Struggling with dwarf tomatoes

[NarnianGarden]

I have blossoms on my dwarfs too, but yes, the ones I grew on previous years were a bit slow indeed.

Not something you have to worry about in warm Italy, though...

[Icyman]

Hi to all! First-timer with dwarf tomatoes as well. What is the thought behind not pinching suckers? Are there any other things that you do differently for the dwarf vs. indeterminates? I have Boronia and Tazmanian Chocolate in pots and in a raised bed. It is only with the heat this weekend that they have started to take off here in CT.

[zipcode]

Indeterminate dwarfs should be treated as indeterminate. So do what you would normally do. I always grow to one stem as pretty much everyone else in Europe.
Also, and this might not be true to all dwarfs, but the ones I grew seemed to be less inclined to create suckers compared to normal leaf types.

[charline]

My dwarfs are all flowering and I have some with already good fruit set. I even think my first ripe big tomato will be a dwarf.(Tasmanian chocolate).
I NEVER pinch suckers on them. I want tomatoes and not just a nice plant. They do not produce so many tomatoes so If you leave just one stem you will get close to nothing...
Your plants look good, they are close to flower so be patient

[MissS]

I don't pinch the suckers on my dwarfs because they do not put on the growth like their larger cousins. The regular indeterminates have an almost infinite ability to put on growth and suckers. The dwarf's do not. Therefore, these smaller plants do not sucker or grow as much, but they do fill up with leaves quickly. They can get very dense. It is the leaves that I thin to promote air circulation within the plant and not the stems. As others have said, they do not produce as much as their cousins and so I leave all new growth on the plants. My dwarf plants have always been late producers.

[GrowingCoastal]

This year I am growing three dwarfs for the first time. There are many flowers but no fruit set, yet. The Gregori's Altai I seeded at the same time has a fruit that is 2" already but none on any of the dwarfs except from mega blooms that I have taken off. They were sown early as I had read that they take a little longer.

[zipcode]

Gregori's Altai is a super early beefsteak though.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by MissS

I don't pinch the suckers on my dwarfs because they do not put on the growth like their larger cousins. The regular indeterminates have an almost infinite ability to put on growth and suckers. The dwarf's do not. Therefore, these smaller plants do not sucker or grow as much, but they do fill up with leaves quickly. They can get very dense. It is the leaves that I thin to promote air circulation within the plant and not the stems. As others have said, they do not produce as much as their cousins and so I leave all new growth on the plants. My dwarf plants have always been late producers.

That's what I do with dwarfs -- leave suckers but thin for air flow by removing leaves.

[Icyman]

I have held off on doing anything, but suckers galore, some crispy leaves, and some worrisome spots developing-any thoughts? Tazmanian Choc on left, Boronia on right and Iditarod red in back, nothing strange with the ones in the ground

[Worth1]

Pick all of those lower leaves as soon as you can there is no need for them.

[Icyman]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Pick all of those lower leaves as soon as you can there is no need for them.

Leave the lower suckers or are they too low? Thanks everyone?

[Worth1]

I might even consider cutting them coming up from the stump next to the soil too.
Worth

[zipcode]

Not sure what the crispy leaves are, but yeah, they can be removed along with the low suckers. The spots seem to be Mg deficiency. I know New big dwarf had massive problems in pots for me with Mg.

[Greatgardens]

For the OP: Consider Dwarf Pink Passion -- it is quite early and very good. Since it is a smaller plant than many of the IND and even regular DET types, I can plant it at least 2 weeks earlier than Early Girl or Fourth of July. The result is that it produces ripe tomatoes two weeks earlier than even FOJ for me here in zone 5b U.S. I picked my first perfectly ripe DPP on 6-11-17, and the FOJ tomatoes aren't even close. BTW, (IMO), you've got a lot of tomato with two in that container. I suspect you'll be watering a lot, and they still may not do too well.
-GG

[MissS]

For me, I would most definitely remove all of the lower leaves. Most importantly, those that are in contact with the soil. Leaves that are touching the soil are quite prone to disease. The yellowing is Mg deficiency and you can solve that by watering or spraying 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts mixed to 1 gallon of water. For potted plants, I use this every two weeks.