Tomato Dirt Newsletter
Volume 4, Number 11

Dear Tomato Dirt reader,

Welcome back to Tomato Dirt! Once or twice a month, we’ll send you this newsletter packed with tips about growing tomatoes and using them.

Tomato Dirt is on Pinterest!

Feature: Pinch Me! How to Know If Your Tomatoes Need Pruning

Image: Tomato Dirt

Use this guide to know if your tomatoes are begging you for a pinch … or not.

• Do your plants put out plenty of side stems? Suckers – those new branches that grow out of the tomato’s main stem, just above a leaf branch or side stem (in the “crotch”), pull away energy from the plant’s blossoms. Pruning them puts more energy into the fruit.
• Is your tomato plant a determinate variety? Determinate tomatoes set the bulk of their crop at one time. Each plant will produce a limited number of fruit before ceasing production. Avoid pruning tomato determinate varieties or pinch back only suckers that appear below the first flower cluster.
• Do you live in a hot climate? If so, be careful not to over-prune. Too much sunlight or steady, intense sunlight can lead tomatoes to develop sunscald.
• Are lower leaves yellow? As a tomato plant matures, its lower leaves begin to yellow. Pinch or prune yellowed leaves to prevent disease, improve the tomato plant’s appearance, and help the plant keep its energy focused on fruit production.

Find out more advantages and tips about pruning tomatoes so you can have healthy, productive tomatoes all season long.

And check out how other gardeners stake tomatoes on our Pruning Tomatoes Pinterest board.

The #1 Question about Pruning Tomatoes

Nope. You may choose not to prune your tomatoes and still have a good crop. Tomatoes require only sun, water, and nutrients to grow. Pruning enhances production – more tomatoes, bigger tomatoes, and more flavorful tomatoes. But your tomato plants can produce excellent fruit if you choose not to prune.

Learn about 4 other areas of tomato care when growing tomatoes so you can get your crop off to a good start this season.

Check Out These Helps for Pruning and Staking Tomatoes

Pocket Snips	Garden Hod	Tomato Cages from Gardener's Supply

More about Pruning and Growing Tomatoes