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