Tomato Growing 2024

My Cherry Roma did that last year. I had a Google and the only thing I came up with was uneven growth rates between different cells within the leaf structure. The plant remained healthy and very productive.

 

Cordon Lufchaise Milti Flora ( late to mature)
It looks like the 2 of these tomato plants will be take over my cold frame.

Width on each 27inches & 32 inches

My question is can I clip the branches down by a third - as I’m not wanting to reduce the photosynthesis

THEY ALREADY have a truss on each, so I will start feeding them when in flower. ? I was wanting to keep their high down to 4 ft to fit into cold frame , but I'm now thinking they might be better off outside and my bush toms put in their place.

 

Hi, Grandma Sue.
I see no problem with the leaves of your tomato plants. There is a virus disease called 'leaf curl', but (from your pics) I wouldn't have thought that was your problem.

On a cultural note. I've always started a once weekly feed of a high potash feed, after the first truss has set fruit. Feeding before this, concentrates the plants its energy into leaf growth, rather than fruit growth.

Again on a cultural note. It seems you pay careful attention to watering which is good, because irregular watering is the main cause of the problem 'blossom end rot'.

 

Thank you for replying back... perhaps you could answer my next question which I have just poster

 

I'm a bit mystified by this obsession with defoliating tomatoes...if in doubt, leave them alone.
As I have said previously (if you must) just remove leaves lower than where you are picking fruit.

I've always considered that curling of leaves, a sign of a healthy plant (especially if the crown resembles a palm tree).....For what it's worth, it's caused by variations in temperatures; i.e. warm days, cool nights.

 

I agree - those in teh photo look great and I wouldn't touch them.
No food until there's actual fruit there.

I only remove lower leaves/stems once they're done, and therefore providing nothing to the plants. It also helps airflow [which is very important] as mine are mostly undercover, and I don't have much room, so they can get very congested.

 

I'd limit it to two, maximum three trusses then top it out. This is how it gets!

 

There is a marigold called Tagetes minuta which actually grows about 6 feet! It's the flowers which are minute. The roots secrete substances which repel wireworms and other pests as well as some weeds.
On radio Cornwall years ago there was a gardener called John Harris AKA the Moon Gardener who answered listeners' questions and used biodynamic principles. I remember him saying you could use it before other crops to clean the ground.
I always put a few Tagetes in my greenhouse. Even if they don't really work they look good and are relatively safe from slugs.

 

Removing leaves on tomatoes - I always start removing leaves (mostly lower ones that are turning yellow, and any that are really shading out the fruit) in late summer when I also pinch out the tops of the stems to stop them getting any taller. I grow my tomatoes outside and I think this helps them to ripen up in September/October when I don't want them making any new growth or fruits, and the fruits that have already formed need as much sun as possible to ripen.

I wonder if the person who chopped all the leaves off this early in the season is getting mixed up with pinching out the side shoots from the leaf axils of cordon tomatoes?

 

That was my thought @JennyJB re the removing sideshoots. I think it was mentioned by someone else earlier on too. Who knows. Some folk are just a law unto themselves...
Topping toms is always a bit of a balancing act. I have to stop mine earlier because there isn't enough height in the growhouse anyway, and then any fruit that's not ripe gets brought into the house. Usually not too much as I've got it down to a fine art with the number of plants!
Since I eat quite a lot of them before they get near the kitchen, that probably helps too

 

Dwarf cordons can be a useful solution for limited headroom. Mary's Cherry, Wild Fred and Velvet Night have all produced well for me. I'm trying four new dwarf types this year.

 

I grow mine in pots lined up along the side of the garage wall which is south-facing, and I stop them when they get to the top, which is maybe 6'6" or so - about as high as I can reach comfortably, anyway.