Topping Tomatoes for Fall

jmsieglaff · August 3, 2014

The calendar has changed to August and I'll be sowing some lettuce, spinach, and radish seeds soon. I recall reading here or there about topping your tomato plants in the late summer so the plant's energy does not go into continuously producing vine growth and new tomatoes that will never mature, but into the existing fruit. Something I never have done unless the plant grew taller than its supports, but it makes sense. For anyone that does/has done this--have you noticed an improvement in your late season fruits versus not doing it? Any rules of thumb of X weeks ahead of frost date--I suppose paying attention for each variety from flowering to ripe would have been useful.

August 3, 2014	#1
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Topping Tomatoes for Fall The calendar has changed to August and I'll be sowing some lettuce, spinach, and radish seeds soon. I recall reading here or there about topping your tomato plants in the late summer so the plant's energy does not go into continuously producing vine growth and new tomatoes that will never mature, but into the existing fruit. Something I never have done unless the plant grew taller than its supports, but it makes sense. For anyone that does/has done this--have you noticed an improvement in your late season fruits versus not doing it? Any rules of thumb of X weeks ahead of frost date--I suppose paying attention for each variety from flowering to ripe would have been useful.