Training Tomatoes, How do you Prefer?

I tend to top them at about 4 feet, mainly because taller than that and they a—get topheavy, and b—get too awkward for me to harvest.

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.

this is a great discussion. Can’t wait to hear what everyone does.
We’ve used cages in the past and have always found them ineffective or bothersome in some way.

This year, I think we planted ours too close together. Also, Rick did stake them up with three stakes each. I think it is trapping tomatoes in the middle which can’t be good.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I’ve always topped mine particulaly becouse of the shortgrowing season but also to prevent splitting stems.
I understnd you are better with fewer fruits per plant that mature well than a bunch that compete for nutrient.

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

Scot

I am so glad to hear someone else say Early girls do not stand up to their name

I always plant Beef steaks and I am very happy with them for flavor and size and color plus EG they were so small and not the flavor BS is

The Early girls, well, maybe 4-5 were ripe a week before the BS so I will never plant them again

But you said you cut them back to about 4 ft to allow them to bush out. Mine are about 5’5” innches now

Too late to cut back I think I have little toms on the tops now

I was going to ask someone about this.

Do you still get a good crop by cutting them back? Is it true you get as better size?

So many people talk about cutting out a branch in a V but I get so confused with this.

May I ask what do you do with so many plants or are you are commerical grower?

I planted 12 plants last year and put over a 100 in the freezer plus what I ate and gave away plus I made 2 bathces of chow

I still have some in the freezer from last year

This year I planted 8 plants and by the looks of it I will be loaded this year as well.

I also picked 6 cukes and made mustard relish and ate one for supper Thrus and tonite and a few yellow beans and raddishs and lettcue almost every day for salads

I do use cages but they grow at least 1-2 feet above them and this year with the storm, 2 fell over and branches broke off

I need to takesome green ones inside in Sept to put in paper bags to ripen. Our season is so short

Does any one cut out some leaves so they will ripen faster?? I never did but wondered if I should or does this help?

!!

!!

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

I sucker my plants as time permits .
As soon as the fruit is the size you are showing I cut back a lot of the leaves and leave only sun protection.
I especially take of the yellowing leaves as they just harbour diseases.

Bob

-- I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Alberta Canada Zone 3A or maybe 3B

I agree with Bob. That is what I used to do when I had tomatoes. All this talk makes me think I should do it again next year. I have one spot where I should be able to fit some into the garden.

-- jroot

wow! 70 plants!

I have four! I put them in huge plastic containers with holes in the bottom, as they get bigger, I put in thin stakes and tie them with the tie-ons. They are in full sun, water them 2X a day and get tons of them and they are huge! beefsteak is my fav, they taste like the hot house that we buy in stores, nice n sweet.

-- Toronto, Ontario

I like the beefsteak best also. My dad like Bonnie Best as it was a little smaller, but I have not seen them anywhere on the market these days. Has anyone else seen Bonnie Best tomatoes on the market?

-- jroot

Thanks for all the tips everyone.This being my first year to grow beef steaks I am delighted with the size and taste of them.
Gooseneck….They must have a lot better hot houses there.The tomatoes we get from hot houses suck.No flavour and tough skins.They don’t compare to the ones fresh from the garden at all.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

I use the biggest cages I can find but I only put in 8 plants. I like the cages and I have had mine for 4or 5 seasons. My sister inlaw and her boyfriend have a huge garden and use a row of heavy fence (2” by 4” mesh) held up with big metal fence posts and then tie them off to that. They plant on both sides staggered. Not the best year for Romas(4)- brandywine are aweome(3)- and beefmaster is absolutely huge with giant toms. Seems late I’m just starting to pick now but in a week or two we will be canning like crazy!

-- SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GARDEN CENTER-Dave, Erie PA-zone 5-a

I’ve snagged alot of fencing. I just cut about a 5’ length, rollit, lock it with some wire and make my own tall cages.

Other than that, they respond great to Snausages and Beggin’ Strips, and never use a rolled up newspaper for discipline. The easiest trick to get them to do is “Sit” and “Stay”.

-- arborial reconfiguration specialist......Zone out....(USA 5)

I actually saw a neat way of caging awhile back. I’d never seen it before, may be old hat to some of you. A guy has a garden with tomatoes in a row. He put fence on either side along the length. Then he stuck wooden sticks through the fencing horizontally where ever he needed them. The tomatoes then grow up and hang all over the wooden sticks.

Imagine a magician sticking swords into his assitant in a box. Don’t know if that would be cheaper than individual cages. ‘Round here cages are $1 a pop, sometimes less. Could be done with re-wire which should be cheaper than real fencing.

-- arborial reconfiguration specialist......Zone out....(USA 5)

I can still remember my grandpa’s garden and he used to put in about 5’ stakes all along his row on both sides and used rope at two different heights to support his plants.This seemed to work well for him.He always had great toms.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

My plants grew to 7-8 feet as well

But in a heavy wind and rain storm even with cages they were all knocked down

I had been inquiring about thos stainless s teel stakes if they were any better

There are $20 each pricey but I have been told you need both cages and stakes to hold large plants up

I do not like Roma and early girls toms

Last year I planted Early girls and they didn’t ripe any earlier than Beef steaks maybe a week

I have every huge Beef steaks right now some as big as scausers but the branches are heavy and most are 2 inches thick

That is the problem

If I kept them cut to 4 ft tall would they produce as much??

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

our tomatoes were doing great but I think they are too bushy and with all the rain the tomatoes don’t look very well. I think they just couldn’t get dry inbetween the rains.
Next year.. going to put up a sturdier support system. Not sure what method, though.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I do take a lot of leaves off to let the sun in to ripen same with the grapes

what sun huh

This is day 20 with heavy rain

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

It makes sense to lop of the tops of the tomatoes. Those wire cages are useless and what I use. Next year
it will be stakes and cage. I have beefsteak (excellent) and another type which I am not fond of. Must try to locate the marker. I didn’t keep up with the suckering …. and think next year will clear more of the leaves. We have indeed broken all records for rainfall since 1945 in this area.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown