Tomato Plant Side Shoots

If you haven't grown tomatoes before, side shoots can be a bit confusing.

Here's a quick guide on which varieties to remove side shoots and which varieties to leave side shoots (sometimes called suckers) on the plant.

Tall Varieties
Remove side shoots on tall varieties like Moneymaker, Alicante, Gardener's Delight and Sungold.
Tall varieties are also called indeterminate or cordon.

Bush Varieties
Leave side shoots on bush varieties such as Tumbler, Tumbling Tom, Garden Pearl and Red Alert.
Bush varieties are also called determinate because they grow to a predetermined height.

Because bush varieties are only grow to between 1ft and 2ft high, they are great to grow in large pots and can be moved around the garden or patio if required.

The height of tall varieties means that they are going to stay in the same position all summer and are suitable for grow bags.

If you intend to grow tomatoes in your garden soil, it is likely that every bug under the sun will have a nibble on your tomato plants and tomatoes when they are ready, so unless you are an experienced gardener, I suggest you start with growing tomatoes in containers.

If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them. nick@tomatogrowing.co.uk

For more information on side shoots please visit the link below.
http://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk/html/side_shoots___trusses.html