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