Single truss tomatoes

[sradams1977]

I was just reading the new June edition of GYO last night and really enjoyed the article on tomatoes by James Wong. There was a paragraph explaining a method developed in the 1960s where you pinch out growing tips after the first truss. The plant then puts all it's energy into growing a single truss of earlier, better tasting bigger tomatoes. As the plants are much smaller you need to plant closer together to get the same yields. Just wandering if any members have tried this? Thinking it would be good to beat blight outdoors.

[bario1]

Wouldn't be much use for me, I only have room for about 6 plants! Growing vertically increases my yield, and gives me a longer cropping period.

[WendyC]

My thoughts exactly! You'd plenty of growing space. I do pinch out the tip towards the end of the growing season to remove any fruits which aren't going to ripen.

[sradams1977]

It seems this is a common technique in commercial hydroponic setups where they have 12-16 single truss plants per square meter. I was planning a full bed of toms at the allotment but this will be a waste of time if late blight strikes.

Quote from James Wong RHS blog

"A simple technique known as one-truss training, first developed in the UK back in the 1960s, can not only dramatically improve fruit flavour and size, but even boost nutrient content.

Instead of allowing tomatoes to produce the normal four trusses of fruit, you simply pinch out the growing fruit after the plants have formed one truss. Forming smaller plants, which use light more efficiently, the crops can be spaced much closer together, meaning yield per bed remains the same. This technique also reduces the need to prune and train - and even results in much earlier harvest, which can be a godsend in areas prone to late blight."

Thinking I will try this and see how it goes. Will post pics and results.

[bario1]

Good luck Sradams, will follow with interest! I'll be growing mine up to the polytunnel roof though - I like my toms well clear of the ground where the slugs can't get them.

[Penellype]

I do something similar with my Shirleys which I grow indoors on the windowsills. There simply isn't the height for more than 1 or 2 trusses because the plants grow more leggy due to lack of light. I do tend to let more than one branch grow though, as with these 2 overwintered plants on my kitchen wondowsill:



You can't easily see but there are plenty of flowers and 3 marble-sized tomatoes on them.

[Lumpy]

I had never heard of this and for us it could be a godsend as we grow our toms in the porch and only have room for 4 plants. Problem is when they get to their given height they block the light out of the kitchen so we have to have the bulbs on.
Yep going to have a go at this.
At least it will cut down on side shoot removal.

[unclefudgly]

Just finished reading the book by James Wong, lots of interesting stuff in it, will be trying this alongside traditional cordon toms this year. Might make for an early harvest and I could even get to grow all the plants I have for a change.

[Yasai]

My Brandywine, last year, ended up being single truss because I kept cutting off any toms that I didn't like the look off plus some broke off because the plant couldn't take the weight of the fruit. In the end, what was left ripened before the cherry toms; who'd've thunk it!

[muddled]

will be trying this alongside traditional cordon toms this year. Might make for an early harvest and I could even get to grow all the plants I have for a change.

My thoughts exactly!

My Italian plot neighbour planted hundreds of tomato plants very close together last year.
We all stood watching and murmering about spacings and blight going from plant to plant (as you do). I should have realised....Italians know a thing or two about tomatoes He took buckets of fruit home before my first tomato ripened. When the blight came he wasn't fussed.....he had a years worth of jars of spag bol sauce in the cupboard already.
Now I see what he did.

I'll be doing some as normal and all the rest like this

[Spunky]

What sort of spacing would you get a way with?

[roitelet]

I've googled the spacing and can't find anything. I am growing on some 'armpits' as single truss and will pot them up and then I can adjust the spacing as necessary.

[sradams1977]

Regarding spacing I found the following doc online.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...matoes&f=false

This relates to hydroponic setups where they have 12-16 single truss plants per square meter. I was going to try 12 per in a square meter.

[Yasai]

In containers, would we still need to use ten litres of compost?

[Thelma Sanders]

How did people get on with the one-truss way of growing?

I was wondering whether to try a few this way, this year