Trim Them Greens!

I have received a lot of questions about trimming the tomato leaves with no blossoms and just exactly how that is done. Here is my unedited attempt at photo instructions.

The branch to pinch is on the top left side of photo A.

A.

You can use your fingernails or clippers and just snip it close to the main vine.


B.


In this photo and the next you can see where the branch was trimmed off.


C.







D.












To recap, with visuals, we are trimming the leafy branch in photo E, and NOT the blossom and fruit filled vine shown in photograph F. It isn't necessary to trim them all. Just make sure you have the lower branches trimmed and some of the larger upper ones as well.



E.








F.











This is a tip I gathered from one of the head gardener's at Joe's in South Bellingham. He said that this was how to do it over here on the West side to get yourself some nice red maters.


HAPPY PINCHING!


PS. Another tomato tip from me: Crush up your egg shells and sprinkle them around your tomatoes to put calcium back in the soil and keep the tomato blossom rot away.