Fruit set on small plants a bad thing?

rsb148 · June 6, 2007

My 26 babies (13 different types) are all less than 10" tall and some have marble sized fruit almost all of the plants have flowers. I live in N.E. Pennsylvania. Should I be pulling of these early fruits and flowers? Other than this abberration my plants look as healthy as they have the past few years. I've always had great yeilds and vigorous plants, just never had so many fruits and flowers only 2 weeks after transplanting. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Fert1 · June 6, 2007

Well, you may get mixed opinions, but I wouldn't touch them. I'm of the school of thought that the plant knows what it can or can't handle better than I do. I would just thank my lucky stars for all the little tomatoes.

My fruit set on the larger varieties has been for squat this year! My cherries and small early tomatoes are setting fruit just fine and dandy.

elkwc36 · June 7, 2007

I agree with Holly. I leave them and in the end they usually get as big as the others. Mother nature knows better than us. JMO. Jay

Tomstrees · June 7, 2007

Mine are about 12inches tall and have tiny maters on em - the stems should thicken up and be able to handle it - I'd say leave em ~

Tom

Worth1 · June 7, 2007

I agree with all of the above.
Don't pull them.

Worth

rsb148 · June 12, 2007

I left all the plants as they were. I was concerned that the small plants with early fruits would put most of their energy into the fruit and less into growing taller. This does appear to be the case although not alarmingly so, so far. In any case, I'll have more than enough fruit off all these plants. And now I'll be getting some, much earlier than expected. It will be interesting to compare fruit size from these midgit plants to fruit size from the same plants once they get to be 6' tall.

harleysilo · June 12, 2007

I had one tomato plant that set fruit very early, and It did put most of it's growth in the 8 toms it has. Compare that to the rest of my toms that were about a month later, with 20+ per plant, and probably 5 times bigger. From my first year experience I think I will pluck the blossom till they are a little bigger if I run across an early bloomer again.

**carolyn137** · June 12, 2007

Before I set out plants I remove all blossoms and small fruits so that the plants can concentrate on vegetative growth and root growth to form a vigorous plant that can then support the blossoms and fruit to come.

Anything that develops AFTER I set out the plants I let go, but that's usually not until several weeks later.

**nctomatoman** · June 12, 2007

And to offer the opposite view, I've always planted my plants with whatever fruit that they have on them - the plants do fine, are the equal of those that were planted without fruit, and I've often gotten some early high quality fruit to boot. So, whatever works for you is probably the best answer here...as we see in post after post, there are as many ways to grow tomatoes as there are gardeners who have tried them and had success with them.

lucylou · June 12, 2007

I have always removed the first blooms and first fruit. I think my reasoning was based on the old "first you crawl and then you walk" mindset. It still makes sense to me

. Since you have several plants with fruit on them why not try it both ways and compare? Either way, enjoy your garden.

June 6, 2007	#1
rsb148 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Easton, PA Posts: 15	Fruit set on small plants a bad thing? My 26 babies (13 different types) are all less than 10" tall and some have marble sized fruit almost all of the plants have flowers. I live in N.E. Pennsylvania. Should I be pulling of these early fruits and flowers? Other than this abberration my plants look as healthy as they have the past few years. I've always had great yeilds and vigorous plants, just never had so many fruits and flowers only 2 weeks after transplanting. Thanks in advance for any advice!

June 6, 2007	#2
Fert1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Upstate SC, Zone 7 Posts: 543	Well, you may get mixed opinions, but I wouldn't touch them. I'm of the school of thought that the plant knows what it can or can't handle better than I do. I would just thank my lucky stars for all the little tomatoes. My fruit set on the larger varieties has been for squat this year! My cherries and small early tomatoes are setting fruit just fine and dandy. __________________ Holly

June 7, 2007	#4
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	Mine are about 12inches tall and have tiny maters on em - the stems should thicken up and be able to handle it - I'd say leave em ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

June 12, 2007	#6
rsb148 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Easton, PA Posts: 15	Thanks All! I left all the plants as they were. I was concerned that the small plants with early fruits would put most of their energy into the fruit and less into growing taller. This does appear to be the case although not alarmingly so, so far. In any case, I'll have more than enough fruit off all these plants. And now I'll be getting some, much earlier than expected. It will be interesting to compare fruit size from these midgit plants to fruit size from the same plants once they get to be 6' tall.

June 12, 2007	#8
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Before I set out plants I remove all blossoms and small fruits so that the plants can concentrate on vegetative growth and root growth to form a vigorous plant that can then support the blossoms and fruit to come. Anything that develops AFTER I set out the plants I let go, but that's usually not until several weeks later. __________________ Carolyn

June 7, 2007	#3
elkwc36 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: SW Kansas Posts: 339	I agree with Holly. I leave them and in the end they usually get as big as the others. Mother nature knows better than us. JMO. Jay

June 7, 2007	#5
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I agree with all of the above. Don't pull them. Worth

June 12, 2007	#7
harleysilo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Woodstock GA Posts: 418	I had one tomato plant that set fruit very early, and It did put most of it's growth in the 8 toms it has. Compare that to the rest of my toms that were about a month later, with 20+ per plant, and probably 5 times bigger. From my first year experience I think I will pluck the blossom till they are a little bigger if I run across an early bloomer again.

June 12, 2007	#9
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	And to offer the opposite view, I've always planted my plants with whatever fruit that they have on them - the plants do fine, are the equal of those that were planted without fruit, and I've often gotten some early high quality fruit to boot. So, whatever works for you is probably the best answer here...as we see in post after post, there are as many ways to grow tomatoes as there are gardeners who have tried them and had success with them. __________________ Craig

June 12, 2007	#10
lucylou Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arkansas Posts: 7	I have always removed the first blooms and first fruit. I think my reasoning was based on the old "first you crawl and then you walk" mindset. It still makes sense to me . Since you have several plants with fruit on them why not try it both ways and compare? Either way, enjoy your garden. __________________ Lucy ~