Some of my tomato plants are getting a bit too tall and I'm considering adding onto my current trellises. But I'm also looking at the calendar thinking that most flowers that are currently being pollinated are on the edge of having enough time to grow to fruition. I'm in Zone5b (Brookfield, WI). Last year our killing frost was like October 10. So any variety that would fully develop would need a ~55-60 day to maturity, considering that we are not peak season and the DTM would likely be longer.
Is my logic here correct? Anyone try to prune back plants to have them focus on ripening what has been pollinated by a certain date?
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wisconsindead
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I am also in zone 5b or 6a and I just let things grow until frost. I would rather not guess what the plants will do in the last couple of months. Sometimes they get killed early sometimes much later. I am not sure pruning makes the plants focus on what is there; perhaps tomatoes can multi-task and keep some growing while others are ripening. I just harvest what I can and toss everything when it freezes.
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Gary350
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I planted 3 cherry tomato plants from seeds last week. I planted 6 Big Beef tomatoes from seeds today. I have no clue what zone I am in our first frost is usually about Nov 1st, last year it was Nov 7, in the past some years it was Oct 20. We still have time to get 3 to 5 weeks of ripe tomatoes before frost. We are 30 miles south of Nashville TN. These late tomatoes give us green tomatoes to ripen in the kitchen so we often have ripe tomatoes for Christmas dinner.
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applestar
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Hmm. The logic is there — I’ve thought about it before, too... and I’ve heard of folks who get earlier frost dates mention topping their plants.
- The key date in question is your first average frost, and maybe the zone comes into play in terms of how hard and fast the subsequent freezing temperature drops arrive.
- I’ve thought about pruning suckers that may sap energy from the fruiting vines, and topping the vines that have reached maximum height of the supports, but it had not occurred to me to consider intentionally disbudding the flowers before.
- The weather likes to play tricks around here, and I could get the first frost as early as first week of October. Worse yet, the first frost can arrive with 2-3 overnights in the 28°F range. That would guarantee death knell to all of the warm weather crops — tomatoes, peppers, squashes, etc.
- But I’ve had first frost followed by a month of warm, even late summer-like temperatures, and if I cover/protect the plants and get them past the first frost, the garden might flourish for another month.
- Another consideration is that here, the summer heat can reach the point of preventing fruit set/causing blossom drop and even some of the plants to expire, so once the weather breaks, it’s interesting to note the vigorous varieties that resume growth and start to set fruits. In the mean time, the stressed plants have been slowly taken over by septoria and early Blight, necessitating pruning leaves almost all the way up the vines. This means the new growths are the plant’s only hope for renewing leaf surfaces.
- The key date in question is your first average frost, and maybe the zone comes into play in terms of how hard and fast the subsequent freezing temperature drops arrive.
- I’ve thought about pruning suckers that may sap energy from the fruiting vines, and topping the vines that have reached maximum height of the supports, but it had not occurred to me to consider intentionally disbudding the flowers before.
- The weather likes to play tricks around here, and I could get the first frost as early as first week of October. Worse yet, the first frost can arrive with 2-3 overnights in the 28°F range. That would guarantee death knell to all of the warm weather crops — tomatoes, peppers, squashes, etc.
- But I’ve had first frost followed by a month of warm, even late summer-like temperatures, and if I cover/protect the plants and get them past the first frost, the garden might flourish for another month.
- Another consideration is that here, the summer heat can reach the point of preventing fruit set/causing blossom drop and even some of the plants to expire, so once the weather breaks, it’s interesting to note the vigorous varieties that resume growth and start to set fruits. In the mean time, the stressed plants have been slowly taken over by septoria and early Blight, necessitating pruning leaves almost all the way up the vines. This means the new growths are the plant’s only hope for renewing leaf surfaces.
Hi. I like to just let them go. Like Applestar said, you might actually have a really warm October. And like Gary said, I just pick all the green ones when the frost is actually imminent - as in, I check the weather religiously and watch for the warning. I’ll pick all of the green tomatoes and put them in paper bags with a banana and check on them every day or two.
Last year, my tomatoes survived after that and I still kept picking some almost until Halloween.
Last year, my tomatoes survived after that and I still kept picking some almost until Halloween.
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Taiji
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I was actually going to ask that same question! Here UPnorth fall is already in the air. This coming week is supposed to be all 70 + degree temps with nights in the low 50's. I was thinking too, why not just stop any further tomatoes from setting fruit when I'm almost certain they can't make it?
I suppose it's possible we could have warm ups into the 80's but I'm doubting it. And even if it did, would it be sustained? I already had an overnight of 39 degrees in late July.
I suppose it's possible we could have warm ups into the 80's but I'm doubting it. And even if it did, would it be sustained? I already had an overnight of 39 degrees in late July.