tomato plants advise please

[honey33]

i have 2 cherry tomato plants.... i know that i need to nip of the small new shoots that grow inbetween the main centre stork and side leaves but my plants are grwoing up a fair bit and keep producing new flowers

when do i cut the tops off ? or do i not need to do this?

many thanks

[boxtops]

I've never cut the tops off, mine just keep growing tall, but you are right to nip off the shoots between the stalks and leaves. You need to stake them if they are going tall, so they don't fall over!

[honey33]

yeah i have put a stick in but think i may need to tie another one to it,,, as they are bending over a bit.... just starting to get tomatos on them now ... got more flowers on on plant more than the other...

hope they will taste nice

[lardhelmet]

Why do you have to nip the shoots off boxy? What does that do?

[carlton23]

It may be too late now, but in future can`t you put them in a hanging basket?

[Hawkwalk]

take the tops out after 5 or 6 fruit trusses as this will improve the size and quality of your fruit. Also if you just let it go they can become very hungry over-sized for the container that they are in. The are also more likely to dry out if too big which will cause issues with the fruit.

You remove the side shoots because they take energy away from the main stem which is where the fruit trusses form. This is if you want a cordon shape vine. You can grow some types as a bush by leaving the side shoots on and keeping the plant more compact.