Posted on 04/18/2008 8:31:09 AM PDT by Gabz
“Is it the same with a tomato plant?”
As far as pinching off the first blossoms, I do it if the plant is still small (under 6”) and was stressed from being in a 4-pack and I’ve rescued it from negligent owners at a ‘garden center discount bin.’ ;)
Otherwise, for me, it depends upon the type of tomato and the length of your growing season.
How far ahead are you? My tomatoes go into the garden May 31st, at 8-10 weeks old. Are your tomatoes already in the ground? How many days is your growing season, or are your plants still in starter pots and are “tall” because they’re starved for light?
I need these facts to give you an ‘educated guess-timate,’ LOL!
These guys are well established and doing great, so far, about a foot tall right now with nice strong stems about as big as a little finger. They have been in the ground for about 3 weeks.
I would take those first blooms off, then. You have plenty of growing season ahead of you and taking off the blooms will give you stronger, bushier plants. They’ll put their energy into roots, versus fruit. (And yes, a Tomato is a FRUIT! So is a Pepper.) Did you know that the “fruit” on a Strawberry is actually each of the annoying little seeds and NOT the juicy berry? That’s just the “host.” It’s true!
Leave the cherry tomato alone, because you’ll be old and gray before you get all the blooms off of a cherry tomato plant, LOL!
I will leave my Cherry tomato alone.
Thanks for that info. How long should I continue to nip the buds off?
My wife and I can not believe how wonderful and freash these home canned tomatoes have been! Just nothing like them!
I haven’t grown tomatoes in 15 years but I think the first blossoms are male and do not produce fruit. I forget how you tell but I think the female flowers have tiny fruit already.
Just take the buds off this once and then let the tomato plant continue on in its growth cycle.
Thanks Diana.
I removed the buds on all except the cherry this morning, turns out after careful inspection every one of my plants had buds in different stages.
Things are moving fast. My zucchini and cucumbers are blooming also, all male right now.
I also have two eggplants that are doing well. Nice large leaves and about 8 inches tall with new growth. I have never grown eggplants, any advice would be welcome.
Most stores don’t have much of a selection on garden insecticide, but I found some garden dust at Lowe’s. It has rotenone and copper as well. I don’t know if the copper is good, but it was the only one with rotenone I could find. I also found some neem oil concentrate. I will probably rotate applications of these and see how that works.
Thanks for the info.
My grandmother, who was from the old country, could garden like no one else I knew. It never got passed on and now I’m in a position of having to relearn all that lost knowledge.
I think it is in my genes. My mother loved anything to do with gardening. I remember when I was in the sixth grade and a neighbor had just done a lot of work in his yard to plant a lawn. I went to over to watch. He dug up and leveld his back yard and I watched. I can't remember what he did but he exposed a rabbit's den, is that what they are called? Four very small baby rabbits, eyes still closed, were exposed. I pick them up and brought them home. I put them in a box with some grass. I showed her what I had and she was very upset that I had disturbed them. I told her where I found them. She and, I with coaching, nursed them until they were very healthy and could no longer stay. She took me to a field and we released them.
Anything she touched seemed to just grow!
It’s amazing that they survived. Good job.
Only that wild things don’t do well being hand raised. It’s hard to do it just right. Not any reflection of your ability, because obviously it was good.
“I have never grown eggplants, any advice would be welcome.”
They are a little more “fussy” than peppers. Don’t let them get a chill, and keep an eagle-eye out for Flea Beetles, which are the bane of anyone who grows eggplant.
Personally? I can’t stand the stuff, so I don’t use garden space for it. They’re a VERY pretty plant, as is Okra, but neither trips my taste bud trigger, LOL!
A quick note to all. Every state has a Cooperative Extension staffed with people who can answer your questions about when to plant, prune, feed, etc. for your Zone. Most counties also have Master Gardener Volunteers to help you, too. They are a great resource for home gardeners.
Actually I’m trying to get a couple of boxwood shaped azaleas to look at little more natural, but I can’t seem to get them to fill in at the bottom.
The trick is to make cuts at various spots along the branches. Make some cuts deep inside the bush, others midway, and some just tip cuts. Don’t ever cut more than 1/3 of the bush. So, it will take a few years to get squared off shrubs to look natural.
We need our weekly fix!
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