Fruit size: 8 oz Matures: 68 days Plant Size: 3 to 5 feet Plant Type: Determinate This is a great choice that bears sizeable fruits on a very compact plant that works well in containers and small gardens. Especially strong, bushy plants bear tasty, medium-sized tomatoes great for sandwiches and slicing.
So if you bought a tomato that says "bush", "patio", or "determinate", you don't really need to prune your plant at all.
Pruning and Training
Bush tomatoes are more compact and their side-shoots should be left to grow. Plants may need support if they grow quite large. Also, if they carry a heavy crop of tomatoes, the side-shoots may start to droop or be at risk of snapping.
(VF) 68 Days. This early home garden variety bears all season long. Plants feature a strong central stem capable of supporting its 48" height with very little need for staking.
Firstly, if you are growing a shrub variety, like our Tiny Tim tomatoes, then you do NOT need to pinch them out. However, if you are growing a tall, upright tomato variety (all of our other varieties are upright) then it is best to pinch them out regularly.
Trellises keep vining plants, like tomatoes, off the ground and protect them from pests, diseases and foot traffic. They also help plants receive adequate circulation and sunlight. Which makes for a higher density tomato crop and lets you conserve space in your garden.
Some gardeners recommend you “pinch off” the flowers on your tomato transplants during their first weeks of growth, claiming that removing early blossoms: Directs more energy into establishing a strong root system. Results in a larger, sturdier, and potentially healthier tomato plant.
The natural lifespan of a tomato plant is about 2 to 3 years. However, a tomato plant can produce fruit for 4 or 5 years with proper care.
In theory bush tomatoes do not need support, but left to their own devices plants can be weighed down onto the ground by heavy fruits, increasing the chances of slug damage, disease and fruit spoil.
Always water at the base of the plant — watering from above invites disease. Check tomatoes growing in pots often since they dry out quickly. Be consistent — fluctuations in water supply lead to cracking and blossom end rot. Tomatoes need 1-2 inches of water per week, depending on the weather.
A bush tomato stays small and compact because the stem is shorter. They grow great without a trellis. They may need a little support from a stick of bamboo when the plant is full of tomatoes, but that's it.
If you're someone who likes to leave the suckers on your tomato plant, a wooden or metal trellis may be a better option for you. Using a panel trellis is a great option if you like your plants to branch out, and an arch trellis gives tomato vines all the vertical space they need to grow.
Generally, animal dung from non-industrial farms is the most popular organic fertilizer used in tomato cultivation — cow, horse, and sheep-goat manures work best.
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.
1> Promotion of Vegetative Growth: If you pinch off flower heads early in the growing season, it can redirect the plant's energy towards vegetative growth, such as developing a stronger root system and more robust foliage. This can lead to a healthier and more productive plant in the long run.
Better Bush Tomato will grow to be about 3 to 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches.
In general, determinate tomatoes tend to do better in pots, so look for those. It's also possible to grow indeterminate tomatoes in containers, of course, as long as you provide enough support and soil volume.
Removing Old Tomato Plants Immediately
Powdery mildew, whiteflies, aphids,raccoons and a host of other pests are all attracted to decaying tomato plants. And as their numbers multiply, those pests can lay eggs that can overwinter in the soil to come back even worse next season.
Depending on the variety—early-, mid-, or late-season—and local weather conditions, Tomatoes take 50 to more than 80 days to grow from seedling to harvest. Consider early- or mid-season cultivars if you live in a USDA Zone with a relatively short growing season.