[matt80]

I've got Red Alert bush tomatoes on the patio and they've quite a few flowers and fruit now, but they're not showing any signs of stopping? Should I be limiting the number of trusses on each plant like you do with cordon tomatoes or should I just let them get on with it?
Thanks!

[JayG]

I grew Red Alert last year and again this year and like yours they are pretty vigorous and also quite early; mine are half-in and half-out of a cold frame (i.e. top has been taken off!)

In theory you just let bush tomatoes get on with it, but I found firstly that mine needed all the fruiting stems supporting otherwise the weight snapped them off at the main stem (finished up looking like a Christmas tree!)

Secondly, there are limits as to how many fruits each plant can support through to ripening; towards the end of August I pinched out any new flowering shoots as I didn't think they had much chance of developing properly (poor plant was starting to look a bit knackered!)

[purplebean]

same as Jay, I don't stop them until early September to try to get the plant to ripen what it has and you need to stake most stems otherwise disater will strike. But I find some bush types are incredibly prolific and definately worth growing, 70% of my toms this year are bush ones