Quick question

[fitterman007]

All of my tomato plants have just had all thier tops ate off by deer. will this slow thier prduction down or what? First year growing heirlooms so a bit worried.

[barkeater]

Yes, it will slow production. And, the deer will be waiting when they do start ripening.

[barkeater]

fit, I didn't mean to be terse (I'm just that way, I guess), but my point is if you have deer eating the tops off your plants, they will be back in spades unless you can keep them away somehow.

[fitterman007]

thanks for the info. I have not had this problem ithe past , but it didn't really bother me. Bought all my plants from lowes, but this year switched to all heirloom veges.

[bbjm]

I'm curious about this too. I had a growing tip snapped (I assume by the dog). I'm thinking about just leaving it alone. I do have some replacement plants. Should I replace it or let it go?? Will a sucker assume the title as growing tip? Or will that plant be forever short?

[dice]

Someone down south cuts his off down low
when it gets too hot to set fruit and lets
them grow back for a fall crop. Other people
growing in hot climates say this is a waste
because of disease problems and having to
water in the height of summer to keep the
things alive, but regardless of that, they do
grow back from side branches for the grower
that does that. I expect that a plant with the
central leader snipped off early will do the
same thing.

[Ruth_10]

Were these plants in cages or staked? I put mine in cages made of fencing that is 4' tall (wish it were taller). The cages range in diameter from 24-30". I put them over the plants right after plant out. The plants look lost in the cages at that stage, but my thought was that the cages would at least make it a lot less convenient for the deer to nibble on the plants--they'd have to go after my beans, instead(). So far--knock on wood--I haven't had animal problems (deer or the neigbor's dogs) with the tomatoes.