I've recently gotten into gardening and started growing some tomatoes this year, including heat-tolerant Tycoon varieties. I've read that determinate tomatoes drop all their fruit at once, which leads me to wonder about their growth and pruning. I've seen suggestions that flowers should be pruned until the plants grow larger, but I'm not sure if this applies to determinate varieties as well. How big should a determinate tomato plant be before letting it fruit? Also, I came across some comments saying that determinate tomatoes can be pruned back after fruiting for another potential harvest, but I can't find much reliable information on this. Is there any truth to these claims? Thanks for your help!
3 Answers
Here in NE Texas, I plant both bushy determinates and vining indeterminates every year. My determinates typically set fruit over a couple of weeks, and by the time I harvest, I usually pull them out for fall crops. I’ve tried nursing them along, but it often isn't worth it. Instead, I prefer taking cuttings from my best plants for a better fall yield. It’s worked for me!
I've grown determinates in pots and found that they can occasionally set more fruit after their initial harvest. I can't recall exactly how much I pruned, but they don’t just die off after producing their first batch.
It's not a good idea to remove flowers from determinate tomatoes—it'll only limit your yield. As for pruning after fruiting, you might as well give it a go! Just keep in mind that if your growing season is short, it might not have enough time to produce more fruit before frost hits.