mumofstig]

Can I ask what you mean by stopping tomatoes pls

It's when you pinch off the top of a tomato plant to stop it growing anymore flowers.
You do this towards the end of the growing season so that the plant ripens the fruit it has already set, rather than carry on making new ones

[Ivor Backache]

I don't think stopping tomatoes is a frost issue more of insufficient sunlight to ripen them. At the end of October the clocks go back and the sun is low in the sky. I just gather all the toms and sort out those which will ripen on the window sill, the rest go in the green chutney recipe.

Early tomatoes need an early sowing. I sow a small number in mid January. I now have four in the conservatory stopped at 3,4 and 5 trusses. I have another 3 in an unheated greenhouse and they have been stopped at 5 trusses, but they are behind the conservatory plants and are still flowering.  All the plants are 5' tall and this weekend I shall pick my first tomato.

My outdoor toms have just been put out and are about a foot tall. I will stop them at 4  trusses otherwise any further trusses will not develop sufficiently.