Confused about trimming tomatoes

[joes]

I had one of those garden tips pop up on my AeroGarden and it said trimming Aerogarden variety tomatoes is not necessary except to keep them within the bounds of the lights and from shading other plants. I have five heirloom cherry tomatoes in half of a farm plus, and I have been trimming them around to keep them more or less apart and under the lights. (I know that may be too many. I will transplant when it seems necessary.) This AeroGarden hint contradicts what I have heard from others. I have heard you should trim to keep the base dry and allow good airflow. Some people are telling me you have to cut the leaves back from the tomatoes because they need light to ripen. It seems to me those leaves on top are important to the plant's food supply? How much trimming should I do?

I am on day 45. The foliage is very very dense, I have masses of flowers, and already looks like dozens of pea size and bigger tomatoes starting. But the plants are only about 6 inches tall. They just seem so short. Unless they double in size, there does not seem to room for the tomatoes to get to cherry size. Is 6 inches normal at this stage?

I am not one for constant trimming. It makes a very slow project. I do trim when the plants are older and that is usually when the leaves are browning and the toms are reddening.But yours are young yet.

Don't overthink it.

I hardly have heard of constant trimming back underneath except for outside gardens and trimming the suckers.

I do not have a Farm and plant 2 tom plants in a Tall machine.

They don;t get very tall and can be grown in a Harvest .

I would say without seeing them,that if you have luscious greenery and plentiful blossoms and baby toms, your plants are happy!

There are several projects with photos in the Garden Corner sections of the forum.

Go to the first page and type in heirloom in the search and ...Voila'!

Also you tube no doubt has examples of heirlooms at different stages to give you a good idea.

I like to keep things as simple as they come..less fretting over my plants.I plant and let them grow!

However someone else who prefers constant trimming may jump on in and offer more and even better info.

[joes]

Thanks. I did look at other threads and many videos on YouTube, but I found it a little hard to judge the date/size from them. Most of my looking and watching was, however, a few weeks ago. Looking again at a few threads here, and being more familiar now with the sizes of different AeroGardens, it does seem many are similar size to mine when they get to flowering. 

Jul 18, 2020 6:36:24 GMT -5 joes said:

Thanks. I did look at other threads and many videos on YouTube, but I found it a little hard to judge the date/size from them. Most of my looking and watching was, however, a few weeks ago. Looking again at a few threads here, and being more familiar now with the sizes of different AeroGardens, it does seem many are similar size to mine when they get to flowering. 

I believe that after about 2 or 3 of doing this kit you will find your groove! It takes practice, trial and error. I found that what works in my house may not work in others' because of water, temps,supplemental window lighting and machine differences. I think you are on the right track and have the eagerness for projects to be successful.

[joes]

Thanks Corinne. I sure am enjoying it. A small pleasure during a not so great time.

[joes]

This is day 80 of my AeroGarden Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes. They are looking pretty good. The first group is ripening. I think it is at least 40 tomatoes in the first group. We will try them in a few days. Their are more small tomatoes from pea size and up, and more flowers too. All has gone very well. The only question left is do they taste good. We will see.

[Shawn]

They are looking good.  You will have to let us know how you like them.

[Sher]

They look great, joes. I love the different colored fruit instead of all red.

[joes]

I am convinced the AG people select seeds well, for successful germination, for easy care in their system, and for really great looks. I look at my herb garden like a little bonsai forest. So pretty, and I give AG the credit. It really is easy. I am sure looks is why they have both the red and yellow in the heirloom tomatoes pod kit and I am happy with the look here too. And, of course it will look good in a salad too!  

[joes]

The verdict is - they are delicious.

[Sher]

Aug 22, 2020 20:59:15 GMT -5 joes said:

The verdict is - they are delicious.

Awesome, joes. What was your ppm?

[joes]

It is up to 1023 now. Far higher than most of the time. No water changes and adding a little extra nuts now and then has added up.

[Sher]

Aug 23, 2020 21:59:21 GMT -5 joes said:

It is up to 1023 now. Far higher than most of the time. No water changes and adding a little extra nuts now and then has added up.

Thank you! I am sneaking my eggplant nutes up slowly, too. I doubt I will ever get up to what the charts recommend.

[joes]

I just picked 57 little red and yellow cherry tomatoes. So sad to take them off my beautiful plants but you can't leave them on forever. And I still have many not yet ripe, many still green, some just starting out, and many flowers too. The negative - the 57 all together are about as much tomato as three big tomatoes from the store. The AG heirloom cherry tomatoes may not feed the world, but they are pretty plants, you get a lot of very tasty little tomatoes, and they are fun to grow.

[Sher]

Yes they are fun, joes .  So much more fun than store bought.

I use all kind of ways to stretch the harvest as far as possible.

I cut a tomato in half and top deviled eggs with a little half tomato dome. Slice them in thin slices and put them on top of small salads. Cut them in quarters for a colorful garnish. Put slices of cucumbers, sweet peppers and olives and 2 or 3 halved tomatoes on a plate, drizzle with blue cheese dressing, and call it a side dish.

I can not imagine eating all of my painstakingly pampered little tomatoes in one or two sittings!

On the other hand, my dear hubby will eat them like popcorn if he sees a bowl of them unattended on the counter!

[joes]

Yesterday, I had an everything bagel with cream cheese, onion, lettuce (from my AG) and Nova salmon, with the little tomatoes cut into quarters and sprinkled red and yellow on top (like you said a nice garnish). I usually only like tomatoes with things (and most often cooked). I normally wouldn't have even thought to put them on my bagel. I would never put a big slice of tomato on a bagel. But of course these are different since I grew them. They made it look pretty and added a little extra pop to the taste too. Highly recommended.

My wife eats them as snack food. But she normally buys cherry tomatoes for that, so these are the right size.

We really won't have to buy tomatoes as long as these keep coming. For us, they are perfect. And I am germinating more of the pods now and will put them in Kratky for a while.  Maybe in another 80 or so days (or whenever the current crop gets too old), the new group will go in the AG to keep the harvest never ending. It may take a some experimenting on timing rotations, etc., but I am hoping to eventually have a constant supply of lettuce, tomatoes, and bok choy (to start).

[Sher]

It is so much fun to hear how you are enjoying your harvest. The bagel topping made me smile. It's so much fun to play with your food!

I would love to keep a constant supply of cherry tomatoes, peppers and romaine going, too. My outdoor tomatoes and peppers are slowing down and I really miss being able to pick them right before dinner.

[joes]

After about 70 tomatoes in a short period a couple weeks back. I have had only 6 ripe tomatoes (tiny cherry tomatoes) this week. My plan for a constant supply is clearly not yet implemented. We will have a lot more ripe fruit in a few weeks. I now have 13 tomato plants growing (5 in a AeroGarden, 8 in another system). Some are just a little more than seedlings. Some just now have their first buds. I wonder if 13 plants of various ages will be enough to keep a constant supply. I suspect it will be close but not an even flow.

Just a little factoid: For me, the Golden Harvest Cherry Tomato plants are faster growing and produce more tomatoes than the Red Heirloom Cherry Tomato plants. But the red cherry tomatoes taste better (according to my wife).

[Shawn]

I have heard the yellow are not that tasty

[joes]

They taste about the same to me, but I am not much of a tomato eater. My wife is picky about tomatoes, says they are both good but red are better.