Should I cut off the first tomato flowers?
Grace asked:
I'm growing Ace tomatoes and the first flower blossomed, with a few still unopened. I heard that cutting off the first flowers will produce better harvest. Is this true? Should i pinch them off?
Also, how many tomatoes does one plant generally produce before frost?
I'm growing Ace tomatoes and the first flower blossomed, with a few still unopened. I heard that cutting off the first flowers will produce better harvest. Is this true? Should i pinch them off?
Also, how many tomatoes does one plant generally produce before frost?
The Tomato Shop
No, don’t cut them off. Pinching off the suckers (that sprout in the joint between the branches and the main stem) will produce a better harvest, though.
The amount of tomatoes you’ll get depends on the variety of tomato, whether it’s determinate or indeterminate, the amount of sun, moisture, nutrients, and temperature. Usually you get more tomatoes from hybrids, but there’s no way to tell how many. Good luck!
Great Salmon Recipes
I’m going to agree with daylily about not pinching out blooms, but disagree about the “suckers”. This is an old argument amongst tomato growers. My dad was a master gardener and he taught me to never do it, that it doesn’t improve the size or quality of the harvest. You’ll hear from both sides, and we’ll probably never agree. No hit against daylily, she is one of the ones here who actually gives good advice.
Also agree that there is no way of determining how much a plant will yeild, like she said there are a lot of diferent factors involved.
IMO daylily hit the nail on the head. Keep your foliage down to a minimum so the plant can concentrate energy toward fruit production. You need enough foliage to prevent the tomatoes from scalding and provide some shade…but the tomatoes need the energy to grow.
good luck
The Tomato Shop
Advice here was helpful – I am growing tomatoes for the first time, have been pinching out side shoots but now flowers have appeared and did not know whether to take them off too – based on your comments, I will leave them alone.
Something else you may be able to advise on – why have the leaves suddenly started curling. They are green – but curling ? I have looked at the plants for wiggies / pests but cannot see any, and there are no blotchy marks or anything – What could it be ??