Start by removing the first few branches early on. If you’re growing indeterminate or “vining” varieties (Big Boy, Beef Master, most heirlooms), pruning your plants to remove unwanted shoots and leaves ensures that all the nutrients are going to the tomatoes. Pruning will give you earlier and better fruit. For a cold climate we find that to prune indeterminate tomato plants helps us to harvest ripe tomatoes earlier in the summer. Many times, unpruned indeterminate tomatoes make less fruit and the fruit you get is smaller in size. Pruning tomato plants is an optional technique that some gardeners use to keep plants tidy, manipulate fruit size, and even speed ripening. Determinant – bushier variety or the indeterminate vine type? Follow the same instructions as for determinate tomatoes. Benefits of Pruning Prune your indeterminates to maximize the efficiency of photosynthesis and minimize disease. The fewer the stems, the fewer but larger the fruits, and the less room the plant needs in the garden. By pruning the plant to a single stem you can grow more plants in a small space. Indeterminate tomatoes can have from one to many stems, although four is the most I’d recommend. We’re just growing indeterminate this year. Determinate tomatoes form a bush that usually tops out between 3 and 5 feet. This means that they will continuously throw off shoots, which need to be pruned for maximum growth and health. Only indeterminate, not dwarf tomato varieties, can be pruned. Additionally, indeterminate varieties will also need a trellis or some sort of support. Common indeterminate tomatoes include Better Boy, Cherokee Purple and San Marzano. How to Prune Indeterminate Tomatoes & Identify Suckers - Duration: 29:11. Prune Tomato Plants Gradually . There is one big catch: You should only prune indeterminate varieties, which produce new leaves and flowers continuously through the growing season. Indeterminate tomato plants produce suckers that need regular pruning as your plant grows. Indeterminate cherry tomato cultivars include Super Sweets, Sweet Million, Large Red Cherry and Yellow Pear; determinate varieties include Tiny Tim and Mountain Belle. (See Determinate vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes) Determinate varieties tend to grow short and bushy. I prefer to let the plant produce stems for better fruit production and better leaf canopy to protect the fruit from sunscald. However, insects and diseases can still kill the tomato plant before a frost. For fans of low maintenance, another benefit of determinate tomatoes is that, because they stay so compact, you do not have to bother pruning out the suckers. If you’re a beginning gardener new to growing tomatoes and not familiar with these terms, it can be confusing. For these smaller style plants, prune up so that there is about 8 to 10 inches of open space near the bottom. When growing tomatoes, the ultimate goal is to help the plant yield as much ripe fruit as possible. Indeterminate tomatoes can have from one to many stems, although four is the most I’d recommend. See diagram 2. Pruning indeterminate tomatoes makes more fruit. Some people have both types. Ways to Support Indeterminate Tomatoes Indeterminate tomato plants are another matter altogether, being much more work to grow. Indeterminate Tomato Varieties: Indeterminate tomato varieties grow as vines, and will therefore produce much more fruit. Before pruning, you must determine which kind of tomatoes you’re growing. “Pruning for each type is advisable.” Indeterminate Tomato Varieties: DO Prune Simply put, indeterminate tomato varieties will continue to produce fruit all throughout the growing season. Plants tend to ripen their fruit all at once, which makes them a great choice for canning or making salsa or sauce. Because of this, these tomato varieties will need support in the form of a trellis or a stake. If you do any pruning at all above the first flower cluster on determinate tomatoes, you’ll only be throwing away potential fruit. Do this gradually as the plant grows through the season. 29:11. Pruning an indeterminate plant though will give you a higher yield, and so most gardeners prefer to do so. Training Staked Tomatoes.