I've been growing tomatoes for 20 years. I prune every leaf below the flowers once a week it increases food to the tomatoes they grow bigger and healthier. I average 12 to 18kg per plant. Last year I got 170kg from 10 plants. My cherry tomatoes do the same and got buckets full from 5 plants
Hi, when you say "every leaf below the flowers" do you mean for the entire plant or just that stem? Are you in Australia? If so what do you do for fruit fly, they damaged most of my tomatoes here in queensland last summer.
LMAO! Me too. And I just started watching him a few days ago. He's addicting and a Hell of a Gardener. I've been gardening for forty-five years and have learned already from this gentleman.
I had this argument about pruning tomatoes with others. Last year, we all decided to settle it once and for all. We each grew a plant OUR way. One pruned radically, one moderately and one not at all. They all fruited OK but the moderately pruned one did best of all because sir could circulate and plant energy was not wasted. The unpruned one sprawled on the dirt and got diseased and eaten by insects. The radically pruned one was staked and just kept growing upwards. It produced not as much as the others but it was nice fruit. However, fierce sun burnt it
Your experiment had a flaw in that you didn't support the unpruned plant. Had the other two plants been in contact with the soil, they too would have similar disease and insect damage.
For indeterminate tomatoes, I prune to ensure airflow, remove unnecessary leaves (takes away from fuller, robust fruit), and avoid excessive sprawl. I keep the plants off the ground. My early girls grow 8-10 feet tall but produce buckets. The plants are 2 feet apart. So...this year, for example, one plant has 22 tomatoes developing in the first foot and a half of growth. I control suckers to prevent sprawl but suckers are very productive. I get 3-4 large harvests each year in California. If you do the math that is 66-100 tomatoes per plant. Single stem planting does not ring true for me since I focus on quantity and quality. The idea of planting other veggies between tomatoes doesn't work for my way of growing except in the first month and a half of growth as the plants are small. For determinate plants i prune to ensure airflow focusing on the energy-sapping leaves. Some suckers need to be removed but seldom. Given California's weather I'm able to get a second surge of growth from some of the determinate plants like ace. As always fertilize, keep the calcium and phosphorous feeding on schedule and periodic deep watering is critical. Stressing the tomatoes is not part of my philosophy of growing tomatoes since I moderate watering diligently. Oh, the airflow requirement also ensure access by beneficial insects -- the bumblebees and carpenter bees are my best tomato pollinators. Tomatoes take a lot of work but the end result for canners, salsa makers, and salad lovers is exceptionally satisfying and delicious. Thanks for this video.
I think the real secret is just prune anything that touches the ground. If it really gets too thick prune off some leaves for airflow since you're likely artificially preventing it from spreading out. It's not too difficult to get great results. Hardly pruned anything but diseased leaves off 4 plants last summer just to see. They got primo sun and it was ridiculous how much they produced.
When I pruned my tomatoes I put the pruned branches in a solo cup with potting soil.in 7 days they were full of roots.i planted them an have many new plants.
Mark Pang tip. Put small amount of water soluble fertiliser in a container with water. Place the potted cutting in the water leaving an inch or two clearance for root growth. If it gets cold use clear plastic wrap and a container large enough to support leaf growth under the plastic
This should be required viewing for gardeners; I seriously learned more in this short video about Tomato than hours of research and BS tutorials. Mahalo!!
Mark, I can't watch as often as I'd like, but I watch when I can. Every time I check in on you, I find that your channel has grown by leaps and bounds. Every time. I remember when you were questioning your YT presence at about 22k subs. Look at you now. I'm so proud of you! Great info on tomatoes. My mouth was watering at the sight of those beautiful cherry toms. Have one for me. ~ Lisa
2 things in life you cannot buy. True love and home grown tomatoes. Love the channel. Trying to keep the larger variety going in my poly-greenhouse, here in Ipswich, over winter
This channel is has been one of the best inspirations for my small family farm. Thank you, first of all for your service to your country (Vet here myself) and also for all that you do on your home and allowing all of us to see. I also have designed and built my raised beds gathering ideas from your designs and am hoping to build a tomato tunnel similar your gourdes. Thanks again !
G'day Tony and thank you for your service! I'm glad you've been able to get some ideas from my vids and adapt them to your own property. Best of luck with your tomato tunnel - it's a great way to grow them! Thanks for taking the time to say hello mate, cheers :)
Wrote this long deliberate comment about how much appreciate channels with homesteading and self-sufficiency.. turned into a rant. I guess all I really need to say is: Huge thanks for sharing, truly.
Your videos feel so stable and refreshing. Not tons of editing, random clipping bits, or any of the nonsense of today's common. Just a long winded, in a good way, discussion on how you go about it. It's nice to click a video and know it's exactly what expected all the way through. The bit of knowledge I pick up here and there is a bonus on that. Good on you for being true to your community
@@Randemoller Awww,nobody answered you! I hope it survived! I'm no gardener of the world but I do have plants that somehow are okay,and I would say go over everyday and get close,then speak reassuringly and ever so lovingly tell it you will do all you can to make sure it has everything it ever needs to thrive beauitfully! Hey it can't hurt!
Belynda Young great idea, think it behooves everyone to start their victory gardens too. Started last year and we are doubling our gardens next weekend. Can’t wait to get planting, so exciting to get growing! Good luck in your gardening efforts.
I found a dozen tomato plants in the back lawn, growing via giving the dogs tomato as snacks. You inspired me to pot a couple and keep looking after them. So far so good! Hopefully I'll get some tasty fresh fruit one day :)
When I was a kid there was a Pizzeria near my Grandmother's house, they tossed veggies out the back door and tomatoes were popping up. With our hands we siblings dug some up and transplanted them in her back yard, the were very prodigious.
This is seriously one of my favorite channels on UA-cam currently! You do an amazing job. Thank you so much for your guidance and knowledge! Cheers from Washington state!
Very helpful as always. I've grown tomatoes "by the seat of my pants" in the past. They turned out pretty good but this year I decided to learn more about how to grow them better. Thanks so much!
Oh I just love listening to you I wish I was your neighbor I absolutely love your garden it's beautiful and you are so knowledgeable thank you for sharing with us
I just had the most delicious little snack cucumber from my garden, just ate it right from the plant. :D And watching your video makes me even more happy. :)
Mark ... Great video. Though I don't have tomatoes this year ...I have had them in the past. I agree 100% Determinate should be left alone. Though the pruning at least a foot from the base is always a good idea to keep dessease at bay. Always enjoy watching your channel.
I watch everyone of your videos. I also live in SE QLD and so all your videos are relevant to me and my gardening. The thing I would love is (perhaps) a weekly video, or list of what vegies you are planting, so I can have an idea of what is great to plant and when. Ta Mark
This is my favorite new channel. You're approaching this scientifically for the benefit of the rest of us gardeners. As a first-time 🍅 plant grower (on my apartment balcony), I greatly appreciate your efforts. Subscribed!
@@tonystephengrayson hey! They ended up getting blossom end rot but a few were viable and they tasted very good. I would do a sweeter variety than San Marzano next time though. The other plants (peppers, strawberries, herbs) did great! I recommend some kind of mulch if you're in a dry climate. In Colorado, mine just CHUGGED water twice a day. Edit: definitely get a tomato cage cone thing!
@@musa2775 thanks for replying. I'm trying sun gold, and rubylicious. Also tumbling tom. Throwing myself in the deep end i know🤣 I'll be caging 2 and growing 2 as single cordons to see the difference. I live in London, so the weather is hit and miss. I will definitely use mulch👍
Thanks Mark! I’m growing my first veggie patch because of your videos :) I’ve grown tommy toe tomatoes and am about to go and prune the small suckers off.
I just pulled an old dresser out of the trash. I'm going to convert it into a raised bed. Even if it only lasts 2-3 season, that's ok with me. Besides, it was FREE!!
Thanks for the info, very helpful. Last year I pruned my cherry tomato plants and I didn't get much tomatoes at all. This year, I will not prune my cherry tomato plants.
I live in the desert 🌵 of Phoenix Arizona. I planted some of those root stock cherry tomatoes once 3 years ago and the last two years they have been popping up all over my yard and garden in late December and early January. This year I had one come up in the middle of my desert rock landscaping and it gave fruit. No water 💦 fertilizer, or care of any kind and it gave fruit until I pulled it last week. As time passes the fruit just got smaller and smaller. I left about four of the plants to grow under my lemon 🍋 tree and they are still producing fruit. I made some delicious tomato jam with a couple pounds of them. They are such a hardy plant.
Mark you are amazing, we have spent the last two years into retirement following your example. Ex military we had not before had time to discover the earth. Great videos and great presentation., look forward to more...!
We grow Sweet Million variety of tomatoes every year. They really live up to their name! They produce tons of sweet little fruits! Along with these, this year we’re trying Cherokee Purple tomatoes and an heirloom German variety. Has anyone ever grown these?
Lovely, thank you so much. Great clarification! I am growing my first veggie garden in years, and have one big tomato and one black cherry tomato, can't wait!
Thanks Mark. Top stuff. I needed to see this. I have half dozen tomato plants in my backyard that I've made a few mistakes with, that are growing quite well despite my stuff ups. Yours is the help I needed. Cheers
Never been a huge tomato fan but still grow a bunch. However a got a cherry tomato plant this year that was grafted onto a fast growing bushy variety and they are amazing. I eat them as they are starting to turn orange. They taste like salt has been added and are super fruity as well. The best
That was very helpful! I make Tomato Jam, which is really a sort of chutney, but puts ketchup absolutely to shame. I use half sauce tomatoes for body and half small cherry tomatoes to give it a chunky texture. Your mention that cherry tomatoes are the original variety answered a question for me. Up until less than two hundred years ago, many people didn't think tomatoes were edible and grew them as "ornamental" garden plants. I always wondered what was attractive about big over ripe tomatoes rotting in the garden but it seems likely that they growing cherry tomato plants with clusters of small fruit that would have been much prettier to look at and at least a little bit less messy. I always learn something from you vids!
This was so helpful, Mark. Thanks for sharing your great gardening adventure with us. Absolutely love your channel! Your comments about the cherry tomato bush intrigued me and I wondered, could you share the name of the specific variety you showed us that was wonderfully cascading down?
We have a tom plant that grows here in south Florida that will grow thru the hottest part of summer called Everglades tomato. I explain to people they are the size of marbles and it is just wonderful to go into the garden and eat.
I used the same strategy, and had great success. I chose to grow indeterminate plants like Better Boy and Super beef steak Hybrid. I could plant 3 each and get 15 to18 bushels a year, that I cooked down to about 120 quarts. My plants got to 8 to 9 feet tall every year and I had so many tomatoes I would give them away. My season was shorter in Wisconsin, but if you do things right, you WILL get way more than you can handle. So many people plant dozens of plants and can't get anywhere near what I used to get. You don't need that much space, just good prep work in the soil and good planning for the growth! You can kill the weeds with black plastic in early spring, just cover your garden with it. It absorbs heat from the sun, which encourages growth, and at night the cold kills it off. Do this early in April and repeat til the end of May. Then til your ground every other week to keep killing competition off. Then add 20/10/10 fertilizer to the soil,(or if organic, then try chicken waste, horse waste). I'd stay away from cow waste because they eat everything, so you will get lots of weeds in your fertilizer. When planting time comes, I always set my soaker hoses just where I needed, then covered in black plastic , with holes for water drainage. Stake down that plastic, then its time to plant. Pick your spots not far from the hoses, cut the plastic and remove a large coffee can full of dirt. Replace with PEET moss, and mix in the dirt into the hole, then plant your plants! If you do this one step, you will avoid split tomatoes, and increase your yield by 10% if not more. This creates a consistent water supply that stops splitting of skin. This will save you over half your crop how ever you grow it, With GMO fertilizers or with organic! I used to use Concrete wire for tomato cages, It's 5 feet wide, comes in 50 to 100 foot rolls, and if you cut it on the 5 foot end 1 foot into the mesh, roll it up in 7 foot lengths, you get a 3.5 foot diameter cage that will withstand most all wind storms, (Not all). Plus you can reach through the 6 inch square holes and get almost every tomato from inside the cage. Use copper sulfate to protect against blytes, The lime in the soil helps with Blossom end rot( but egg shells will do the same if you raise chickens), and if you use miracle grow with all of these, I guarantee you the month of August will be a cross between heaven and Hell!
You have the best and most informative videos! I can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful information you provide, it has helped me out on numerous occasions. Please keep the videos coming, they are truly appreciated!
Self Sufficient Me form one retired soldier to another thanks brother. The stuff you are putting out is super helpful and most importantly entertaining! I too am playing the stay at home father at the moment so I decided I was going to get my hands dirty. I learned a lot from your videos and am learning a whole lot more working in my own beds. I wish this video had come a few months ago but, Hey, I can't complain some of my stuff is gone gang busters! Never had time for this when I was in. It is such fun showing the kids what you can do.... when they want. haha Cheers Chris in NC USA
I really enjoy your videos, they good for my soul, and they have got to become a vegetable gardner in the middle of a busy city. I make it work . thank for your videos, great work
Thanks for the video Mark. I have 8 patio tomato plants and I don't want to mess them up! Your videos are all so informative and enjoyable, I'm happy I subscribed! Keep up the good work!
Growing Roma tomatoes (determinate) in containers I have learned that pruning is necessary to ensure bountiful harvest. Even though the height is determinate the plant continues to send out shoots, and if you don't manage (prune) the shoots to keep them in check your yield will suffer greatly. You'll have more individual fruits, but much smaller in size - like cherry tomatoes. Each shoot on a Roma is good for 5 - 8 fruits from my experience.
This was awesome! I always prune the deceased and lower branches, but other than that I just let them go crazy! I always thought I was doing something wrong, but I didn't want to over prune and miss out on fruit. This made me feel so much better! Thanks!
I've been gardening for years my tomatoe plants are doing a lot better now after watching your videos . Even one of your previous videos I thought I might have been one of the only ones growing tomatoes in winter because there are less fruit flies which I discovered about a few years ago especially growing them in south east Queensland , I was over the moon when you were doing the same bloody brilliant mate
Loving your videos mark. I threw some cherry tomatoes around a building site and forgot. a few months later, we discovered plants growing well with succulent red cherry tomatoes on them - without any help, watering, pruning or nurturing from anyone. You’ve explained that mystery now!
Just planted my first tomato plants today. San Marzano. I'm trying to copy your gourd tunnel as closely as possible because it looks like an awesome place to get some shade during a work-from-home beer lunch break.
Thank you for your detailed reasoning about large vs small tomato's and pruning. In the future I'll change my tomato placement. It's much harder to support the large fruit with multiple vines. Last year I let a cherry go crazy and it wasn't hard to support at all. Seems like common sense now but I didn't think about it like that!
Thanks, I really enjoyed this video. I love growing Cherry tomatoes and get a good annual crop even up here in Canada. Good to know they really don’t need much pruning, but staking is absolutely required and tying is a regular job.
I have a few indeterminate money maker tomatoes, I'd like to see "how" you do some pruning of your ones mark, make for another awesome video of yours I get to watch!! Keep up the great work mate, loving your channel!!!!
There are better seasons than others and sometimes we can't help the weather or the perfect "storm" allowing for more pests or disease than usual. Don't be disheartened because next year will likely be a bumper harvest :)
So I did what you said and BAM it was great - tons of tomato's without the extra leaves'. Just want to add I did this with my burning bushes and maple trek's with the same great results and now my tree's look like an umbrella and are growing so much better so I thing sucker branches are ALSO AFFECTING MY TREE - BUSH GROWTH. They all doing great to this sucker removal understanding. Thanks.
If the plant gets over 5 feet tall, then it's probably indeterminate, and you need to prune, if you haven't. With determinate plants, just prune the lower branches off, and you're practically done. If you're growing Romas, then those are determinate. Their growing season will be shorter than indeterminate, so you don't want to prune much at all, except for the branches near the ground.
For those in less tropical climates with less light 1. Use a UV light for seedlings 2. You can plant the sideshoots for new plants. Both of these will result in plants with flowers and fruit lower down. 3. Water with lukewarm rather than cold water 4. If potted and not plastic then use a plastic liner in the pot. 5. If prone to large amounts of rain in late summer then better in pots, or find a way to stop the ground becoming water logged.
Great video Mark, I am growing a semi determinant Sweet 100 cherry tomato but only have my balcony to grow them. They grow very large so this will be an interesting challenge. Very popular with home gardeners. Thank you for sharing great information.
Errr... I'm growing sweet 100's too and nowhere in my many hours of research did it mention that they were semi determinate (haven't even heard of such thing as semi-determinate tbh). They were always described as vigorous growers that produce fruit all season. I'm curious as it's now been 8 months since your comment... how did it go, especially growing on a balcony?
I'm growing about 20 kinds of tomato this year and one thing I learned that there are general rules for determinent and indeterminent but at the end of the day every type have different needs and in my garden I have small cherry tomato which need a bit of prunning aswell as big (1.7m now) that don't have that many leaves and need them all in order to feed fruits. Your advices don't have mistakes but people need to learn by themselves on certain species how to act. For space that should be given to tomato bush it's also dependent on which species you have. I noticed that every bush I have keeps their fruit tight to main steam but Tomato Berry grow them in any direction even to one meter long clusters. My point is that overall advices are good but noone should stick to them like some kind of holy words and adapt when needed.
This is true - I hope people use my advice and experience as a guide only or even just as inspiration and then learn through their own gardening experience. Cheers ;)
@@Selfsufficientme Whats you doing is great. I love how your garden looks and I wonder how many years it took. All of those raised beds looks like plenty of work and money to make.
I found with tomatoes: 1) Burying a bit more of the stem creates more roots 2) crucial to stake early and continue to stake to avoid wind or the weight of the crop breaking 3) trimming base leaves (around the steam as it grows and watering around the stem decreases fungal growth) 4) seaweed or fish emulsion ferns are great 5) burying crushed eggshells during planting helps with blossom end rot and fish head/frames or guts (buried bit deeper) help with fert later
another fantastic and in-depth video! I currently have a singular tomato plant growing on the windowsill, I believe its one that wont get big, one of those that are actually made for a window sill or small pot, but gosh its fun to watch it grow!
As a novice gardener, I thank you for the focused info about pruning or not pruning tomato plants. So much to learn about gardening.... focused info makes it easier.
UK here, direct sun? It's perpetually downcast! In all seriousness though, I managed to sunburn my cactuses because I didn't realise that sunburn was a thing for cactuses. Learned my lesson, put them in a shadier spot and they are looking much greener and healthier.
I've been growing tomatoes for 20 years. I prune every leaf below the flowers once a week it increases food to the tomatoes they grow bigger and healthier. I average 12 to 18kg per plant. Last year I got 170kg from 10 plants. My cherry tomatoes do the same and got buckets full from 5 plants
Wow. How do you fertilise them?
@@Cam-qx2bq mm
Have you ever got horn worms
Is that indeterminate and determinate?
Hi, when you say "every leaf below the flowers" do you mean for the entire plant or just that stem? Are you in Australia? If so what do you do for fruit fly, they damaged most of my tomatoes here in queensland last summer.
I watch so many of this guys vids that I make his accent when I explain gardening to others
That's funny but I totally agree! All Hail the words of our Self Sufficient Leader
lmfao
🤣 Well, if you must imitate someone it might as well be Mark, one of the best. 🤣
LMAO! Me too. And I just started watching him a few days ago. He's addicting and a Hell of a Gardener. I've been gardening for forty-five years and have learned already from this gentleman.
As an Aussie who shares his accent, I wish I could do this 😂
I had this argument about pruning tomatoes with others. Last year, we all decided to settle it once and for all. We each grew a plant OUR way. One pruned radically, one moderately and one not at all. They all fruited OK but the moderately pruned one did best of all because sir could circulate and plant energy was not wasted. The unpruned one sprawled on the dirt and got diseased and eaten by insects. The radically pruned one was staked and just kept growing upwards. It produced not as much as the others but it was nice fruit. However, fierce sun burnt it
Exactly what I was thinking would happen with heavily pruned👍
Thanks for this. I have always pruned moderately and gotten great results and have always wondered if I should prune more or not at all. Great vlog 👍
Your experiment had a flaw in that you didn't support the unpruned plant. Had the other two plants been in contact with the soil, they too would have similar disease and insect damage.
For indeterminate tomatoes, I prune to ensure airflow, remove unnecessary leaves (takes away from fuller, robust fruit), and avoid excessive sprawl. I keep the plants off the ground. My early girls grow 8-10 feet tall but produce buckets. The plants are 2 feet apart. So...this year, for example, one plant has 22 tomatoes developing in the first foot and a half of growth. I control suckers to prevent sprawl but suckers are very productive. I get 3-4 large harvests each year in California. If you do the math that is 66-100 tomatoes per plant. Single stem planting does not ring true for me since I focus on quantity and quality. The idea of planting other veggies between tomatoes doesn't work for my way of growing except in the first month and a half of growth as the plants are small. For determinate plants i prune to ensure airflow focusing on the energy-sapping leaves. Some suckers need to be removed but seldom. Given California's weather I'm able to get a second surge of growth from some of the determinate plants like ace. As always fertilize, keep the calcium and phosphorous feeding on schedule and periodic deep watering is critical. Stressing the tomatoes is not part of my philosophy of growing tomatoes since I moderate watering diligently. Oh, the airflow requirement also ensure access by beneficial insects -- the bumblebees and carpenter bees are my best tomato pollinators. Tomatoes take a lot of work but the end result for canners, salsa makers, and salad lovers is exceptionally satisfying and delicious. Thanks for this video.
I think the real secret is just prune anything that touches the ground. If it really gets too thick prune off some leaves for airflow since you're likely artificially preventing it from spreading out. It's not too difficult to get great results. Hardly pruned anything but diseased leaves off 4 plants last summer just to see. They got primo sun and it was ridiculous how much they produced.
When I pruned my tomatoes I put the pruned branches in a solo cup with potting soil.in 7 days they were full of roots.i planted them an have many new plants.
Hi Nancy. Did you put those pruned branches in water or soil? Thanks for your help.
@@markpang8847 hi Mark.i put them in reg potting soil.they root very fast!
Mahalo Nancy. Wish me luck. 🤙
@@markpang8847 just be sure to keep them moist till they root. You'll be amazed!! Blessings!!
Mark Pang tip.
Put small amount of water soluble fertiliser in a container with water. Place the potted cutting in the water leaving an inch or two clearance for root growth.
If it gets cold use clear plastic wrap and a container large enough to support leaf growth under the plastic
Great topic Mark - a classic tomato question answered!
Thanks Kevin! :)
The crossover of the century
@@flawdajit5845 lol so true
My two dads showing love, bloody legends
@@lucasbennett7717 hahaha true
There’s not many things better than that sweet, slightly warm cherry tomato fresh off the vine.
I dont know man. Ground cherries are pretty ultimate.
Dennis McFall I also love yellow pear tomatoes.
I NEED THEM! I love my "Chocolate Sprinkles" variety, such a beautiful red-watermelon color.
This should be required viewing for gardeners; I seriously learned more in this short video about Tomato than hours of research and BS tutorials. Mahalo!!
You, sir, are the Russel Crowe of gardening! Subbed! Love your channel
Thank you :)
You are, after all, the Russell Crowe of your garden rows!
Ricky Gervais of gardening?
The Garden Gladiator. Yes I am entertained.
RTORC78 lol
Mark, I can't watch as often as I'd like, but I watch when I can. Every time I check in on you, I find that your channel has grown by leaps and bounds. Every time. I remember when you were questioning your YT presence at about 22k subs. Look at you now. I'm so proud of you!
Great info on tomatoes. My mouth was watering at the sight of those beautiful cherry toms. Have one for me. ~ Lisa
2 things in life you cannot buy. True love and home grown tomatoes. Love the channel. Trying to keep the larger variety going in my poly-greenhouse, here in Ipswich, over winter
This channel is has been one of the best inspirations for my small family farm. Thank you, first of all for your service to your country (Vet here myself) and also for all that you do on your home and allowing all of us to see. I also have designed and built my raised beds gathering ideas from your designs and am hoping to build a tomato tunnel similar your gourdes. Thanks again !
G'day Tony and thank you for your service! I'm glad you've been able to get some ideas from my vids and adapt them to your own property. Best of luck with your tomato tunnel - it's a great way to grow them! Thanks for taking the time to say hello mate, cheers :)
Wish I had come across this video last week...before I massively pruned what turns out to be my determinate tomato plant 😭
Wrote this long deliberate comment about how much appreciate channels with homesteading and self-sufficiency.. turned into a rant.
I guess all I really need to say is: Huge thanks for sharing, truly.
My cherry tomatoes are producing now and they’re delicious! I’ve been confused about pruning them and this video has really helped.
Cherry tomatoes are my favs!!
Lucky! The ground was too wet to do anything with until late May, so my first ones are still maturing. ♥ Cherry tomatoes!
Did you prune or not?
Your videos feel so stable and refreshing. Not tons of editing, random clipping bits, or any of the nonsense of today's common. Just a long winded, in a good way, discussion on how you go about it. It's nice to click a video and know it's exactly what expected all the way through. The bit of knowledge I pick up here and there is a bonus on that. Good on you for being true to your community
Pruning tomatoplants is my actual job. Good explaination. Love the channel.
Would you recommend pruning Sungold tomatoes? Ours have gotten massive and taken over our garden box.
I'm impressed
I just transplanted my tomato plant to get it away from a cactus but now all the leaves are looking sad... what should I do?!
@@Randemoller Awww,nobody answered you! I hope it survived! I'm no gardener of the world but I do have plants that somehow are okay,and I would say go over everyday and get close,then speak reassuringly and ever so lovingly tell it you will do all you can to make sure it has everything it ever needs to thrive beauitfully!
Hey it can't hurt!
Stacee Payne thanks I trimmed it a bit fed it and cut some parts off crossing my fingers!!
Excellent. I like how easy it is to watch. You speak slowly and clearly and address concerns quickly. Subbed
Interesting. Very good info, I actually have to speed his videos up sometimes 1.25x-1.5x
Hello Vista profile pic, that's a throwback :)
Watching from Canada, love your channel and I’m glad I subscribed. Thanks 🙏🏻
Thank you for subscribing to my channel Colleen! :)
Self Sufficient Me the pleasure is all mine...am learning a ton of valuable information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience 🙏🏻
From Canada too. Love this channel as well. Never gardener before but starting a container garden this year.
Belynda Young great idea, think it behooves everyone to start their victory gardens too. Started last year and we are doubling our gardens next weekend. Can’t wait to get planting, so exciting to get growing! Good luck in your gardening efforts.
@@colleenmcintosh6974 Thanks. I am excited to get started too
This was so useful. Right now I have 18 tomato plants in my garden, fingers crossed for a good crop. Thank you from the Netherlands.
I found a dozen tomato plants in the back lawn, growing via giving the dogs tomato as snacks. You inspired me to pot a couple and keep looking after them. So far so good! Hopefully I'll get some tasty fresh fruit one day :)
Good move! Hope they grow fruitful! Cheers :)
When I was a kid there was a Pizzeria near my Grandmother's house, they tossed veggies out the back door and tomatoes were popping up. With our hands we siblings dug some up and transplanted them in her back yard, the were very prodigious.
@@timan2039 that sounds like an awesome idea.
maby a bit late but tomatoes are toxic for dogs
@@bassy-xh1rk Nonsense.
This is seriously one of my favorite channels on UA-cam currently! You do an amazing job. Thank you so much for your guidance and knowledge! Cheers from Washington state!
This is our first year with taking off the bottom branches...am excited to see how well it works.
When that beat kicked in I thought an ad had started running in another tab 😂
Great info, thank you!
LOL...
Very helpful as always. I've grown tomatoes "by the seat of my pants" in the past. They turned out pretty good but this year I decided to learn more about how to grow them better. Thanks so much!
Oh I just love listening to you I wish I was your neighbor I absolutely love your garden it's beautiful and you are so knowledgeable thank you for sharing with us
Thank you Beverly! :)
Ùñk
I just had the most delicious little snack cucumber from my garden, just ate it right from the plant. :D And watching your video makes me even more happy. :)
Nothing better than right off the plant into the mouth! YUM :)
Thanks Mark; another winner! I agree with your other fans; you're a treat to watch and learn from. Blessings to you and your family!🙏👵🌱💞👍👍
Thanks Melody and blessings to you also! :)
Mark ...
Great video. Though I don't have tomatoes this year ...I have had them in the past. I agree 100% Determinate should be left alone. Though the pruning at least a foot from the base is always a good idea to keep dessease at bay.
Always enjoy watching your channel.
Thanks Eric for your input and experience! Cheers mate :)
I watch everyone of your videos. I also live in SE QLD and so all your videos are relevant to me and my gardening. The thing I would love is (perhaps) a weekly video, or list of what vegies you are planting, so I can have an idea of what is great to plant and when. Ta Mark
Yes please, what to plant when would be awesome 👌
I have a garden myself I find your video
Very helpful
Thank you and all the best with your garden! :)
This is my favorite new channel. You're approaching this scientifically for the benefit of the rest of us gardeners. As a first-time 🍅 plant grower (on my apartment balcony), I greatly appreciate your efforts. Subscribed!
Snap! I only have a balcony and I'm trying tomatoes this year. How did you get on?
@@tonystephengrayson hey! They ended up getting blossom end rot but a few were viable and they tasted very good. I would do a sweeter variety than San Marzano next time though. The other plants (peppers, strawberries, herbs) did great! I recommend some kind of mulch if you're in a dry climate. In Colorado, mine just CHUGGED water twice a day.
Edit: definitely get a tomato cage cone thing!
@@musa2775 thanks for replying. I'm trying sun gold, and rubylicious. Also tumbling tom. Throwing myself in the deep end i know🤣 I'll be caging 2 and growing 2 as single cordons to see the difference. I live in London, so the weather is hit and miss. I will definitely use mulch👍
Great tips! Being a beginner this type of instructional videos are so helpful!
Thanks Mark! I’m growing my first veggie patch because of your videos :) I’ve grown tommy toe tomatoes and am about to go and prune the small suckers off.
I just pulled an old dresser out of the trash. I'm going to convert it into a raised bed. Even if it only lasts 2-3 season, that's ok with me. Besides, it was FREE!!
Thanks for the info, very helpful. Last year I pruned my cherry tomato plants and I didn't get much tomatoes at all. This year, I will not prune my cherry tomato plants.
I been pruning all my tomatoes plants and this morning i did it again now after watching the video i wish i didnt prune my cherries tomatoes
I live in the desert 🌵 of Phoenix Arizona. I planted some of those root stock cherry tomatoes once 3 years ago and the last two years they have been popping up all over my yard and garden in late December and early January. This year I had one come up in the middle of my desert rock landscaping and it gave fruit. No water 💦 fertilizer, or care of any kind and it gave fruit until I pulled it last week. As time passes the fruit just got smaller and smaller. I left about four of the plants to grow under my lemon 🍋 tree and they are still producing fruit. I made some delicious tomato jam with a couple pounds of them. They are such a hardy plant.
Great story! Yes they are very hardy and a hand plant to have on the side. Cheers :)
Mark you are amazing, we have spent the last two years into retirement following your example. Ex military we had not before had time to discover the earth. Great videos and great presentation., look forward to more...!
I had a great harvest prunning my tomatoes... greetings from Brazil!
Just put my cherry tomatoes in the ground today, thanks for all the tips! Maybe the best gardening channel on UA-cam.
We grow Sweet Million variety of tomatoes every year. They really live up to their name! They produce tons of sweet little fruits! Along with these, this year we’re trying Cherokee Purple tomatoes and an heirloom German variety. Has anyone ever grown these?
Grown the Cherokee purple - not alot of fruit, but delicious!
Thank you buddy !!🤠👍 Great advice for us you tube people! Love your garden advice video's!! Take care!! Kind regards!! From Ron !! Tasmania Australia!
You remind me so much of Russell crowe except your videos are better. keep up the great work.
Thank you! Imagine if the real Crowe did a few UA-cam gardening vids - I'd say they'd be pretty epic lol... Cheers :)
A couple of my friends and myself are so addicted to your channel :)
Thanks! I appreciate your support and enthusiasm - it encourages and inspires me to create more vids. Cheers :)
Lovely, thank you so much. Great clarification! I am growing my first veggie garden in years, and have one big tomato and one black cherry tomato, can't wait!
The pruning music is so dramatic I love it 4:45
Thanks Mark. Top stuff. I needed to see this. I have half dozen tomato plants in my backyard that I've made a few mistakes with, that are growing quite well despite my stuff ups. Yours is the help I needed. Cheers
Great stuff Helen all the best for a top harvest then! Cheers :)
Another fantastic episode!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. I know I appreciate your advice very much.
Thank you so much from Scotland. I’m a noobie Gardner and I’m learning so much.
I am a beginner gardener and your videos are very helpful!
Watching from Massachusetts, USA. I LOVE your tomato set-up! Easy harvesting/No stooping,...new sub!
I'm a keen stand-up gardener, thank you :)
Do you plant tomatoes in the same beds every year? What about soil diseases?
The red currant tomatoes are the ones my cickens like the best. I have two of these just for them.
Oh, I bet your hens love them! Cheers :)
my red currant tomato is the most disease-prone plant I've ever grown. Never had early blight before it. But the production is impressive.
Never been a huge tomato fan but still grow a bunch. However a got a cherry tomato plant this year that was grafted onto a fast growing bushy variety and they are amazing. I eat them as they are starting to turn orange. They taste like salt has been added and are super fruity as well. The best
I also like the more acidic varieties due to the taste. They are especially good as an open melt grill on bread with cheese. Cheers :)
Love the channel don’t ever stop good tomato advice. -Joseph from Vermont, USA
That was very helpful! I make Tomato Jam, which is really a sort of chutney, but puts ketchup absolutely to shame. I use half sauce tomatoes for body and half small cherry tomatoes to give it a chunky texture.
Your mention that cherry tomatoes are the original variety answered a question for me. Up until less than two hundred years ago, many people didn't think tomatoes were edible and grew them as "ornamental" garden plants. I always wondered what was attractive about big over ripe tomatoes rotting in the garden but it seems likely that they growing cherry tomato plants with clusters of small fruit that would have been much prettier to look at and at least a little bit less messy. I always learn something from you vids!
It's pretty uncommon hearing the word chutney from an American,have you visited India by any chance lol
@@Eulogy1613 No. LOL! I would *love* to visit India. I'm just a n amateur gourmet cook with very eclectic tastes.
@@brucetidwell7715 oh alr haha,you have been on yt for a pretty long time. +1 sub
@@Eulogy1613 Yeah, I spend too much time on YT. Thanks for the follow! I hope I can actually start posting videos in the next year or so.
@@brucetidwell7715 I see,good luck with your yt channel :)
This was so helpful, Mark. Thanks for sharing your great gardening adventure with us. Absolutely love your channel! Your comments about the cherry tomato bush intrigued me and I wondered, could you share the name of the specific variety you showed us that was wonderfully cascading down?
I think he called it a rootstock tomato.
very detailed info about tomatoes i've not seen others cover. i've learned at least 3 things from your vid 👍
We have a tom plant that grows here in south Florida that will grow thru the hottest part of summer called Everglades tomato. I explain to people they are the size of marbles and it is just wonderful to go into the garden and eat.
I don't always prune my tomatoes, but when I do, I have a dubstep kick it off. Another great vid!
I was just looking at my huge bushy tomatoes thinking "should I prune them?" Thank you!
I used the same strategy, and had great success. I chose to grow indeterminate plants like Better Boy and Super beef steak Hybrid. I could plant 3 each and get 15 to18 bushels a year, that I cooked down to about 120 quarts. My plants got to 8 to 9 feet tall every year and I had so many tomatoes I would give them away. My season was shorter in Wisconsin, but if you do things right, you WILL get way more than you can handle. So many people plant dozens of plants and can't get anywhere near what I used to get. You don't need that much space, just good prep work in the soil and good planning for the growth! You can kill the weeds with black plastic in early spring, just cover your garden with it. It absorbs heat from the sun, which encourages growth, and at night the cold kills it off. Do this early in April and repeat til the end of May. Then til your ground every other week to keep killing competition off. Then add 20/10/10 fertilizer to the soil,(or if organic, then try chicken waste, horse waste). I'd stay away from cow waste because they eat everything, so you will get lots of weeds in your fertilizer. When planting time comes, I always set my soaker hoses just where I needed, then covered in black plastic , with holes for water drainage. Stake down that plastic, then its time to plant. Pick your spots not far from the hoses, cut the plastic and remove a large coffee can full of dirt. Replace with PEET moss, and mix in the dirt into the hole, then plant your plants! If you do this one step, you will avoid split tomatoes, and increase your yield by 10% if not more. This creates a consistent water supply that stops splitting of skin. This will save you over half your crop how ever you grow it, With GMO fertilizers or with organic! I used to use Concrete wire for tomato cages, It's 5 feet wide, comes in 50 to 100 foot rolls, and if you cut it on the 5 foot end 1 foot into the mesh, roll it up in 7 foot lengths, you get a 3.5 foot diameter cage that will withstand most all wind storms, (Not all). Plus you can reach through the 6 inch square holes and get almost every tomato from inside the cage. Use copper sulfate to protect against blytes, The lime in the soil helps with Blossom end rot( but egg shells will do the same if you raise chickens), and if you use miracle grow with all of these, I guarantee you the month of August will be a cross between heaven and Hell!
You have the best and most informative videos! I can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful information you provide, it has helped me out on numerous occasions. Please keep the videos coming, they are truly appreciated!
Thankfully we have you for the important questions
Love your insight Mark. Thanks. Have a wonderful day..!!
Self Sufficient Me form one retired soldier to another thanks brother. The stuff you are putting out is super helpful and most importantly entertaining! I too am playing the stay at home father at the moment so I decided I was going to get my hands dirty. I learned a lot from your videos and am learning a whole lot more working in my own beds. I wish this video had come a few months ago but, Hey, I can't complain some of my stuff is gone gang busters! Never had time for this when I was in. It is such fun showing the kids what you can do.... when they want. haha Cheers Chris in NC USA
Thanks for your service Chris! It's a tough job being a homedad but well worth it mate! Good on ya 🙂👍
I really enjoy your videos, they good for my soul, and they have got to become a vegetable gardner in the middle of a busy city. I make it work . thank for your videos, great work
Thanks for the video Mark. I have 8 patio tomato plants and I don't want to mess them up! Your videos are all so informative and enjoyable, I'm happy I subscribed! Keep up the good work!
Growing Roma tomatoes (determinate) in containers I have learned that pruning is necessary to ensure bountiful harvest.
Even though the height is determinate the plant continues to send out shoots, and if you don't manage (prune) the shoots to keep them in check your yield will suffer greatly. You'll have more individual fruits, but much smaller in size - like cherry tomatoes. Each shoot on a Roma is good for 5 - 8 fruits from my experience.
This was awesome! I always prune the deceased and lower branches, but other than that I just let them go crazy! I always thought I was doing something wrong, but I didn't want to over prune and miss out on fruit. This made me feel so much better! Thanks!
I've been gardening for years my tomatoe plants are doing a lot better now after watching your videos . Even one of your previous videos I thought I might have been one of the only ones growing tomatoes in winter because there are less fruit flies which I discovered about a few years ago especially growing them in south east Queensland , I was over the moon when you were doing the same bloody brilliant mate
Love your videos!!! I feel this covers it all in pruning!! Awesome jobs! 👍
Let's get into it!
Loving your videos mark. I threw some cherry tomatoes around a building site and forgot. a few months later, we discovered plants growing well with succulent red cherry tomatoes on them - without any help, watering, pruning or nurturing from anyone. You’ve explained that mystery now!
Just planted my first tomato plants today. San Marzano.
I'm trying to copy your gourd tunnel as closely as possible because it looks like an awesome place to get some shade during a work-from-home beer lunch break.
thank you for your UA-cam page, now i have a garden that i can eat from.
Excellent stuff! Good on you and thank you :)
How cool would it be to work for this guy 👍👍💪💪✊✊😁😁
Thank you for your detailed reasoning about large vs small tomato's and pruning. In the future I'll change my tomato placement. It's much harder to support the large fruit with multiple vines. Last year I let a cherry go crazy and it wasn't hard to support at all. Seems like common sense now but I didn't think about it like that!
Thanks, I really enjoyed this video. I love growing Cherry tomatoes and get a good annual crop even up here in Canada. Good to know they really don’t need much pruning, but staking is absolutely required and tying is a regular job.
I have a few indeterminate money maker tomatoes, I'd like to see "how" you do some pruning of your ones mark, make for another awesome video of yours I get to watch!! Keep up the great work mate, loving your channel!!!!
Lots of us having bad time with tomatoes this year because of disease. (Southeast TX, USA)
shashakeeleh Here in Spring 👋 👍🏻
There are better seasons than others and sometimes we can't help the weather or the perfect "storm" allowing for more pests or disease than usual. Don't be disheartened because next year will likely be a bumper harvest :)
@@Selfsufficientme Thanks Mark!
@@jenniferm3572 Hello Neighbor!
So I did what you said and BAM it was great - tons of tomato's without the extra leaves'. Just want to add I did this with my burning bushes and maple trek's with the same great results and now my tree's look like an umbrella and are growing so much better so I thing sucker branches are ALSO AFFECTING MY TREE - BUSH GROWTH. They all doing great to this sucker removal understanding. Thanks.
Thank you for posting! Your videos have been very helpful as I start my square foot gardening!
When we don't know exactly whether it is Determinant or indeterminant what the best we can do??
That's my question too
If the plant gets over 5 feet tall, then it's probably indeterminate, and you need to prune, if you haven't. With determinate plants, just prune the lower branches off, and you're practically done. If you're growing Romas, then those are determinate. Their growing season will be shorter than indeterminate, so you don't want to prune much at all, except for the branches near the ground.
1:26 wow, you forgot to edit out your superhero swish movement.
LOL - oh no... my secret is out! :)
For those in less tropical climates with less light 1. Use a UV light for seedlings 2. You can plant the sideshoots for new plants. Both of these will result in plants with flowers and fruit lower down. 3. Water with lukewarm rather than cold water 4. If potted and not plastic then use a plastic liner in the pot. 5. If prone to large amounts of rain in late summer then better in pots, or find a way to stop the ground becoming water logged.
Great video Mark, I am growing a semi determinant Sweet 100 cherry tomato but only have my balcony to grow them. They grow very large so this will be an interesting challenge. Very popular with home gardeners. Thank you for sharing great information.
Errr... I'm growing sweet 100's too and nowhere in my many hours of research did it mention that they were semi determinate (haven't even heard of such thing as semi-determinate tbh). They were always described as vigorous growers that produce fruit all season. I'm curious as it's now been 8 months since your comment... how did it go, especially growing on a balcony?
Not just the indeterminate, I noticed you pruned the beard and hair too. 😛
I noticed too. Lol
LOL yes I did...
Thought i was on the wrong channel
I'm growing about 20 kinds of tomato this year and one thing I learned that there are general rules for determinent and indeterminent but at the end of the day every type have different needs and in my garden I have small cherry tomato which need a bit of prunning aswell as big (1.7m now) that don't have that many leaves and need them all in order to feed fruits. Your advices don't have mistakes but people need to learn by themselves on certain species how to act. For space that should be given to tomato bush it's also dependent on which species you have. I noticed that every bush I have keeps their fruit tight to main steam but Tomato Berry grow them in any direction even to one meter long clusters. My point is that overall advices are good but noone should stick to them like some kind of holy words and adapt when needed.
This is true - I hope people use my advice and experience as a guide only or even just as inspiration and then learn through their own gardening experience. Cheers ;)
@@Selfsufficientme Whats you doing is great. I love how your garden looks and I wonder how many years it took. All of those raised beds looks like plenty of work and money to make.
I found with tomatoes:
1) Burying a bit more of the stem creates more roots
2) crucial to stake early and continue to stake to avoid wind or the weight of the crop breaking
3) trimming base leaves (around the steam as it grows and watering around the stem decreases fungal growth)
4) seaweed or fish emulsion ferns are great
5) burying crushed eggshells during planting helps with blossom end rot and fish head/frames or guts (buried bit deeper) help with fert later
Great information on the tomato plants thanks for sharing
I don't even like a tomato!
but I'm still watching.
Get the pitchforks everyone, we've got a heretic on the channel!
Thank you. Really informative. What did you call that last variety of tomato - the big, sprawling tomato? Rootstock?
I was wondering where I can get the seed for this big, sprawling tomatoes?
They usually go under the name of "red currant tomatoes" or wild tomatoes.. But red or yellow currant is the most common name of this variety.
Nomis S Thanks! 🍅
@@nomiss1015 Thanks for the info
Nomis S I have one growing now...extremely sprawly but not much fruit. It’s called Celebrity. My hunch is the soil needs nourishment. Thanks again.
another fantastic and in-depth video! I currently have a singular tomato plant growing on the windowsill, I believe its one that wont get big, one of those that are actually made for a window sill or small pot, but gosh its fun to watch it grow!
Thank you and well done on growing a tomato on a windowsill! Great use of space :)
As a novice gardener, I thank you for the focused info about pruning or not pruning tomato plants. So much to learn about gardening.... focused info makes it easier.
Very interesting. Good video
I was gonna google this topic today! mindreader
Same.
Great advice for a novice like me. Thank you!
Thank you for this video. I didn't understand about pruning tomatoes and now I will try it.
Same!😀🙏
Thank you Martha! :)
Scalding will occur If we leave our tomatoes exposed to the direct sun in the midwest USA.
Gus green try Arizona!
UK here, direct sun? It's perpetually downcast!
In all seriousness though, I managed to sunburn my cactuses because I didn't realise that sunburn was a thing for cactuses. Learned my lesson, put them in a shadier spot and they are looking much greener and healthier.
big discussion with my daughter....her husband....and me... cant wait to see this...….
I'm a beginner in pruning tomatoes and this video really helped. Thanks
As a literature loving gardener, the intro was perfection to me ❤️