Tomato Plant Pruning

Hello everyone. This is my first post as I have just started to get into fruit/veg growing this summer. To start I have constructed a couple of basic planters, and planted 6 beef tomato plants which I've watered and fed regularly.

I've just come back from 3 weeks holiday, during which a friend was watering the plants for me. They have gone completely mental, and I'm not sure what to do. I am worried that the plants have spread so quick I will not get any decent fruit off them. Each plant has 2-3 main stalks which are as thick as your thumb.

I've searched the forum and got some advice about pruning, which I've tried to follow.

I tried to thin them out for about 30 mins today, but I'm worried how much to take off. I have taken all the small branches sprouting from established stalks, but they are still huge, so can anyone please advise how brutal I should be?

They are a late ripening variety, and I have plenty of small cherry-sized green fruits at the moment.

Thanks alot for any advice. I've attached a pic of the six plants (yes, there are only six in there) from today.

Thanks
Jock

 

Hi BJ, welcome to the forum. Depends on what size you want the fruit to grow. I pruned back my beefsteak toms to two trusses. They're growing outside so they may take longer to ripen. It sounds as though your plants have grown a number of lead shoots, instead of just one (1). This will lead to too many trusses of small tomatoes that may not ripen. I'd be tempted to prune off all but the strongest trusses. Let's see what others think when they read your post.

 

Thanks for the advice - that's kind of what I feared.

I do want large fruit, that's the reason a grew Italian beefsteak tomatoes as you just can't get decent ones in the shops now (thanks EU rules).

I'll go out today and separate the plants, and prune them back to a single stem, or two, per plant dependent on how many tomatoes are on the stems.

I'll report back. It seems to me that for growing tomatoes pruning and controlling the plant growth is absolutely key. I guess you learn by doing!

Thanks
Jock