[rawrecruit]

I've read the tomato page on the main site but there aren't enough pics for a complete beginner like me! My tomato seed packet says to plant my seedlings out when the first truss appears but I have no idea how to recognise it!

[Paul Plots]

The tomato truss is shown here.

When you plant out depends on where you are going to *plant. Outside? Cold greenhouse?
The temperature is one of the most important factors not just the size of your tomato plant.



(edit to correct spelling *pant = plant!!)

[Kleftiwallah]

A truss is the flowering shoot that (hopefully) eventually grows into tom's.  They grow from the main shoot usually between two leaves (one above and one below).  If a shoot appears from where a leaf is growing from the stem this is what you need to pinch out,  do it carefully as you can damage the main stem if you rip it away.

Hope this helps?

Cheers,   Tony.

[rawrecruit]

thanks both, very helpful, I think my seedlings have a way to go yet... they'll be going outdoors... when it warms up a bit 

[gremlin]

Humbug 

Plant them out when it is warm enough, don't bother about waiting for the first truss, or not. 

It seems to be based on a trick to fool the plant into start flowering early if you stress it by leaving it in a tiny pot without nutrients.  It has never worked for me, and when I leave my spare seedlings in their plug tray for several weeks, they just die without flowering.   The seedlings from the same batch that have been planted out romp away.

Alternative explanation:-  30 years of growing toms and I still cant get it right 

[DD.]

rawrecruit - your rough geographical location in your profile will help tailor advice to suit.

Here in the Midlands I've only just sown mine for outdoor planting, bearing in mind that it will be two months before I consider it safe to do so.

In the interim I've got sufficient greenhouse space in which to keep them. It really does pay not to get ahead of the game with outdoor plants that are not frost-hardy.


(Tiny spelling correction)

[rawrecruit]

Hi DD, I did look at my profile to try to add my location but I couldn't work out how to do it! I'm in South London.

[Auntiemogs]

If you go into Profile and Modify Profile -> Forum Profile, it's a little way down the page.