tomatoes.

im growing money makers and gardeners delight. could any one tellme how tall they get please. and are they both pruning tomato plants.
thanks boe

 

Yup, both varieties are indeterminate. Let them grow as a single stem, and pinch out any side shoots that develop. They will keep growing until the Winter kills them! Most people stop them when they get to the greenhouse roof (I often see advice to stop them after N trusses, but I think its better to stop them about 1 month before first frost is expected as in a good year they might carry another truss, and in a bad year they won't :thumb

Sorry, but I don't think that Moneymaker have much flavour - see what you think, but maybe try something different, or alongside as a comparison, next year. Gardeners Delight are tasty and popular though :thumb:

 

What Kristen said!

All I'd add is that it depends a bit on what you're growing them in. If it's in greenhouse soil then, and if you've a mind to, you can just let them go on and on, a growbag might be different since it won't have the same nutrient level so stopping them at 6 trusses might make sense.

I grow mine in both soil and growbags (one lot one side of the greenhouse and bags the other) and I like to 'experiment', so in a 'good' year, I often choose what looks like the healthiest plant from each side, let it grow on and just 'see what happens'. As Kristen says, sometimes you can get another truss or even two (although the toms might be a lot smaller), even if you don't get any extra fruit, it's quite fascinating just to see how tall they can grow!

 

I get a bit bored of looking after things towards the end of the season, so tend to stop side-shooting etc. Here they are in October - growing out of the vents!

 

they can get big then. and thanks for letting me know about the money makers. they are what was left over from last year, but i didnt do so well. dog destroyed them. can you recomend an heirloom veriety as thats what im looking for. for next year,

 

i nearly chocked on my wine when i seen the photos....dint realise im growing triphids ! they are huge kristen lol x

 

Looks like you've cornered the market in Evening Primrose Oil as well Kristen

 

thing is, my supports for some of mine are 6ft. suppose ill just top em, when they reach the top., thanks chaps/chapesses

 

I look at those photos more in embarrassment at how little care they got towards the end of the season!

Commercial growers train Tomatoes up a string, and the string is on a bobbin on a rail near the greenhouse roof. Once the Tomato plant gets near the roof they unwind some more string from the bobbin and move the bobbin along the rail a bit and lower the plant so the stem that has finished fruiting is horizontal along the ground (referred to as "layering"). I would guess that the plants grow 20' or so in a season?

 

right, i like the look of these, Yellow Pear, as anyone grown these, :thumb:
thanx boe

 

How do you stop the tomato from growing as you're approaching the end of the season Do you just cut off the terminal growing tip?

 

Yup, that's it.

The plant should then devote its energy to ripening the fruit already on the plant rather than growing / flowering more as well.