Topic: Out door tomatoes.

[cacran]

I have been advised not to let them go beyond 3 trusses. Not sure what this means. Could any one explain it for me, please?

[johhnyco15]

tomatoes fruit on trusses depending on variety to how many tomatoes per truss  ie moneymaker which has around 6 tomatoes to a truss each truss is higher up the stem the lowest being normally the first to ripen so in a season  if you let 3 trusses  set the chances are they will fully ripen in  your area here on the sunshine coast i let 5 trusses set sometimes 6 if the weather looks good as we can have good weather right into october hope this helps

[Silverleaf]

I have been advised not to let them go beyond 3 trusses. Not sure what this means. Could any one explain it for me, please?

Tomatoes come in two main types - bush (or determinate) and cordon (indeterminate). If you've got bush tomatoes you don't need to do any pruning but just pick the fruits when they're ready, so they are easy.

Cordon types will grow upwards forever until they are stopped (by pruning, or frost, or blight, or whatever). They need the support of a cane or something like that. You're supposed to stop them so the plant doesn't waste its energy making a load more fruit that will never have time to ripen, and instead concentrates on the fruit it already has.

A truss is basically a stem growing outwards from the main stem with flowers (or fruit) growing from it. If you've seen "vine tomatoes" in the supermarket where all the fruits are attached to one stem you'll know what that looks like.

It will totally make sense once you see the plant growing. At first it will only grow leaves, and then eventually a truss of tiny buds will appear. Then a few more leaves, then another truss. Once you have the third truss you can nip the top off the plant to stop it growing any more.

I usually try for 4 trusses outdoors and 7 in the greenhouse, but it does depend on what variety you're growing and what your weather is like.

[cacran]

Thanks for that explanation. We are in West Yorkshire so weather is not as hot, usually, than the South of England.

[Tee Gee]

We are in West Yorkshire so weather is not as hot, usually, than the South of England.

I live in West Yorkshire too, but all is not lost providing you grow the right variety and place them in the sunniest spot in your garden / Allotment.

Both my son and daughter grow the plants I give them every year outdoors and they generally get a decent crop.

I set them up with a couple of plants apiece but I am quite selective in what varieties I give them for example I only give them types recommended for outdoor growing or they are miniature variety.e.g a variety similar to Gardeners Delight

Strangely enough when I give them an outdoor variety they find that these do not perform as well as the miniature varieties.

I have thought about this and I put it down to the ripening process I.e. The small fruited varieties ripen quicker than the larger salad types .

This is also backed up by the commercial people producing varieties that will grow in a wall / hanging basket as invariably these are small fruited varieties.

These have another thing that is common with the plants I give my son and daughter......they are bred to be grown in containers so I plant these in large pots, usually a supermarket flower bucket.

Being potted they can be sited in the best spot possible as opposed to in a bed where this might not be the best spot you have.

Another factor is aftercare this is usually more demanding than plants grown in a bed / border as they do not have the same root run so watering and feeding is more critical, add to that they are growing outdoors.

In terms of height I put a four foot cane in the pot with the instruction to take out the growing tip when it reaches the top of the cane, plus do not remove all the side shoots as you would do when growing as a cordon, leave a couple to grow on and this effectively gives you three dwarf plants with a couple of trusses on each. You actually end up with a bushy plant irrespective if you have grown a determinate or indeterminate.

I hope you find this idea useful...Tg

[Paulh]

Remember also that green tomatoes picked at the end of the season will still ripen indoors. Three trusses seems a little unambitious to me but, yes, that's probably what will ripen on the plant.

I like TG's bush cordons - I sometimes do that by accident and may do it deliberately now!

[squeezyjohn]

We are in West Yorkshire so weather is not as hot, usually, than the South of England.

I live in West Yorkshire too, but all is not lost providing you grow the right variety and place them in the sunniest spot in your garden / Allotment.

Both my son and daughter grow the plants I give them every year outdoors and they generally get a decent crop.

I set them up with a couple of plants apiece but I am quite selective in what varieties I give them for example I only give them types recommended for outdoor growing or they are miniature variety.e.g a variety similar to Gardeners Delight

Strangely enough when I give them an outdoor variety they find that these do not perform as well as the miniature varieties.

I have thought about this and I put it down to the ripening process I.e. The small fruited varieties ripen quicker than the larger salad types .

This is also backed up by the commercial people producing varieties that will grow in a wall / hanging basket as invariably these are small fruited varieties.

These have another thing that is common with the plants I give my son and daughter......they are bred to be grown in containers so I plant these in large pots, usually a supermarket flower bucket.

Being potted they can be sited in the best spot possible as opposed to in a bed where this might not be the best spot you have.

Another factor is aftercare this is usually more demanding than plants grown in a bed / border as they do not have the same root run so watering and feeding is more critical, add to that they are growing outdoors.

In terms of height I put a four foot cane in the pot with the instruction to take out the growing tip when it reaches the top of the cane, plus do not remove all the side shoots as you would do when growing as a cordon, leave a couple to grow on and this effectively gives you three dwarf plants with a couple of trusses on each. You actually end up with a bushy plant irrespective if you have grown a determinate or indeterminate.

I hope you find this idea useful...Tg

That's amazing advice and worth a million times the stuff you find on the back of packets ... thank's Tee Gee for the benfit of your experience once again.

[Plot 18]

On the strongest growing of my indoor cordon toms, as well as the main stem, I also leave just one lower sideshoot to grow and give it its own cane, effectively turning each plant into a double cordon one. 
Useful if you have enough space between your plants for the extra stem.

[ancellsfarmer]

On the strongest growing of my indoor cordon toms, as well as the main stem, I also leave just one lower sideshoot to grow and give it its own cane, effectively turning each plant into a double cordon one. 
Useful if you have enough space between your plants for the extra stem.

Its worth re-potting* once that side shoot is produced, placing the joint an inch or so below compost level.Roots will then develop and increase the food supply by a marked amount. *In the case of TeeGees' flower buckets, initially plant deep, leaving room to top -up compost above the branch , right to the rim, to same effect. Plunge a 3" pot in to provide a watering spot, unless you have saucers below(probably the best option)