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On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

A small white plastic bag can be used to protect a large tomato from the sun. The tomato should not be placed in the bag. The bag can be positioned over the tomato to protect it. This is especially important if you prune your plants vigorously.

Top your tomato plants about one month before it is time to harvest the big tomato. This will most likely be at 6 feet or less. This will allow more energy to go into your big tomato.

To avoid tomatoes splitting after a big rain, pick them as soon as they begin to ripen rather than allowing them to ripen on the vine. Once they start to turn they do not gain weight. If you are planning to make the tomatoes into sauce, you might want to leave them on longer. Early picking has no effect on tomato taste.

Tomato plants should ideally be planted at least 4 feet apart. This allows easier access for pruning, better plant observation and good air circulation for disease prevention. This means rows of plants should also be at least 4 feet apart. My rows are 5 feet apart. The less pruning you do the further apart the tomato plants should be.

I have run out of tips. I hope everyone has found them to be helpful. I will be hanging around in the forum now, mostly looking. I bought some new gardening pants as suggested by Pap and my thoughts now turn to actually doing something in the garden. Right now it is snowing here but it won't be long. Marv

3/6/2011 3:49:53 PM

I've little experience with Tomatoes, especially with big ones. Could you tell me when (on average) the plant is one month before the harvest of the hopefully giant tomato?

Thanks a lot and thank you for your tips, I think they're a great help!

3/6/2011 4:18:08 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

You are right that it is hard to know when your tomato will be ready 30 days ahead. The point is this. If it is September 1 and the weighoff is October 1, and your tomato is still green and still growing, prune off the top of the plant at the 6 foot level. Some growers I know measure the circumference of their tomato to see if it is growing or slowing down. After growth stops, the tomato ripens. Another way to decide would be if you detect a downturn in the tomato growth. Pruning might give it a boost. If I had a 7 pound tomato on my vine I would be doing everything I could to increase its weight and so I would be topping the plant. I hope this helps. It is good as I can do. Marv

3/6/2011 5:18:30 PM

Muddy Waters

Thanks Marv!

3/6/2011 5:53:17 PM

Hamilton Nj

marv i was under the impression that a tomato keeps growing till its picked?????? weather green or red???

thanks for all the tips !!!! pizza

3/7/2011 12:51:41 AM

Massachusetts

I kept a diary of every one of my maters growth, and almost all of them stopped growing when the started to turn the slighest red, and as soon as i picked them they would also start loose weight (as little as 6 hours later)
my question is ; would the fridge slow the weight loss down until i could get it weighed in ? i betting it would, but, is there any other methods of preserving the weight?
thanks for the tips! love the cat-facing tip! thanks marv.

3/7/2011 5:25:01 AM

Muddy Waters

Once they stop growing does the plant siphon water from fruit if it needs water,Ive always wondered this & continued to water kins & melons for that reason.What do you think Marv.

3/7/2011 6:26:23 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Tomatoes stop growing when they begin to ripen. If they are ripe, I pick them. I water right up until I give up totally on the garden. At that point they don't really need water anyway as September here is wet. Tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator to hold their weight for at least a month. If you freeze them it is over. They will break down as they thaw. If you put them in the refrigerator make certain they are not sitting on anything sharp etc. Put a cloth or something under them so the weight of the tomato is shared. Marv

3/7/2011 7:31:18 AM

Ontario

Thanks for all the tips Marv....very much appreciated!!

3/7/2011 8:07:34 AM

Denmark

Thank you for all the tips!

It seems that everyone agrees that the tomato stop growing when it starts turning red.

I have a thought:
As the tomato is ripening the sugar content is rising in the tomato. So the tomato is not getting bigger but the increasing density makes it still gaining weight.

What is your thought on that?

3/10/2011 4:48:03 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I don't think so but I don't know. Tomatoes continue to ripen after they are taken off the vine and do so from the inside out. How ripe they are when picked is a variable since you cannot see the inside. They don't gain weight after you pick them even though they are getting ripe. Water weighs more than sugar. I see no way a tomato can gain seight by ripening but then again, that is what I think but I don't really know. Marv

3/10/2011 7:16:59 AM

Denmark

Marv: I agree there is no way a tomato can gain weight after it is taken off the vine. But have you noticed if a tomato will shrink (higher density) when it ripens after it is taken of the vine?

Yes, water is heavier then sugar, but water with sugar is heavier then plain water. So as the sugar content is rising, the density should also rise as the tomato ripens.

So if a tomato shrinks (but doesn’t lose weight) after it is taken of the vine. And a tomato on the wine doesn’t shrink as it ripens is could possibly mean it is still gaining weight.

I am not sure it is clear what I mean. It is very difficult to explain in foreign language.

Anyway is was just at thought. Maybe something to test this season?

3/10/2011 8:10:48 AM

Muddy Waters

Evaporation it can only loose not gain.

3/10/2011 4:02:43 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

If a tomato is on the vine and the conditions in the garden are dry, the plant will remove water from the tomato and it will lose weight. This is why the amount of water in your garden should be held as stable as possible though you cannot control the weather. Marv

3/11/2011 8:59:27 AM