Tomatoes are like other wild, unruly beings we have tried to domesticate – dogs, horses, kids – they need training. And the earlier you get started the better the results.
We just got the trellis up for our tomatoes this past weekend, and none to soon. They have been in the garden for about 6 weeks and I haven’t had time to get out their and start their training. So I had to be really tough with them. [Picture me here in dominatrix gear. No, scratch that, picture Dana Delany in her outfit in Exit to Eden. Much prettier.]
First I hoisted the plants up onto the fending and tied them up. Then I cut off all the suckers I could find. These are the branches that shoot up above a leaf.
It helps to cut these off when they are very young because they will be the first branches to flower and fruit and you will be loathe to cut them off when they have the only little tomatoes you see. But I was ruthless. It didn’t matter if these suckers had little green tomatoes already, off they went. If you are a regular reader you will know already I love to cut and prune.
Then I cut off all the branches that touched the ground. I read this tip in my Fine Gardening, Vegetable Gardening E-letter. This is a Tauton Press publication; they do good work. Cutting off any foliage that touches the ground helps prevent the spread of foliar disease. Made good sense to me.
It looks like we will actually have a tomato crop this year. In the past couple of years our tomatoes have refused to respond to our tender care and succumbed to leaf-footed bugs, and the heat. With our unusually warm spring, we were able to get our tomato plants in early so they are starting to fruit already. I can’t wait to try the first tangy, ripe tomato. We will have taste tests of all the varieties to determine which we like the best.
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