tomatoes in the polytunnel

[cabbagepatchkid]

Hello! I've inherited a polytunnel with our new half plot that has 2 raised beds in it - they are about 60cm tall at a guess. I've planted tomatoes into them which are growing like mad and about to hit the top of the poly - what should I do? Do I need to pinch the tops out at this stage? Will they naturally stop growing at some point?

The varieties are Red Pear, Galina and Marmande if that makes any difference to the advice!

[bario1]

Yes, I would nip the tops out now so the plants can concentrate on the fruit.

[ecudc]

Many people will stop them when they reach the top of the poly tunnel which should normally give you about 5 trusses of fruit which should ripen before the winter and they are easier to prune

The trouble is that the higher they grow the more they will shade everything underneath and poly tunnels naturally shade the plants anyway so letting them get too big can delay ripening and you might find that later toms don't ripen before blight or cold weather sets in. If you have a greenhouse or conservatory with heating then people may let them get bigger.

They won't stop growing, in commercial hothouses they use cherry Pickers to get to the top fruit.

The important thing with cordon tomatoes is to cut of the little shoots that start to form between the stem and the leaves. If the side shoots grow they would provide extra fruit but they would also make the plant more congested, increasing the risk of blight and shading the fruit and take energy away from the main stem.

[cabbagepatchkid]

Thank you! They will be pinched out shortly then

I have been side shooting them, though Marmande less brutally than the others (never know what to do with semi-determinates) and Galina from what I read is supposed to be allowed a second stem, so it's still a bit of a jungle in there!