Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: canwickplot on June 11, 2009, 11:26
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This is the first year I've grown tomatoes and am unsure what I need to do in order to secure the best crop. My two cultivars - Gardeners Delight and Shirley - are both bush varieties by the looks of things, and I'm not sure if I need to be cutting, pruning or trussing them, or whatever. I have heard a lot about tomato growing but I wouldn't even know what a truss looked like if it was wearing sunglasses 8) I really have no idea which shoots to cut, but I'll probably just cut the ones without flowers.
The plants are 50cm - 60cm tall and I have four outside and five in the GH, Mixed cultivars.
They are healthy, but I have a feeling I should be doing something with them.
Cheers
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Being "indeterminate", neither are bush varieties and are best grown as cordons by taking out the side shoots.
You need to be taking out the side shoots, leaving just the one growing tip. The side shoots grow out of the axil - this is where the leaf joins the stem. It has been said before imagine the plant upside down and the side shoot growing out of your arm pit and you're about there.
The trusses are where the tomatoes will be and these are intially evident as a spread out hand with small buds on the end. These will open into a yellow flower. DO NOT CUT THESE OFF!!
Give them a stout cane each & tie 'em up.
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So I'd be alright poking a cane deep into the earth next to the stem? I was concerned that maybe I'd damage the roots a bit.
I'm going to take a pair of snippers to them at the weekend and chop off anything coming out the side with no apparent flower on it.
Sorted!
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They'll stand a poke with a cane!
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It has been said before imagine the plant upside down and the side shoot growing out of your arm pit and you're about there.
I havent heard that before! A great description! :D :D
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You may find this useful:
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-prune-tomatoes
I would advise only taking off side shoots which have a flower truss above / higher up. That will prevent you accidentally removing the main growing point of the tomato plant!