How many trusses per tomato plant?

[swee'pea99]

I've always worked on the basis that you should stop the plant after five or at most six trusses, to give all the fruit a chance to ripen, but a couple of years ago when we had that hot summer I was left thinking the plant would have managed more - it ran out long before the end of the season.

Now this year it's all gone a bit bonkers. The plants are absolutely loving all this sunshine, and they're growing like billy-o. One has separated into two main stems - both are flourishing, with four trusses on each. That's eight. And we've only just hit July. The other has also divided into two main stems, one of which I discovered this morning has now taken it on itself to divide again. So that plant now has three 'main steams', with a toal of eight trusses between them.

Now, should I stop/cut off all main stems and leave the eight-per-plant to mature? Or even reduce, back to six? Cutting back to six just feels like something I might well regret if we do have a long hot summer, which seems to be on the cards. It seems awful early to be cutting off thriving main stems, but should I bite the bullet?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

if we do have a long hot summer, which seems to be on the cards.

I hate you!
About the tomatoes, I would just let them grow without interfering, apart from taking the non fruiting side shoots off.
Trim them off to basics middle of August.
Tomatoes need not only heat, but light too.
Here in Scotland the tomatoes that haven't ripened by mid August won't have a chance to finish ripening, because our days get shorter.
Maybe in England you get a couple of weeks extra?

 

[biggs682]

I always just leave the plants to do there own thing apart from cutting out any growth in the elbow between side shoots and stem

 

[Reynard]

I just leave mine to get on with themselves. Anything that doesn't ripen usually gets turned into chutney.

I've gone all cherry tomato this year - two bush varieties (Tumbling Tom, one red, one yellow), and two vine (Sweet Million and Black Cherry). At the rate the damn things are putting out flowers, if they all turn into tomatoes, then Houston, we have a problem.

Have the funny feeling I'll be eating a lot of spaghetti al pomodoro...

 

[swee'pea99]

Interesting! There was me thinking this is what tomato-growers do, and it turns out mostly they don't! Excellent news too - I think I'll follow the general lead and basically let them have their head until mid-August or so, and see where it takes me. If there was ever a year that looked like it might be heading for a bumper crop...

 

[Drago]

I do bugger all to mine other than keep them well watered, well supported, and the occasional dose of tomato food. I think the dogs help out as well with yellow ingredient X. I usually get a decent crop.

 

[Bazzer]

Other than the side shoots, the only time I stop my plants is when they start climbing up the greenhouse roof, but if I can layer them sideways when they start to reach the bottom of the roof apex I will do. I just make sure they have plenty of feed to grow the fruits.
We froze over 40 two person servings of home made tomato sauce last year, from 15 plants total of Sungold F1 and Roma, plus fruits we had eaten. Any fruit which is still green at the end of the season gets made into chutney.

 

[annedonnelly]

I'm very jealous & frustrated. I can't get into the greenhouse wearing my moon boot. The best I can do is stand at the door and water with the hose. The tomatoes seem to have recovered from their very slow start and could do with tying up and there's a cucumber that's abandoned its cane altogether. I'd like to get a hold of that before it heads off somewhere inconvenient.

 

[T4tomo]

Interesting! There was me thinking this is what tomato-growers do, and it turns out mostly they don't! Excellent news too - I think I'll follow the general lead and basically let them have their head until mid-August or so, and see where it takes me. If there was ever a year that looked like it might be heading for a bumper crop...

You will possibly need to strap them to some canes etc to support them so they don't snap under the bumper weight of fruit.

 

[icowden]

I thought a Truss was strictly lettuce related...

<I'll get my coat>