Tomato plants - what are 'side shoots'?

[soupfiend]

Im trying tomatoes again this year, I think the very first time we grew tomatoes it was a success, never since to be replicated

One of the things that I dont understand is the 'pinch out side shoots' advice. OH says we mustnt remove anything so doesnt want us to cut off any shoots (which I think is what pinch means, is it?)

So what am I meant to be cutting off, or not cutting off? The plants all have side shoots, is it just one central stem I should be aiming for?

They are small shoots that form just above a main shoot. This website has some photos which illustrate it fairly well.

www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk/garden_advice/how-to-pinch-out-tomatoes/

Think of them as ‘armpit’ shoots! They are the ones that are growing literally out of the middle, like an armpit.

Ok, so Ive just been out taking off the armpit hairs. I removed them with my fingers, is this ok, not going to damage the plant? Its too fiddly to try to get scissors in there

The other thing is that a lot of the plants are quite bushy already, so its difficult seeing what is armpit hair and what is a proper shoot.

Oh dear I think I have messed up a bit. Ive removed what I thought were side stems from one of the bushiest plants and only then did I decide to check the little label that I stuck in the pot with it, which says its a dwarf variety and it doesnt need side shoots removing. Hope I havent done any damage.

I removed them with my fingers That’s what “pinch out” means. Nip them out with finger and thumb nail.

There are two types of tomato. Bush types you let everything grow. If you’ve pinched out, the worst that will happen is fewer tomatoes.

With the other type, you pinch out, ostensibly to channel all the energy into the fruits on the main stem, but I don’t pinch out, and the main problem is keeping the plants tied up neatly so they don’t get in a tangle.

Ok well I wont pinch out any more on that bushy one. I need to check the other labels in case I have more dwarf varieties.

Dh and neighbour grew the same tomatoes (same shop, bought and planted at the same time). Neighbour pinched the side shoots and DH didn't. We got lots more tomatoes that summer.

My OH says this, he says not to pinch out shoots.

Here's a post I added today on my Greenhouse thread with a photo of my tomatoes, which I'm growing up strings tied to the roofline of the greenhouse

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/gardening/4994851-its-the-greenhouse-thread-2024?reply=135708638&utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

The YouTube channels I have subscribed to advise to trim off the lower leaves closest to the compost to increase circulation and prevent mould forming, They say for determinate (bush) tomato plants you shouldn't need to prune. I'm growing the indeterminate varieties which grow up to 8ft tall, and they say to pinch out regularly and watch out for the flowers where the trusses form (the bunches of tomatoes), keep those intact, but keep those flopping leaves trimmed, they aren't really needed.

How do you know which are a bush variety?

It said it on my label, which I didnt bother to read until too late

I suspect the advice dates from the days of large kitchen gardens and a gardener. Plenty of space, so a long row of plants each confined to a single cordon with its 4 trusses of fruit. Compare that to small greenhouse with 4 plants, all with multiple branches forming a complete tangle. More fruit, but a nightmare to pick, or even to spot. Wouldn’t have suited our professional gardener at all.

His tomatoes may have been bigger, or the truss may have ripened more easily, but that doesn’t matter so much to us

Should say on the packet, if not, google

I think there area couple of reasons to take them off - the most straightforward is it makes the plants much easier to train and pick. The second is the idea that the more fruit are on the plant the slower they are to swell and ripen and, according to James Wong, the less flavour they have (he recommends growing lots of mini plants with just one truss of fruit each).

If you're growing outside speed matters to get a good crop before blight strikes, but using a greenhouse makes the timing less critical. I also think big tomatoes grow better if you have fewer trusses, but little ones aren't as fussy.

My plan for this year is to take off the early side shoots so they don't end up sprawling all over the greenhouse, and restrict the big tomatoes to 4-5 trusses, but then allow the cherry tomatoes to go a bit wild at the top in the hope of getting a bigger crop.