Learn how to prune tomato plants for a better harvest, because we all want more delicious tomatoes right?
Tomatoes have long been my nemesis crop.
From the rainy summers of the Pacific Northwest, the dreaded blight, and even blossom drop. But this year, I've finally got a gorgeous bunch of tomato plants. And nothing, I mean nothing, is going to come in the way of my harvest. At least, if I can help it.
There's nothing more discouraging than putting in all the time, effort, and money into planting tomatoes, caring for the plant, and then not getting a harvest. And, if I'm being totally honest with you guys, it feels like a black mark on my homesteaders badge. I consider myself a fairly decent gardener. I'm also a tad bit stubborn.
This my friends, is a recipe for going-to-get-it-right-if-it-kills-me. While that kind of makes me crazy at times, it's a huge win for you. Because you get to learn what not do and what works, without all the hair pulling and rotten tomato throwing.
Course, maybe you don't throw rotten tomatoes. Maybe you're way more reserved and calm. I however, took great relish in hucking those rotten tomatoes as far as I could across the fence for the livestock to nose through.
Resources for How to Prune Tomato Plants for Maximum Yield and Good Plant Care
Soaker hoses– never all water to cause fungus or encourage blight by using a soaker hose
Pruning shears– for small tomato plants I use my fingers, but for the larger vines, I use pruning shears. If you can't easily pinch them off, you don't want to leave a gaping wound by ripping it.
This year, we put up a high-tunnel, or a.k.a. off-grid greenhouse. I was through taking chances with our rainy weather. I'm also thinking it's the reason we're having an unseasonably hot and dry season…. kind of like wash your car it will rain. Put up a greenhouse and it won't!
Trellising tomatoes or tying up tomatoes can help increase your yield and help prevent common tomato diseases.
I also invested in a soaker hose. Not one drop of water was going to touch my tomato plants this year. After raising my darlings from seed in the house, taking a full two weeks to hardening them off, you can bet I wasn't done after I'd planted them in the ground.
One of the secrets to a good tomato harvest and larger tomatoes, is in the pruning. Why prune a tomato plant you ask?
A bit different than pruning a regular fruit tree, but the end result is the same. A better harvest.
How to Prune Tomatoes
There are two reason we want to prune our tomato plants. One is to eliminate chances for disease in the first place. Any of the leaves that touch the soil should be removed. If they drop down into the soil, they'll get water on them and act as a ladder for any disease to climb up into the plant. Any of the leaves that appear damaged, yellowing, spotty, or dying should also be removed, they can be the beginnings of blight and you want that eradicated immediately and done when pruning determinate tomatoes.
Wondering when to start pruning tomato plants?
As soon as they bottom leaves are dragging the dirt with at least two to three branches above them. Never remove all the leaves, your plant does them to grow and thrive.
The second reason is your tomato plant will put more energy into the foliage if not pruned than it will into producing fruit. We don't tons of lush green leaves, we want tons of ripe tomatoes. A bonus reason is we want plenty of air circulation around the ripening fruit and too many leaves don't allow for good air flow. Below I've got how to prune tomato plants pictures for ya.
You'll want to prune off all the lower leaves that can or are touching the soil. You may use pruning shears or just use your thumb and pinch them off if small.
How to Prune Indeterminate Tomatoes
The second item you'll want to prune is the sucker shoots. This is true for Indeterminate tomato plants, not determinate. Say what, a determined tomato? No, not quite. Don't worry, I got ya covered.
Most heirloom tomato plants are indeterminate and need the sucker shoots removed. We grow an all heirloom garden so we're safe there. However the packet of seeds you used should tell you which kind it is. If not, here's the basic difference between them.
Determinate tomato plants are bushy, not tall, yield all of their crop in one to two weeks, and it dies after the first crop.
Indeterminate tomato plants are taller, need to be staked or caged, produce fruit until the first frost, and do best when their sucker shoots are removed.
Now that you know what kind of tomato plant you have, what's a sucker shoot?
Sucker shoots grow in the crotch of the branch, between the main stem or trunk of the tomato and the branch. They grow up right. They will produce flowers and fruit, but too many of them and they compete with the main plant and will actually produce a smaller tomato and harvest.
If you remove all of them, you do cut into your overall yield. I prefer to leave about two to three sucker shoots on my larger plants. It's totally up to you how many to leave or not leave.
If you leave them, it won't hurt your plant, but the plant will do better without them. Just pinch it off with your thumb.
Don't leave your pruned leaves on the ground by your tomato plant. Discard of them away from the garden.
One note of caution, if your tomatoes are in direct sunlight, don't remove so many of the branches there isn't any shade left for the tomatoes. Tomatoes need to be shaded by the leaves so they don't become burnt in the hot sun.
Will you look at these beauties, just waiting to turn to drops of rubies in a few more weeks. Is your mouth watering thinking of all the tomato fun we'll have in the kitchen? Or maybe a fried green tomato to get things started early…
P.S. pruning tomato plants in pots? Same procedures.
Now that you know how to prune tomato plants do you have any other best tomato growing tips?
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- Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls Recipe
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Great tips
No one has mentioned why we place straw around the tomato plant base!?
i like post on tomato
I think that under How to Prune, first paragraph, last line, you mean indeterminate?
I’m in northern Fla and have been gardening for a few years . Through trial and error on my part I’ve found that I can grow year round in buckets , I use a double bucket system that has a large reservoir of water , for days I don’t have time to water . The yields are pretty good and I have an abundance of fruit , I plant indeterminate tomatoes of 4 different varieties and have been cloning plants for several years , I don’t buy new plants every year , when the plants start to exhibit burn out due to the heat , they’re usually 7 or 8 feet tall , I clip the new shoots and root them in water and then new potting soil and have a new crop of starter plants to grow . Your hints on care for the plants have been very helpful and have increased my plants yield to the point that the wife wants me to cut back on the number of plants next year . We can the excess and have just about used up our available space , on our present schedule we’re putting up about 2 gallons of tomatoes , the ones we don’t eat or pass on to the family , every 2 weeks . Thanks for the help .
Hello, We have 10-11 foot cherry tomatoes plants. If we trim them will they still produce new tomatoes?
Hello from North Carolina! You didn’t mention planting deep, burying the first set of leaves. Also I’ve not seen this anywhere, but my husband lops off the tops of the plants when they get about 3 or 4 ft tall, I really hate to ‘waste’ all the blooms off the top, but it really does a lot to increase the yield. Your thoughts?
Lisa, I do bury deep like you shared but I haven’t cut off the tops. I might have to try it on one or two and do a comparison next year.
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who was doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me dinner due to the fact that I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to discuss this subject here on your web site.
lol I hope it was good food!
I had a problem with aphids which moved from cucumbers and zucchini to my artichoke seedlings in the late spring. I treated them with ‘cold garlic tea’ and cleaned as much as I could with duck tape – all with just partial success. Than, one day, after I finished pruning my tomatoes I started watering my garden – artichokes were the first to water and I let the water run over my fingers that got to be deep green from tomato pinching. Dark green water run down my artichokes…The next day I was in total disbelief – there could not be seen a single aphid on them!! So, DO NOT TOSS PINCHED TOMATO SUCKERS – this spring I will crush them and let stand in some cold water for a while, and that water with it plants that show aphids infestation. I have never heard of this before – but just try to remember – have you ever seen aphids on tomatoes? They obviously hate each other!
Thank you very much for the tips.I will follow these instructions.
I just read last week an article in the newspaper from a garden specialist that not pruning your tomatoes plants will produce an even better harvest.
Sylvain
Montreal, QC
It depends on if they’re determinate or interdeterminate tomatoes. At the very least your plant will be healthier by removing any diseased or lower branches like I showed. I’ve had larger harvests since I started pruning, which is the proof for anything, what works best for you and your results.
I plant my tomatoes deep, about 1/3 under the ground. A friend of mine whom farms for a living suggested that as it produces much better root structure, thus a stronger main vine. I’ve been doing that for 15
yrs, makes a big difference.
I grow tomatoes. Thank you for that information about calcium and the egg shells
You’re welcome! It’s made a world of difference in ours.
I am brutal when I prune. There’s probably only 10-20% of the non-fruiting foliage left when I am done. I only prune 2-3 time a season, depending on how much growth has taken place. 6 years of pruning with a vengeance and I’ve never had a problem with exposing the fruit to direct sunlight. Some varieties may be susceptible to direct exposure, but mine never have (heirloom paste and roma varieties).
Thanks for sharing Jennifer, I’m going to be a bit more heavy handed in my next pruning as we’re short on water here. And heirloom is the only way to go!!
Thanks. I needed to information, 1st time planting
Melissa
I tried to download this: Free EGuide: How to Preserve Food at Home
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I couldn’t, and was upset. I filled out my email and clicked on Instant Access and it kept going to a page that said Thanks, but bo eBook. Help please!
Patsy,
The link should come to your email. Check your spam folder, but I’ll email you the link right now.
When planting my tomatoes (always indeterminate) , I dig the hole, toss in a palm full of epsom salt , 1/2 cup egg shells and one Caltrate tablet. Water to top of hole and let water drain, ,,, then plant tomato. Never blossom end rot or split tomatoes. Afterwards, I will fertilizer them with a mixture of 1 cup of black strapped, unsulphured molasses added to 1 gallon of milk (powdered is less expensive). Spray early in the morning, Kills bugs, viruses, and snails. Increases the microbiotic action in the soil to produce healthier and MORE tomatoes!
Good Luck
Maria,
Thanks for the tip on the molasses and milk. I hadn’t heard of that one before.
Hi Melissa,
Loved you tomato post! I’ve had problems off and on over the year the tomatoes were perfect! I found a kind I hadn’t tried before. They are called Husky Red. They are determinate but I’ve been picking since July and I still have more to come. The plants are only about 40″ tall and don’t take up nearly as much space as larger plants. The tomatoes are big and very flavorful. No disease, no pruning, drip system evenly watered all season, bushy, green and beautifully healthy. I’,m so excited about these guys I can’t wait to grow them again next year! I blogged about them on my website at http://www.theradishpatch.com under vegetables, if you are interested. So glad I found your site through Pinterest! Donna Jones
I also love Husky Red. I believe they ARE indeterminate, but dwarf. So they will keep producing but never get tall. And the flavor is great
use epson salt in the water that u use to water ur plants 2 tbs in a gal
of water once a week to make the tomatoes bloom and taste better
[…] Tomato Pruning For Better Harvest […]
Melissa, I am wondering what kind of tomatoes those are. They look just like the kind I am growing. The plant was given to me by a friend, who got it from a fellow gardener. By time the plant reached me, my friend no longer remembered the variety of tomato he passed on to me. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. (My guess is some sort of paste tomato, but I could be wrong.) Thank you and God bless.
Hi, they’re an heirloom paste tomato (you were totally right!) a San Marzano Number 2 to be exact. They’re said to be the best paste tomato in the world. It’s my first year with them and I can’t wait until they’re ripe.
Thank you, Melissa. Now it’s a matter of being patient until the tomatoes ripen. Have fun in the garden. God bless.
This year we bought a hoop greenhouse and have tomatoes that are reaching the 7′ top. In Colorado, we have freezes through May, so we were able to start early. The tomatoes are loaded and we are anxious to harvest. Does anyone have a really good recipe for chow chow? Thanks for the post. I have never trimmed the vines but will use the info for next year.
I prune out only the first suckers and leave the rest – it gives me a huge harvest. Also, I prune out the downward facing branches starting at the bottom, slowing working my way to the top as the season progresses. Any branches with flowers or young fruit do not get touched. If I feel iffy about taking off a branch, I take off half and that helps as well.
Soil does not need loads of water, but it does need a bit of regular water, perhaps a cupful (literally) once or twice a week. Too much water encourages the unwanted leafy surplus. I also give my plants a weekly feeding of either watered down manure tea or comfrey tea at the roots, never the leaves. Neither smells sweet but it sure gives the plants a good kick in the pants.
Rather than plastic mulch which stops useful minerals, water, worms, etc from helping the soil, I spread about 6 inches of tree bark mulch through the whole garden and that really keeps the weeds in check as well as the soil nicely moist. I’ve never had a problem with slugs or snails.
Cool thing we found about snails or maybe slugs keep forgetting which is which. But if you put big pieces of orange peels out just before dark, it is amazing to see how many of those critters will be clung to it. Don’t remember if you should check it before the over night or next morning. p.s. will be trimming tomatoes tomorrow for sure.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it but, once the tomatoes are approx. 6′ tall, you can also prune/pinch the top of the plant (same as you would for any suckers) to keep it at a manageable height and allow the tomato to put the “tall” energy into fruit energy 🙂
And as an end of season treat, use all the green tomatoes for chow-chow…yum!
Thanks for that tip Ariana! I’m planning on making chow-chow this fall, too.
How wet is the ground? (Surround the individual plant with black plastic makes life easier! This will hold the water much longer.) Water less often but for a longer time. Stick something (bare-metal) in the ground to see how far down until it shows moist.
Like you we have experienced exactly the same thing trying to grow our tomatoes here in the Pacific NW. Blight, rain, etc. We put ours inside a hoop house this year and and I SO determined to finally get my tomatoes–so far it’s looking good; I just spotted the first blossoms last week. I knew I should be doing some pruning and then came across your post–very timely and helpful. Thanks!
Waah! I was given four beautiful heirloom tomato plants. I have three empty squares and a 2 ft tall stick. I tried pinching back the top; doesn’t seem to have done any good. No worries about leaves touching the ground; the lowest leaf is at least 6 inches up. Everybody else is looking forward to harvest, and I have a stick. ;-( Help!
Feed the plants heavily. If you apply it dry, make sure you mix the food and soil very well. Water them less often but water for a longer time for deeper wetting. NEVER water, spray, feed, or dust them in direct sunlight. Best in the evening so the plant can get the most water and food before the sun dries it out the next day.
Peas do better if you use “the good ole well- decomposed manure. I find the horse manual works the best. Put lots on and mix the soil and manure well. Hoe the dirt/manure onto the plant bottoms to help hold heat (in cold weather) and water. The best thing I ever did was plant everything through black plastic. Till the ground after adding any food/manure, cover the ground with black plastic, place weight (rocks, bricks, pieces of metal, or wood) on the plastic to hold it in place, cut an “x” large enough to plant through, plant and pull the plastic edges from the “x” up to the bottom of the plants (leave the plastic open if you are planting seed), and apply dirt, small stones, etc) to hold the plastic against the roots. Cut slits in the plastic so the rain can drip through. The only thing you have to do is spray with bug, fungi, mold killer and water if it gets very dry under the plastic.
Thanks for this article. I was out in my tomato garden yesterday and debating pruning, but feel guilty clipping off those luscious green stems and leaves. I am not going to feel guilty any more. I also did not realize to clip off the leaves that are touching the ground. What you said makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the tips!
I live in Georgia…so it is hot and can be rainy. I have 5 tomato plants sitting in buckets in my front yard. They are tall and skinny…maybe have about 5 sprouts on them all together. They have been growing since April. I don’t know what to do to get some more sprouts…any ideas?
Lyvonda,
I honestly haven’t had good luck with tomatoes in containers. They like to send their roots deep and unless really large, the containers inhibit this. I’d try transplanting them into something larger or in the ground. Also, I’d give them so extra organic compost or plant food and be sure you’re watering them deeply once or twice week instead of daily. Good luck!
I live on the Texas Gulf coast: hot and humid. I don’t have a “garden” but I grow tomatoes in containers and have been very successful. I buy the biggest plastic containers and cut out the bottom except for about an inch around the inside. I set them anywhere in my back yard where they will get the most sun. I fill them with a mixture of store-bought potting soil and my good compost from my large compost bin (where I also grow worms). I add crushed eggshells also. I have seven containers this year and have gotten a good crop of different heirloom tomatoes. We have to get them set in early because our heat causes them to stop producing by mid to late June. After they are done I fill the pots with heat resistant flowers or simply dump all the dirt into my compost bin and put the pots up. The grass fills in the empty circles where the pots were in no time.
This is my first year with any type of garden. I have 6 tomato plants, one of which is a golden cherry tomato type. So far they are all still alive, which I a big deal for me. 4 of them already have little green tomatoes growing on them. They other 2 have blooms, so I’m still hoping for tomatoes on them. My peas are growing too, but no putting out too many peas. I also have kale, 4 plants, and 2 strawberry plants. I’m hoping that they will all survive. My track record with plants isn’t very good.
Becca,
Peas generally don’t produce as much if it’s really hot out, especially snow peas. Congrats on your garden this year! Each year you’ll learn more and do better and better. I learn something new every year.
I plant my tomatoes up against the south side of my house. This is where they get the most sun and the temps are very hot on summer days. They are protected by most of the rainfall by the roof overhang. We also tie twine around the cages and attach it to the house so our cages don’t tip over as our plants grow huge. We use a soaker hose to water. This time of year, I water twice a day (an hour in the morning and evening) I will be doing my first major trim within the next week. I have a contractor size wheel borrow and have been known to fill it 3/4 of the way full with trimmings from 10-12 plants.
Later in the year (later August) I water less. If I do this, I find my tomatoes are not quiet so watery inside upon harvest. I also feed my tomatoes. I use -used coffee grounds when I plant them, along with crushed egg shell. I throw about a cup ( a nice handful) of grounds in the hole with a couple of crushed egg shells and mix it in with the dirt before adding my plant. I also add coffee grounds on top of the ground throughout the season if it looks like my plants need them. They LOVE coffee grounds.
Toward the end of the season, I trim “at least” 85% of the foliage off my plants. This exposes the tomatoes to the sun for better ripening and gets rid of any chance of blight getting to the foliage and then my tomatoes.
Last year I canned 17+ quarts of homemade Salsa and we ate a lot of raw tomatoes.
If I hear that a hard frost is coming in the fall, I pick all my tomatoes, red, green and in between. I left them on soft towels on a spare table to ripen or I have just left them on my counter to ripen and have had good luck both ways.
Good Luck Growing!
P.S. We had Spaghetti in the crock pot tonight! 3rd day in a row using my crock pot for dinner. A great way to keep the kitchen cool on a hot summer day!
Thanks for your tips! I’ll cut back on watering in August too. And guess what, I’ve got my crockpot out today. 🙂