Good problem....but the tomatoes are growing wild

[minu]

Hi,

Newbie here. I planted a few varieties of tomatoes (Fox cherry, Grape, Big boy, Juliene, Roma) and they have all been growing fairly well. But now I have a somewhat of a 'good' problem to have. They have been growing a bit too well with tons of tomatoes and getting too heavy for the 4ft stakes that I am using. Some of them like the Grape and Big Boy are over 6ft tall now and I am running out of ideas as to how to support them. Is it OK to stop the plant from growing so high? How does one do it? I have been trying to pinch out the 'suckers' as described in other topics but not sure how to stop the plant from growing too tall.

Thanks
Minoti

[Kisal]

Hmmm ... I have never topped a tomato plant, but I would guess you just cut off the leader/header at whatever height you want it to stop. I expect it will then send out side branches, making it fuller and bushier, as most plants do when the growing tip is removed.

[rainbowgardener]

I do pinch out the growing tips when my tomatoes get taller than I am. Helps them focus on making more tomatoes instead of just getting bigger.
I've already done that to some of my tomato plants this year.

Also if you are adding nitrogen fertilizer, stop! Adding nitrogen at this point stimulates growth of stem and leaves but slows it down from producing fruit.

[TZ -OH6]

Pinching off the little growing tips is not much of a problem, but rather than top them you can super-support them a couple of ways. If your 4 ft stakes are sturdy you can simply bind taller stakes onto them (plastic cable ties or wire works well). 8 ft 2x2s are pretty standard for tomato stakes. If your stakes are not sturdy you can drive a stake in at each end of the row (metal T-posts work best), string a rope or wire cable clothesline between them and tie the taller stakes off to the line for additional support. This also give you the option of adding additional stakes for wide plants or dropping lines down to support wild branches.