[Ross]

Can anyone advise me.  I have three tomato plants in my greenhouse. Two of them have two main stems (branches) growing with  two trusses 0n each.  someone told me I should take one stems off.  Would they be correct in their advice??.

If may ask another question: I planted onion sets around the begining of May. The leafing is aprox 18in high.  When i feel to see how the bulb is growing. They are the same size as the day they where first planted.   Can you over or under water onions, may this be my problem??

Just to think. At the end of this years first Veg experience I thought I may become another Alan Titchmarsh

Thank you for your time..... Ross

[iggyboy]

if your tomatoes are cordons they should only have one main stem and therefore the info of just one stem is correct. What is the name of your tomato type?

[savbo]

re onions - we planted our sets in March and they're only just starting to swell so if yours only went in in May I wouldn't be expecting much yet...

[mumofstig]

yes we definitely need a variety name for the tomatoes, before we can advise, and agree you shouldn't be worried about the onions

[Yabba]

Hoping like hell onions bulb up soon, because they're only just bigger than spring onions at the moment ... they managed to do it last year though

¥

[rivkele]

I know you're supposed to pinch out the side shoots on cordon tomatoes, but surely once one's got so big it's got its own trusses, wouldn't you be as well leaving it? I don't know, i'm a complete amateur, only my third year growing anything, and i tend to be way too easy on my tomatoes and they end up like trifids, but they give an ok crop, i think. What's the expert opinion?

[DD.]

Nope, keep pinching and when it reaches the roof, have the growing tip out.
You want the energy to go into the fruit, not the leaf.

[gillie]

I know you're supposed to pinch out the side shoots on cordon tomatoes, but surely once one's got so big it's got its own trusses, wouldn't you be as well leaving it?

I do.  One or two of my  heritage tomatoes are very prone to forking like this, rather than having a main stem and side shoots. However if the 'sideshoot' decides to fork, one of them has to go. So far as I can see I just get more tomatoes from my plant before it hits the ridge of the roof.  They are well fed.

Gillie

[rivkele]

ok DD, this year i'm going to be ruthless (I have been so far anyway, far more than previous years)

[Ross]

Thank you all for your replys.  My mistake. both Toms and Onions were planted the last week in March.

The toms are 1. Alesa Craig,  1. Money maker, 1 Cherry (sun baby)

thank you. Ross.

[mumofstig]

they should all be single stem tomatoes, tied up to a cane... so the advice has to be to pinch them out

Over to you 

[Ross]

Thank you Mumofstig. I shall take your advice.