Do you pluck em??

cdg · April 14, 2007

Do you remove the blossoms from your tomato transplants when setting out. This year I have blossoms on near all my plants and am planning on setting out in garden tomorrow. Do I pluck em off or leave em on???
Usually I only have a few with blossoms and leave them on.
CDGTXS

Suze · April 15, 2007

I don't usually remove blossoms before transplanting -- our season is too short for that. But I do remove any actual set fruit (happens occasionally on the earlies).

cdg · April 15, 2007

Thanks Suze ,
Got them in the ground and I really wanted to leave the blossoms on if it didn't hurt them. Thanks again
CDG

Bryan24 · April 16, 2007

Suze mentioned in another thread, that our season in 8b/9a is short. I've alway thought so myself (My sister, in Chicago, begs to differ). We have a very limited amount of time to get blossoms to set, before heat and humidity ruins the pollen. Now would normally be the time that I would be out counting babies, but due to the rain and subsequent humidity, I'm not counting very high.

It appears to me that the majority of earlies are aimed at much colder climates. I look at most of those, and think, "yeah, it's early, but will it take the 90's?" Let's face it, around here 90 is mild. When I look for second season tomatoes, I have to consider shorter days, and the motion of the sunlight around my yard changes with the seasons. But the heat doesn't let up with the shorter days, in fact, most of the time, it just gets hotter.

Couldn't someone, PLEASE, develop a heat tolerant early?

OK, I vented, I feel better now.

laurel-tx

creister · April 16, 2007

Make sure it tastes good as well. Many heat tolerant types don't have much flavor.

sirtanon · April 16, 2007

The way I see it, it's more dependent on how big the plant is. If I have a seedling that's at least a foot tall (or maybe 8" if a dwarf) and is healthy and strong, then I'll leave a couple buds/flowers on. No sense in losing some early fruit.

In this case, I will usually give the plant an extra dose of MG after it's in ground to speed it along.

April 14, 2007	#1
cdg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: North/Central Texas Posts: 67	Do you pluck em?? Do you remove the blossoms from your tomato transplants when setting out. This year I have blossoms on near all my plants and am planning on setting out in garden tomorrow. Do I pluck em off or leave em on??? Usually I only have a few with blossoms and leave them on. CDGTXS

April 16, 2007	#4
Bryan24 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 176	Short season, heat tolerant? Suze mentioned in another thread, that our season in 8b/9a is short. I've alway thought so myself (My sister, in Chicago, begs to differ). We have a very limited amount of time to get blossoms to set, before heat and humidity ruins the pollen. Now would normally be the time that I would be out counting babies, but due to the rain and subsequent humidity, I'm not counting very high. It appears to me that the majority of earlies are aimed at much colder climates. I look at most of those, and think, "yeah, it's early, but will it take the 90's?" Let's face it, around here 90 is mild. When I look for second season tomatoes, I have to consider shorter days, and the motion of the sunlight around my yard changes with the seasons. But the heat doesn't let up with the shorter days, in fact, most of the time, it just gets hotter. Couldn't someone, PLEASE, develop a heat tolerant early? OK, I vented, I feel better now. laurel-tx Last edited by Bryan24; April 16, 2007 at 11:56 AM. Reason: meant to be seperate thread, please move

April 16, 2007	#6
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	The way I see it, it's more dependent on how big the plant is. If I have a seedling that's at least a foot tall (or maybe 8" if a dwarf) and is healthy and strong, then I'll leave a couple buds/flowers on. No sense in losing some early fruit. In this case, I will usually give the plant an extra dose of MG after it's in ground to speed it along. __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

April 15, 2007	#2
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	I don't usually remove blossoms before transplanting -- our season is too short for that. But I do remove any actual set fruit (happens occasionally on the earlies).

April 16, 2007	#5
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	Make sure it tastes good as well. Many heat tolerant types don't have much flavor.