| You are welcome to use this article on your website | | | | produce plenty of fruit and the tomatoes will tend to |
| or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, | | | | grow larger than those on an unpruned plant. |
| including the contact information at the end. Website | | | | To prune an indeterminate tomato plant, simply pinch |
| URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use | | | | off the little shoots, or "suckers" that grow out from |
| this article with an affiliate link, | | | | the main stem in the crotch between the stem and |
| Tomatoes are such a staple in the modern diet that | | | | each leaf branch. Each one of these suckers can |
| it is hard to believe there was a time when this | | | | grow to become another big stem and would grow |
| versatile fruit was once thought to be poisonous. | | | | its own tomatoes and eventually grow its own |
| Thankfully this member of the nightshade family has | | | | suckers. But you don't want your tomato plant to |
| been known for centuries now to be a delicious and | | | | waste time and energy by growing all those suckers. |
| healthful addition to our diet and is now one of the | | | | By pruning off most of them, the plant will devote |
| most popular garden vegetables. | | | | more energy to producing ripe, juicy tomatoes. |
| For many people, tomatoes are the most challenging, | | | | Since you'll want more than one main stem for |
| yet desirable, vegetable crop to grow. But a ripe, | | | | tomato production, allow the suckers nearest the |
| juicy homegrown tomato is so delicious and nutritious, | | | | bottom of the plant to grow. These will have more |
| people will go to great lengths to produce as many | | | | blossoms and will be easier to trellis than suckers that |
| as they possibly can in their gardens. One look at the | | | | sprout higher up on the plant. Pruning will also improve |
| pale, hard, orange baseballs that grocery stores pass | | | | air circulation through the plant which can help |
| off as tomatoes will also explain why so many | | | | prevent disease problems, especially in humid |
| gardeners eagerly await the first ripe tomato from | | | | weather. |
| their gardens. | | | | Once you decide whether to grow determinate or |
| Considering that tomatoes are a tropical fruit native | | | | indeterminate tomato varieties, it's time to peruse |
| to South America, it's amazing that we can grow | | | | the garden centers or seed catalogs to find the |
| them at all in northern climates. Yes, the tomato is | | | | seeds or plants that will produce your prized fruit. |
| technically a fruit since it grows on a vine. There are | | | | Although a few of the more enlightened garden |
| literally hundreds of tomato varieties out there to | | | | centers are now selling a wider variety of tomato |
| choose from but there are only two types of | | | | plants, many still offer only a few of the old standby |
| tomato vines; determinate and indeterminate. | | | | hybrid varieties such as "Big Boy" and "Early Girl". |
| Determinate tomato varieties grow more as a bush, | | | | You'll have more varieties to choose from if you |
| growing only to a certain height and producing most | | | | decide to start your tomato plants indoors from |
| of their fruit all at once. Determinate varieties are | | | | seed. Imagine growing tomatoes with names like |
| most suitable for gardeners who are interested in | | | | "Cherokee Purple" or "Mortgage Lifter". Add more |
| canning tomatoes since the crop will ripen over a | | | | color to your favorite tomato salsa recipe with |
| relatively short period of time. Determinate tomato | | | | yellow "Garden Peach" tomatoes, "German Pink" or |
| varieties are also a good choice for gardeners with | | | | "Green Zebra". For stuffing tomatoes, try "Striped |
| limited space available, and some determinate | | | | Cavern", and for salads grow some "Christmas |
| varieties are well suited to container growing and are | | | | Grape" tomatoes. |
| an excellent choice for the patio garden. | | | | If you plan on preserving tomatoes to enjoy over |
| Determinate tomato plants should never be pruned, | | | | winter, you will want a meatier tomato such as |
| as this will severely limit the number of blossom sets | | | | "Martino's Roma" or "Amish Paste" for sauces. |
| the plant can produce, thus reducing the number of | | | | "Wisconsin 55" and "Ace" are two varieties that are |
| tomatoes on the plant. However, an indeterminate | | | | especially good for canning or freezing. There are |
| variety will continue to grow and will keep producing | | | | even varieties that have a lower acid content for the |
| fruit for the entire life of the plant, or up until frost. | | | | folks who can't eat a high-acid tomato, and varieties |
| Each new set of blossoms will grow farther up the | | | | that have more Vitamin C than oranges. |
| vine as the plant grows. Indeterminate tomato plants | | | | Tomatoes are one of the most versatile garden |
| also require a bit more care to keep the plants | | | | vegetables. There are as many ways to prepare |
| manageable in the garden. | | | | tomatoes as there are tomato varieties. Whether |
| In order to keep these big plants from sprawling all | | | | you like to eat them fresh out of the garden like an |
| over the ground and creating an impenetrable mass | | | | apple, or you make your own spaghetti sauce or |
| of foliage, indeterminate tomato varieties should be | | | | tomato salsa, whether the variety you grow is red, |
| pruned and trellised. A tomato plant that is restricted | | | | orange, yellow, purple, white or striped, tomatoes are |
| to producing on only two to four main stems will still | | | | the most useful and tasty garden vegetable. |