Tomato and cucumber questions

[gardendancer]

Hiya.

I'm back with more questions - thank you all for all the great advice I get here.

I started some tomatoes early, and they are doing really well, very healthy, and the most advanced has 3 trusses of tomatoes set , and has 3 more flowering trusses. Would you limit how many tomato trusses was ripening on the plant at once? It's very early in the season so there should be plenty of time for the tomatoes to ripen, but I was wondering if it would be hard for the plant to support so many tomatoes at once.

Cucumber question. I read somewhere that once the cucumber ( ridge variety - burpless) reaches 6 leaves or so I should pinch out the top grow shoot to encourage side shoots, is that right? It seems that the plant is quite short if I do that ( one of the cucumbers is at that stage, and has both male and female flowers on it)

The tomatoes and cucumbers are currently inside on the heated floor, next to the completely southfacing wall of glass we have in the living room, and go outside on the southfacing deck during the day once the temperature is above 12 degrees, and I'll continue taking them in and out until it is consistently above 10 at night ( and they will stay in their final pots)

I've also got later sown tomatoes getting ready to be planted in the border once temperature allows, and I was going to do a 2nd sowing of cucumbers so they don't need to last all summer, the plants were an experiment for an attempt at an early crop.

[Bill HH]

Wow you seem to be well advanced, my cucumbers are just 2 inches high and i have just one truss on the tomatoes. Normaly people allow from 5 to 7 trusse to grow on tomatoes.

As for the cucumbers. it depends what you want, I grow burpless and pinch out all the side shoots and allow one stem to climb, when its up to the height i want then i allow side shoots to develop. But if you are going for bushy plants then pinching out the growing tip would achieve that. I prefer to grow them up trellis and into the roof of the GH, they get more space and air/light. Be aware that you get a lot of cucumbers, 3 plants feeds my wife and I plus loads to give away to our children and friends.

[Kristen]

Would you limit how many tomato trusses was ripening on the plant at once?

No, they'll be fine. The "limit" is either height of greenhouse (but you can "layer" the plants to work around that), or "Autumn". I stop (pinch out the top) of my Tomato plants one month before first frost to hurry-up the ripening of the remaining trusses. Many people "stop" them when they get to the greenhouse roof, but if you start them early that will mean you don't have any crop at the end of the season ... so might be worth looking at Laying them.

I was wondering if it would be hard for the plant to support so many tomatoes at once.

The crop will be heavy, so you definitely need strong supports. I run a wire along the roof of my greenhouse (strong aluminium type) and strings to support each Tomato plant

I read somewhere that once the cucumber ( ridge variety - burpless) reaches 6 leaves or so I should pinch out the top grow shoot to encourage side shoots, is that right?

I just leave mine to climb. The plant will self-abort young fruits until enough (mature ones) have been picked so, in a sense, will never carry more fruit than it can produce.

I'll continue taking them in and out until it is consistently above 10 at night ( and they will stay in their final pots)

My point about height to roof of greenhouse not important then! plus you might have Bush (Determinate) rather than Cordon (Indeterminate) varieties? Bush will automatically (so to speak!!) restrict how big they get

I've also got later sown tomatoes getting ready to be planted in the border once temperature allows, and I was going to do a 2nd sowing of cucumbers so they don't need to last all summer, the plants were an experiment for an attempt at an early crop.

I would expect a single sowing to carry on until Frost 0 although "old" Cucumbers do tend to be prone to Mildew etc. so second crop might be stronger towards the end of the season. I just do the one crop though.

[Tomatoking]

Hi Gardendancer

You are well ahead with your tomatoes and I can now see why, they are in a perfect spot. Tomato plants will support over 20 trusses in the growing season if feed and watered right. However as you are moving them in and out I would stop the head at about 6 ft, because you have other plants for later. If you can manage to move them in and out before they go to their final place then leave the heads grow longer.

As for cucumbers I have always grown just a couple of early ones on the main stem, then stop the head at wire hight (6ft) I train about 4 shoots from the main stem to grow my cucumbers on< this results in a bumper crop, but you do need space to fan out the shoots. My post on cucumbers will give you a better idea.

[gardendancer]

Thanks for all the great replies.
The tomatoes are semi- determinate, so the height might not be an issue, I will make sure everything is well supported - on to operation old tights.

[Smithyboy100]

How high will a cucumber plant grow?


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[Kristen]

How high will a cucumber plant grow?

Mine, climbing up the far end of my greenhouse, hit the ridge and then grow about 3' or 4' along it - so perhaps 12' ?

[Alison]

How high will a cucumber plant grow?


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You have to support them as they grow on a long vine or just scramble on he floor. I twist mine around strings and am guessing I usually let the main stem get to about 6 to 8 ft but you can stop it where you want.


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[Smithyboy100]

Wow they grow that big so one plant is enough?


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[Kristen]

Wow they grow that big so one plant is enough?

Depends how many you eat

A cucumber plant will only "hold" about 4 cucumbers at any one time. Once it has the number it can successfully carry to ripen it will stop / abort any youngsters. Dunno how long it takes a cucumber to ripen - couple of weeks maybe?? - so on that basis one plant will give you 2 fruit per week.

But that's all from memory / educated guess, someone with a decent memory, or some crop records, will be able to provide a more accurate answer

[Smithyboy100]

Thanks for the info sorry im sounding dumb but im new to all this 😜


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[Kristen]

Thanks for the info sorry im sounding dumb but im new to all this

the only dumb questions are the ones that people DON'T ask

[Smithyboy100]

Haha thats true


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[Alison]

Wow they grow that big so one plant is enough?


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For me, yes, although I normally grow a couple of different varieties. There are people on here who seem to be growing a huge number so guess their family must get through two or three every day.


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[Smithyboy100]

Or they sell them lol


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