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I wonder how is the best way to plant tomatoes?Should you plant them with blooms and tomatoes on them? Or should you pick off the blooms and tomatoes first?I've done it the first way and find that the plants are really stunted and it takes forever for them to get established. I am going to try the second method. I asked the local nursery guy and he said he'd leave the fruit on but I "could do what I want". So much for his advice. I'd like to wait until it's a little warmer out too but if I wait much longer the best plants are picked over. Looks like rain and cool for the 10 days, so perhaps I might get a better choice waiting. Anyway, I'm thinking I'll pick off the blooms and fruit before I plant them.
go get the best plants you can, buy them now even if you arent going in the ground yet. I dont know the frost date in OK but here they say mother's day. I assume it's earlier there, prob around may first. I would pop off any fruit or blooms and let the plant establish more before it starts going into fruit production. I put my plants in 5/1, even tho it's 'early' for here... I cover them with buckets overnight (rock on top in case of gusty wind) if the forecast calls for frost.
Once they set root, start cleaning them up. Get rid of the lower, bushy branches that just take energy from the plan, then keep doing that as they grow.
Seems like agreement to put them out when it's warm and to prune them.No agreement to pull the blooms and fruit first. I think I'm may try it this time based on past experience. Doug, I have an issue with watering, many of my tomatoes split. That's due to drying out and over watering. How do they "tell you" they're thirsty?
If you are transplanting with flowers actually on them I would leave them on. The experts down here in NZ basically say only prune the bottom leaves once the tomatoes are starting to head towards ripening. I personally am with tpeever and plant them when they are about 8" tall. Removing the laterals helps the fruiting no end.My first tomatoes are planted when there is still a danger of frosts. I do have stakes with a length of agphane stapled to them, and use another two stakes to make a box around each plant. If frosts are predicted I will cover them. I grow a older Fi hybrid called Angela. With the most vigorous plants I let grow a bit, cut them off with a sharp knife, leave them in a jar of water in a shady spot but with plenty of light. They will form a root system in about a fortnight, and can then be planted out to become a later crop of tomatoes. That's gotta be Guzzi content.