Tomato Plants

[BloominNora]

We moved house last year and for the first time have a south facing garden so we have been trying our hand at growing a load of fruit and veg.

I've got some tomato plants growing against the wall which have some fruit on and some flowers - they were looking really healthy.

The other day my green fingered seven year old DD said 'Nanny says we have the cut the leaves off the tomato plants that don't have any fruit on'.

I googled to check and the advice on line is a bit contradictory as some sites says to cut non-fruit bearing leaves, others say just cut below the first fruit bearing bough and leave the leaves as they are needed for photosynthesis.

Anyway - my secateur happy mother has come along and cut a load of leaves off which I am not particularly happy about (she has also pulled out a gorgeous perenial poppy by the roots after harvesting the seed heads too soon and cut down a rose)

I need to know how cross I should be about the tomatoes and whether she has a) actually helped or b) possibly slowed the fruit production down by reducing the photosynthesis?

So what is the consensus on whether tomato leave should be removed?

Removing SOME tomato leaves at this time of is a good idea if they are diseased and/or they are preventing the fruit from ripening (they are putting the fruit into the shade).

It is a good idea to pinch out the side shoots of vine (indeterminate) tomatoes so you don't get bushy plants at the expense of fruit.

*at this time of year

Sorry, should have said that if your tomatoes are of a determinate variety (are bush fruit) then you don't need to pinch out but cutting off diseased and shading leaves is still a good idea.