Greetings,
As I finally finish staking and running a few lines of twine to trellis our tomatoes, I can’t help but smile. There is not much I love more than biting into a sun-warmed, vine-ripened tomato on a hot summer afternoon, and I’m thrilled that those days are not too far away!
Pruning is an important part of the tomato growing process, and I look forward to doing it every week. We typically grow indeterminate varieties of tomatoes on the Farm. These varieties grow as a vine and set and ripen fruit continually over the course of the growing season; tomatoes on a determinate plant, on the other hand, all ripen within a small window of time. There are a number of different methods to pruning indeterminate tomatoes, but I’ve got my favorite way to prune. I start pruning once my plants are about 18” tall and then check back in once a week to prune any new growth. I always begin pruning at the bottom of the plant and work my way up: I start by removing some of the lower sets of leaves, and as I scan up the plant, I pinch off the last three leaves of every new branch and any suckers (vertical shoots that emerge at the base of branches). This trains the plant to have one leader and it encourages the plant to put most of its energy into producing sweet fruit. I also filmed a short video demonstration, so check out the Pomona College Twitter to watch it!
Tomato plants need lots of support as they grow, so it’s vital to pair pruning with trellising. I use stakes and twine to support our tomatoes. I drive a tall, sturdy metal stake into the ground at either end of the bed and several tall wooden stakes in between (one stake every two or three plants). I then run lines of twine between the stake about six inches apart and on alternating sides of the stake to sandwich the plants as they grow. Every week when I prune new growth, I also add lines of twine as needed.
Last summer, the most notable pest that we had on our tomatoes was the hornworm. Despite their absurd, alien-like appearance and possible massive size, hornworms camouflage phenomenally well. Since they can be tricky to spot, I find it easiest to look for their poop (surprisingly far easier to find than the worms themselves). Once you locate their droppings, look up the plant until you find the worm. As I find them, I collect them in a jar and then feed them to our chickens; you can also just squish them or try to keep them as a pet if you feel so compelled.
This year we are growing five varieties of tomatoes: Sungold and Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes and Brandywine, Striped German, and Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes. I am most excited for the Striped German tomatoes to fruit—they are delicious when thinly sliced and sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper!
Best,
Kate