Over-pruned tomatoes. What can I do now?

[Grannygardner]

Well...for arguments sake, lets say I'm rather new to gardening, but I have had a few years having successful garden, but last year was tearfully disappointing...NOTHING grew...NOT even zucchini! and I'm serious...they rotted long before maturing due to our very cold, soggy weather here in PacNorth-Wet!

I had 6 tomato plants that seemed in eternal suspended animation....they just stood there, looking as immature as when I first planted them...OK, that's not all true....they grew a whole 4 inches and produced ONE tomato!...but that ONE rotted and dropped off the vine before ripening.

So after purchasing a big truck load of soil, stuff they call 4 way.... looks as beautiful as potting soil! I spread it out about 12" thick atop the old soil I'd worked hard for years, tilling, adding this, that and it still was nothing but rock hard clay no matter what I added or did to it. I added 4 humungous bags of Vermiculite…about 1 yard each bag…that's a lot.

Several yards of sand, several years working this soil
And still worst soil ever! Is got lots iron in it as well, so its high iron content makes it rock hard…so much so that must make sure I don't wear my gardening shoes thru airport security, else will set off metal detector alarms...is that bad!...am half kidding, but only half! (People with high iron content in their blood will set off those alarms)..so...now with my new soil, I got 10 tomato plants, different varieties...plants purchased from Boring Garden center...they always have wonderful goods!

So after a month of having wonderful soil, my plants growing very nicely and I'm proud of my garden...the toms growing like weeds and each one laded with veggies/fruit already...so wow!

But I wanted to make sure nothing will go wrong, so am searching-researching, Googling all I can to ensure I don't have one single failure. I'm trying too hard because of last years failure and I just don't want a repeat of last summer. Maybe there’s a lot of truth to old sayings…too many cooks…sleeping dogs….etc.

So...I'm reading with great interest regarding what to do...especially about pruning...I've never done that before and what was said, about growing fruit and NOT leaves rang true. As I cut, sliced, hacked each leaf off its limbs, my mouth was watering in anticipation eating a juicy dripping red tomato in white bread sandwich with tons mayo, pepper and lettuce…you know those yummy summer sandwiches gramma used to make…and now I'm hoping to share with my own grandkids as well.

I contemplated purchasing an online ebook, written by grandson of successful tomato grower... promising perfect tomatoes……but @ $19+ for an online book is a bit too expensive...even for a hard copy...I'd say a bit much...but ebook...I don't think so! What is he thinking?…and who’s buying it? don't care that it promises full refund if not happy after 90 days…its not the money….for me is just the idea paying that much for an ebook where I have to download, store on paper, or save for online reading in some file I'll prolly loose or get corrupted files…I want something tangible for my $19+ dollars…perhaps I'm being ridiculous about this….anyone agree? Disagree?

But I'm still contemplating purchasing it, because I really want to grow most delicious Toms in Boring Oregon! I listened to a few of his video clips on Youtube...and one that stood out the most was clipping many of the leaves off each plant...reasoning that you're growing fruit and NOT leaves!'

So...last night...exhausted, not feeling well...I have Fibromyalgia, chronic pain...and sometimes I just don't think or use my brain and last night was one of those nights when I headed out to my garden for evening watering…was hot all day and needed to water twice days…especially my newest implants, leaf lettuce and swiss chard…yummy…can't get enough of that! It really doesn't get dark here until well past 10 PM....dusk last forever...I love that part of living in Oregon and NOT Ramona Calif where we came from 29 yrs ago. ….and sun/dawns early light begins at 3:30 AM in mid June…our longest day is June 21st. So after reading the few online hints this guy promotes, I grabbed my sharpest knife to go about "pruning" each plant....I really didn't see just how much I'd sliced off each plant until was done until I was finished, was getting dark, and as I stepped back to view my handiwork...I gasped...OmMmaGosh!...'
WHAT in the WORLD have I done now???

I'd managed to remove more than half the leaves off (or is it on?) each plant and now instead of the massive leafy bush once were, now they're looking more like junk!...bare branches/limbs....But I was smart enough...ha, ha!....to not chop off any leaves with flowers or fruit....but honestly, I think I really screwed up big time….what in the world was I thinking???NOT!

This morning, I was almost too afraid to go see what I'd done, but I needed to water my garden. I had to face what I'd done the night before…I had to repent and face my “thinsâ€

[applestar]

Wow, I've been there -- having rashly done something, then second guessing myself. I sympathize. I really do.

I'm not the right one to give encouraging comments under the circumstances since I'm more of let most of the foliage and suckers grow and only prune to provide good air circulation school of thought. Although pruning to single stem is supposed to work well, I think it's different when suckers are removed as they emerge vs. Pruning off existing grown branches.

I don't know what to tell you. And what comes to mind may not help you feel better.... The general advice in pruning plants is not to cut off any more than 1/3 of the plant/foliage at a time in order for not to disrupt the energy cycle.

This means the remaining foliage may not be able to support the existing fruits or fruit-set of the blossoms. I suppose if any of the fruits are blushing, an idea would be to pick them to ripen off-vine and thin the number of fruits a bit to relieve the load. I think folks in the hotter, sunnier regions would say removing that much foliage would take away the sun protection the fruits need -- I know tomato varieties prone to green shoulders get much better color on them when snuggled inside the foliage even here in NJ -- but that may not be an issue for you.

...Personally, I wouldn't buy this ebook. You have a great source of experienced gardeners right here on these forums of whom you could ask direct questions pertinent to your individual situations, AND there are many members who garden with exactly the same growing conditions as yours, and have the regionally specific experiences. And we're all happy to discuss tomatoes and gardening in general.

[Smallgardener]

Just let them be for a while. I saw one of thos online videos and the guy made the mater plant look like one of those Poodles that only had hair on its tail, feet and head, but had lots of maters. Its probably too late to replant anyway. A lot of people around here say to beat the plants with a stick when they get big in order to stress them and make then go into reproductive stage.