[Martin]

Had a bit of confusion about my Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes. Had some advertising blurb that described them as large bush, miracle tomatoes that didn't need any pruning...but later found the results of an RHS trial that stopped them at 2 meters high! Also this adjudication against the miracle claim...They clearly are vine tomatoes however (and growing very well both indoors and outdoors) with lots of foliage on thick stems. I've got a few fruits starting, hidden among the foliage, and flowers that will form a second truss on the various stems. What should I do? Is it OK to go ahead and cut out at least some of stems, or should I be brutal and cut everything out except the main stem? Or shall I just leave it this year and see what happens?
Thanks

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Martin, I've never grown those tomatoes before, but the yellow brandywine I am trying hve got really thick stems too.  Why don't you do half and half, half leave as they are and half 'prune' into cordon toms?  then you can decide which is best???

[Oliver]

Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes.

Hello Martin - The habit of these tomatoes sounds very much like the ones she grew last year - Brandywine - (Grannieannie says hers are yellow - ours were pinky red.) In any event, they were very big beefsteak tomatoes on a very tall plant which she grew like a cordon type - she grew only one stem, picked out all the others as they appeared and stopped the plant at 3 russes because it was over 6ft tall in the poly! It may hav got so tall because it was in the poly and the heat helped it grow. It was shorter outside, but still needed secure staking because the fruits were quite heavy and would easily have pulled the whole shebang over.
So the choice is yours! But, make sure you leave a stem that has some trusses on! Oliver

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi Oliver.  My ones are called yellow brandywine, but on the picture, they look an orangey colour.  Never grown them before.  Did you say they are a BIG tomato???  Oh dear, they were sent in place of the small yellow pear that Edwin Tuckers didn't have in stock, so I was hoping they wouldn't be too big.  Never mind.  

Bit of advice please.  I've got quite a few fruits coming, but the biggest ones seem to be not exactly splitting underneath, and its not blossom rot, but the bottom of the fruit has like a jagged cut going across the bottom.  Any ideas?  I could try to take a photo if any more do it, but I threw the 2 away that were like it.

[Oliver]

a jagged cut going across the bottom.

Hello GrannieAnnie: Sounds like it looks just like hers looked - not exactly a cut, more like a scar.  This seems to be part of the 'look' of these tomatoes.
Without a picture that's what I think. Of course, if there is any hint of softness, or discolouration, or an actual split and a sour smell it is sick so get rid of it and hope the other tomatoes are not affected.
Brandywine is a beefsteak tomato so it can grow as big as a large flatish orange. Some of them are smaller, but all are an irregular shape - not round like moneymaker or any of those. They matured late (September) and they were not very prolific. An untidy tomato I'd say! Hope this helps.
Incidentally - she is growing one this year which is a small yellow pear type. It is called Ildi (recommended by the RHS) and is supposed to be a big bunch of small tomatoes. Will post a picture when they produce something. At the moment they are all flowers. Hold thumbs!
Oliver