Do not remove more than 13 13 of the total leaves on your tomato plant at any given time. Every leaf is a "sugar factory" that fuels growth.
You should remove leaves from tomato plants to improve air circulation, prevent disease, and redirect energy to the fruit.
Keeping Too Many Tomato Leaves
We need a canopy of leaves to absorb sunlight and shelter the fruit as it grows. But pruning any leaves beyond what's necessary for plant survival can actually help direct the plant's energy toward producing way more tomatoes for you.
To stop your tomato plants from growing too tall, use a process called "topping". Simply use sterilized pruning shears to snip off the main growing tip of the plant, always cutting right above a healthy flower cluster or branch node. This directs the plant's energy into ripening existing fruit rather than stretching upward.
Yes, it is perfectly okay to cut the top off ("topping") tomato plants, but timing is everything.
Sprinkling baking soda around tomato plants is a common, often debated, gardening hack used to increase the sweetness of the fruit and reduce fungal disease. It works by slightly lowering soil acidity (raising pH) and, when used in sprays, creating an alkaline surface that hinders fungi like powdery mildew.
Never plant fennel, brassicas (like cabbage, broccoli, and kale), potatoes, or corn near tomatoes. These plants can stunt tomato growth, compete aggressively for nutrients, or spread devastating diseases and pests.
Encouraging the last few to ripen
The simplest is to bring them into a warm room and place them in a paper bag with a ripe banana or apple. Both release ethylene gas, which encourages ripening. Keep the bag loosely closed, check daily, and you'll often find the tomatoes take on full colour within a week.
Yes, during the peak heat of summer, potted tomato plants often require daily—or sometimes twice-daily—watering. Because containers have limited soil volume, they dry out significantly faster than in-ground gardens. However, there are a few important rules to ensure you don't overwater.
To help improve airflow and cut down on the chance of disease, remove the leaves along the bottom 12 inches of the stems of indeterminate tomato plants.
Coffee grounds are added to tomato plants because they provide a slow-release source of nitrogen, improve soil structure, and can help deter pests like slugs and snails. They are best used in moderation or mixed into compost rather than piled thickly, as too many can compact the soil.
Pinch off the "suckers" (new shoots emerging at the 45-degree angle between the main stem and branches) and any lower leaves touching the soil. This redirects the plant’s energy into fruit production and improves air circulation to prevent fungal diseases like blight.
If you've been watering too much you might notice these signs:
Fruit bushes such as currants and gooseberries will benefit from thinning out, while perennials that lack decorative seed heads should be cut back to the ground. Autumn is also the time to prune tender plants such as lavender and rosemary, which won't withstand pruning in winter.
Pull tomato plants in the fall right after the first frost, or sooner if they are diseased, dead, or failing due to temperatures consistently below 55°F (13∘𝐶). Pick all remaining fruit, including green ones, just before the first frost hits, as frost kills the plant and ruins the fruit.
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Whether you cut down tomato plants for winter depends on your climate. In areas with freezing temperatures, cut the plants to the ground or pull them out entirely. In frost-free regions, you can prune away yellowing leaves to keep them alive.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is used to control fungal diseases, deter pests, and slightly reduce soil acidity. However, it must be applied with caution; overuse can cause dangerous salt buildup and damage plant tissue.
Regardless of what you might read or see in nursery promotions, planting tomatoes in October or November is not a fruitful experience, literally. The night temperatures are too low for the flowers to set fruit. Tomatoes planted in August or early September will grow quickly in the warm soil, warm nights and long days.
The best overall companion plants for tomatoes are basil and marigolds. Basil helps deter pests and is widely believed to improve tomato flavor, while marigolds naturally repel harmful root-knot nematodes and whiteflies.
To grow bigger tomatoes, maximize the fruit's size by pruning excess branches, restricting the plant to just one or two main stems, and plucking off early blossoms. This diverts the plant's energy into sizing up the remaining tomatoes rather than spreading resources across too many fruits.
Hydrogen peroxide can be highly beneficial for tomato plants if used correctly. It is a cheap, effective, and readily available remedy used to control fungal diseases, manage pests, and aerate waterlogged soil. However, because it is a strong oxidizer, using too much can damage your plants.
To protect your tomato plants, use Neem oil for common pests like aphids and whiteflies, or Btcap B t𝑩𝒕 (Bacillus thuringiensis) specifically for caterpillars and tomato hornworms. For a quick DIY option, mix 1 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap and 1 cup of vegetable oil per gallon of water.