Tomato growing

This is what it looks like now that I removed one. I then realized I'd cut it off and it had flowers

 

hi Jane
That's OK sometimes they fork giving two stems, you can either let them both grow or cut one off as you have done I have had several fork this year' I have cut one side off all but one. I let two grow on one plant simply because this one had loads of room around it.
There is no right or wrong. Your one stem will grow strongly and produce loads more trusses of toms.
Sandy

 

If it helps Jane, I think it's an heirloom tomato "thing". We grow heirloom yellow pear tomatoes (rampant cordons growing 8-10 foot, not the dwarf modern hybrids). On the main stem we get leaves, side-shoots - which we rub out, and a weird sort of halfway-house affair, like you photographed. It grows from the base of a leaf node, like a side-stem, but is leaf-like, often with a strange small flower truss partway up the leaf. I normally remove these, but you may find the plant grows more of these as the season progresses...

 

I was not talking about a sucker growing from a leaf axil but true forking where the plant has two equal growing leaders not from leaf axil. , pic of one I cut off to keep one leader

 

But first check the top of the stem to be retained just in case there's a problem up there that might be causing a sideshoot to grow more strongly in an attempt to take over as 'leader'.

 

Yeah that's exactly what has happened with that heirloom one of mine. Not seen that type of thing before. If it were left would it of produced less fruit than if its cut away.

 

That's the way I'd do it if equal, cutting one stem beyond the next leaf rather than tight into the 'Y'.

 

hi Jane
It would not produce less fruit as long as you have room to grow both leaders and you have a good root ball it can produce more.

 

I have 2 varieties of bush tom plants but one seems to be growing more upwards then spreading out like the other I have. It's called Black Zebra Bush determinate and says on back of packet "no sideshoots to be removed" What do you think?

 

Looks good to me just let it grow

 

Just picked some of the "Magic Mountain", seem ok to me, quite like the fact that nearly all the toms on the plant are the same size.



Pity I only grew the one plant really.

 

I knew someone would ask that, .........tomatoes

Personally I find them ok, sweet rather than sour, cant stand acidic toms they upset my stomach.
I've only given this plant minimal watering, minimal feeding, just some BF&B at planting time.

let em struggle I say.