Pinch, pinch

Check plants every 5 to 7 days for tiny shoots called suckers. Suckers grow at the junction of a main stem and just above a set of leaves. Removing suckers helps the plant put its energy into creating more flowers and fruit. Simply bend and snap the sucker off with your fingers. Suckers left on the plant will grow just like the main stem, producing flowers and fruit. However, the farther up the plant a sucker develops, the weaker that new stem becomes. It’s often easiest to keep three or four main stems on the plant and tie each one to the support. According to tomato guru Craig LeHoullier, who developed the tomato known as Cherokee Purple, you can put the suckers in a cup of water where the stem will develop roots. Try planting the rooted suckers in July for a fall harvest of late tomatoes.

Care and Feeding

Some things can cause tomato plants to produce poorly. They grow best in a spot that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight, but eight hours is even better. If the plants are not producing plenty of flowers, they may need more sunlight. When the temperatures climb above 85 degrees during the day or drop below 55 degrees at night, flowers may fall off and consequently you won’t have fruit until the weather cooperates.

Fertile, well-draining soil is a must and healthy plants need adequate water. When there’s a drought, the soil needs a good, deep soaking. Tomato plant roots can go down 8 to 12 inches deep so let the hose dribble slowly until that area is sufficiently wet. That’s important because drought-stressed plants are more susceptible to insects.

Too much nitrogen in the soil can cause rampant growth and soft tomatoes that are susceptible to rot. Soil test kits, which can tell you how much nitrogen is present, are sold at local garden centers. Use a balanced (10-10-10) water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks or so to keep plants growing. And, to keep weeds in check, mulch around the plants with an inch or so of compost.

Keep an eye out for tomato hornworms, long green caterpillars that can quickly devour the leaves and stems of plants. You can pick them off and drop them in a bucket of soapy water.