When to pinch toms?

[piskieinboots]

My toms are starting to flower - bit early surely? Would you pinch them out?

[Two_Sheds]

My Auntie Madge has flowers too, my Cherry Belle chilli has a fruit and I also have a flower on a French bean - they're loving all this warm sunshine

Cordon toms? I don't pinch until they reach the roof

Bush toms - I don't pinch at all

[zazen999]

Ditto......

[Davyburns]

Let nature take its course. I have 16 toms in an unheated GH and 12 of them have flowers (one has just set fruit this morning or last night)

[piskieinboots]

Cordon toms? I don't pinch until they reach the roof

Sorry didn't explain myself properly!

I meant pinch out the flowers to let the plant get a bit tougher.

Yes they are cordon and I won't be pinching until it's 'up there' - bush, I don't pinch.

[VirginVegGrower]

Mine have flowers on - leave them be. Echo the comment about everything loving this sunshine!

[Gearoid]

I was listening a podcast this week where the gardener advised to pinch off any flowers at this early stage and let the plant develop more fully first. Depends on how big your plant is I guess.

A bit off topic, but I saw big fruiting plants with ripe toms for sale in B&Q today!

[Flummery]

I leave mine on. It's nature's way of telling you the plant is maturing (or did I dream that?)

[Potstubsdustbins]

I think if I nipped all the flowers of my tumblers there wouldn't be much plant left. My Sungold are nowhere near as advanced.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

I've never pinched any flowers off a tomato, although I have started taking them off the chillies (the first two anyway)

[Kristen]

I take the first few off the Cucumbers too ... otherwise I find that they stall for ages before producing any more.

[FionaH]

I took the flowers of the golden sunrise I got from work. The plant is still small so my thinking was to let it put it's energy into growing for a bit. Now wondering if I was wrong. Time will tell

[zazen999]

I take the first one off chilis, it does throw the plant into survival mode and it then throws out loads of flowers.

The only toms I take off are funny shaped ones on toms like Costoluto Fiorentino, when they are all mangled up and look bonkers.

[piskieinboots]

I took the flowers of the golden sunrise I got from work. The plant is still small so my thinking was to let it put it's energy into growing for a bit. Now wondering if I was wrong. Time will tell

This was, exactly, my thinking Fi - I don't think we are wrong.

If you take the first few flowers of chillis why would you not do the same for toms? That's a question, not a challenge

[zazen999]

Well, now you ask I might just do that!!!