How do tomatoes grow?

lumierefrere · July 11, 2007

Sorry I can't come up with a better way to express my question.

I always started seeds a couple weeks too early so everything went outside tallish and leggy. All my plants got so tall, the Grandfather Ashlock was 7' last year and I have a short season, it's better to put energy on fruit instead of all this growing.

This year, heeding Carolyn, I started everything in the middle of April so everything was quite small when I planted out at the end of May. All the plants now are very compact, much less height than ever before. Dense one might say.

Does a plant have to compensate for perhaps inordinate height? Does it have to catch up to its height and then begin to concentrate on fruit? What, if any, is the overall impact of imperfect timing of starting seeds (or perhaps lack of sufficient light in some cases)?

July 11, 2007	#1
lumierefrere Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Zone 4 NY Posts: 772	How do tomatoes grow? Sorry I can't come up with a better way to express my question. I always started seeds a couple weeks too early so everything went outside tallish and leggy. All my plants got so tall, the Grandfather Ashlock was 7' last year and I have a short season, it's better to put energy on fruit instead of all this growing. This year, heeding Carolyn, I started everything in the middle of April so everything was quite small when I planted out at the end of May. All the plants now are very compact, much less height than ever before. Dense one might say. Does a plant have to compensate for perhaps inordinate height? Does it have to catch up to its height and then begin to concentrate on fruit? What, if any, is the overall impact of imperfect timing of starting seeds (or perhaps lack of sufficient light in some cases)?