Tribe.net. Local Connections ElvenPath http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/fc667566-eb5b-425c-aa58-a57caa4ccdd5#ff7d11ab-0643-4be8-9ac4-5ced38356ee3 2008-05-17T22:32:20Z 2008-05-17T22:32:20Z

My mom let them flower too, and used stakes to keep the stems from weighing down too much, just like in an outdoor garden perhaps!

ElvenPath 2008-05-17T22:32:20Z Steve e http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/fc667566-eb5b-425c-aa58-a57caa4ccdd5#e1a5e227-9cf2-4a09-84ff-a188dc22649f 2008-05-17T00:59:10Z 2008-05-17T00:59:10Z

I just let 'em go. I want those tomatoes as early as possible and tomato plants don't stunt easily.

Steve e 2008-05-17T00:59:10Z Băd-Dăwg http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/fc667566-eb5b-425c-aa58-a57caa4ccdd5#e5128b1c-f7e2-4e4f-a947-f288d28aa52b 2008-05-16T19:14:28Z 2008-05-16T19:14:28Z

I say let them flower, but prune side branches and stick them in the ground too.

Băd-Dăwg 2008-05-16T19:14:28Z maria pureza http://greenthumbs.tribe.net/thread/fc667566-eb5b-425c-aa58-a57caa4ccdd5#a582057c-46cf-4043-81db-759ac87aee02 2008-05-16T16:35:18Z 2008-05-16T16:35:18Z

first i just have to say that i really appreciate the wisdom and generosity of this tribe. it seems like every other day i have some simple little question that i really should know, and that i feel silly asking about, and yet i ask, and you all answer, and don't make me feel like an idiot. so thank you! so my question of the day is, how big do tomatoes need to get before you let them flower? mine are about a foot tall and it seems like i pick the flower buds off every single day. they're actually twice that tall, i trench planted them, they've been growing since mid-february. and they really want to bloom! i've only grown starts from the nursery before, and i remember them being at least 3 feet tall before they even started to think about flowering. so maybe mine are happier? or maybe they're more stressed? they've been in the ground a whole 3 weeks or so. what would you say is a minimum height? and if i do let them start fruiting, will they really slow down their vegetative growth, or will they keep growing since it's so early in the season?

maria pureza 2008-05-16T16:35:18Z