Tomatoes blooming - should I pinch the flowers off?

[VA Gardener]

I planted out my tomato transplants in the middle of April. They are about a foot tall. Some of them started to flower already. I don't remember this happening this early in the previous years. Should I pinch the blooms off and let the plants grow a bit more first? I would like to hear your thoughts, tomato experts.

[Blanesgarden]

I think we covered this 3 or 4 times this season already.
But, No...leave them alone, these will become your 1st and biggest fruits. If this was a pepper plant, then I would pick them.

[daylilydude]

I'm NOexpert by any means, have grown oodles of maters, just don't eat them raw, so some say I have no idea of what I'm talking about..., anyhow, reading books, looking it up on the www, some people do remove the flower at an early stage to let the plant spend more energy growing more so than using the energy to produce the fruit, then again, some don't so they can have fruit early and sometimes they are the biggest fruit on the bush so it's a d@$# if ya do and a d@%@# if ya don't situation if you ask me!
Me... I'm one of those who doesn't as if the wife (who loves tomatoes!!!) caught me, there would be heck to pay

[Darth Slater]

See the post that already addressed this question, If you do you rob yourself out of the first tomatoes and the largest.peppers yes, tomatoes absolutly not.

[VA Gardener]

Thank you, all! I found the other thread about this - sorry for asking the same question.

No pinching it is!

[fugacity]

Glad I saw this since mine are flowereing and I was wondering the same thing. And as a side note, it seems like the early ones take a while to set fruit, so it makes sense that they wouldn't really rob too much energy from growth, but still be pollinated early for early fruit.

Was also wondering this about tomatillos, but they are much quicker fruiting and more prolific - basically they're big weeds that I can't keep form producing, so I'll let 'em flower.

[Dennis1209]

Hello All,

Along the same lines... Anyone have any experience applying Epsom salt to their tomato soil when they start to bloom / produce fruit?

In addition to appling it (1 tsp. / gal. water) to untested soil, I was told by an old country boy it gives the fruit a wonderful taste? I'm thinking about trying it on a few plants this year to see if there's any difference.

Any positive / negative experiences with y'all?

Thanks.

[Mitchell]

In some places they actually irigate with salt water to stress the plant into producing sweeter fruit with more antioxidants. I was given Urban Farmer magazine as a gift and the current issue talks about it. I'm assuming it's the same line of thinking.

[VBLACK]

Yes! I put Epsom Salt on my tomatoes for the first time and it seems like it helped produce more tomatoes.

[fugacity]

Originally Posted by Dennis1209

Hello All,

Along the same lines... Anyone have any experience applying Epsom salt to their tomato soil when they start to bloom / produce fruit?

In addition to appling it (1 tsp. / gal. water) to untested soil, I was told by an old country boy it gives the fruit a wonderful taste? I'm thinking about trying it on a few plants this year to see if there's any difference.

Any positive / negative experiences with y'all?

Thanks.

Seems like all real evidence points to the epsom salts thing as a wive's tale. Unless you have a Mg defficiency, you shouldn't need magnesium sulfate (epsom salt). Also it should be evident in lack of greening.

http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/...ral-myths.html

I'm sure others will yell and swear by the stuff. Lot's of wives tales out there with very passionate adherants. Most have no evidence and don't really care to look for any. They feel it works and that's that.

At best it probably won't hurt anything. I wouldn't waste the time.