Tomatoes - How high? How many trusses?

Plants in my greenhouse are at or are nearly six foot now. most have 4 trusses some have 5. They have now reached the roof of the greenhouse where it starts to slope upwards.

I could pull the tom plants in towards the centre of the greenhouse to give them more growing height, is this the corect thing to do or should I be thinking about topping them now?

Regards

Steve...

 

I would top them. I'm topping mine at 6 foot because i cant reach the crops any taller anyway.

 

Hi Steve, You could pull the tops over if you wish, but I normally take out the growing point once the toms reach the roof. If you can, leave a leaf at the top to help the plant draw up nutrients from the bottom.
Mind you, yours have only got 4 - 5 trusses per 6ft of plant. I have just counted mine and 5ft plants have 6 trusses and will probably get to 7 by the time they are 6ft. Perhaps it's the variety I'm growing, Gardeners Delight.

 

I top mine one month before first frost expected. I reckon if you top them now, in June, that you will have ripened all the fruit long before the end of the season.

You could layer them - which is what they do commercially to grow Tomatoes over a long-season - drop them down, along, and then up the "next" cane in effect giving you another 2 or 3 feet per plant. Depends a bit where the lowest truss with unripe fruit is.

 

Layering sounds interesting although I'm not sure my plants would "bend" that low down.

In height, they are at the top of the walls/base of the roof so I could now train them along the base of the roofline a few feet, then up the roof itself. Would that be reasoanable do you think? (my plants are not really as high as I first mentioned, they are in 18 inches of grow bag, atop a harde surface, so are really only 4ft+)

Its a learning curve this year (first year with greenhouse AND edibles), Early spring next year I can remove the glass and drill some holes in the roof supports to aid tieing up, but for now I think I'll have to make something out of canes for this.

Steve...

 

Can you support their weight (including crop!) up the roof? If so that sounds like a good plan.

Don't know if it would work for your greenhouse, but I plant my Tomatoes down the side of the central path, where the roof is tallest, and then plant shorter things (Melons and Peppers) along the outer wall

 

Thanks kristen, I'll get onto that today...it'll probably be like Bridge on the river kwai when I've finished with it.

The greenhouse is not as tall as I would like, its resting on one course of bricks only.It had to be shallow so that the ramp angle out for Anne was shallow and manageable due to her mobility issues.

Thanks again.

Steve...

 

I wish I had the space to do like this....



I now have truss envy...:lollol:

Steve...

 

Looks like Epcot :wink:
This one is my favourite, merry go round plants and no soil
http://nft.ellams.com/outandabout/theland/aeroponic.jpg

With my tomatoes i just let them do their own thing and hope for the best

 

I've put mine on two courses of bricks, and dug the floor out, to give me more cropping height ... its an issue, for sure!

 

I have just eaten my first ripe tomato, and it tasted of sunshine.