Pruning & Training

Determine if you have determinate or indeterminate tomatoes

Determinate tomatoes are bush types that set all their fruit at once and stop growing — they need minimal pruning. Indeterminate tomatoes grow continuously all season and benefit significantly from pruning and staking. Check your seed packet or plant tag.

Remove suckers on indeterminate tomatoes

Suckers are the shoots that grow in the "V" between the main stem and a branch. Left alone, each sucker becomes a full stem and the plant becomes an unmanageable jungle. Pinch suckers out when they're small (under 2 inches) with your fingers. Allow 1–2 main stems on staked plants.

Strip lower leaves for better airflow

As tomato plants grow, remove the lower leaves (below the first fruit cluster) to improve airflow at the base and reduce the risk of soil-borne disease splashing onto foliage. Do this gradually through the season.

Top the plant 4 weeks before first frost

About a month before your first frost, pinch out the growing tip of each stem. This stops the plant from investing energy in new growth and redirects it to ripening existing fruit before cold weather arrives.

Train cucumbers vertically to save space and improve harvest

Cucumbers grown vertically on a trellis produce more, are easier to harvest, and have fewer disease problems than vines sprawling on the ground. Train the main vine up and allow side shoots to hang down.

Remove damaged or diseased leaves promptly

For squash and cucumbers, powdery mildew and vine borers can devastate plants quickly. Remove heavily infected leaves as soon as you spot them to slow the spread. A plant with half its leaves removed will often still produce well.

Pinch herbs frequently to keep them bushy

Basil, mint, and oregano respond to regular pinching by producing more side shoots and becoming bushy and productive. Always pinch just above a leaf node. Never remove more than 1/3 of the plant at once.

Cut basil flower heads immediately

Once basil begins to flower, the leaves lose flavor and the plant focuses energy on seed production. Pinch out flower buds as soon as they appear. If the plant does flower and you want to save seeds, let one stem go to seed fully before pulling the plant.