How to Prune Tomato Plants

First, you can start with pruning your young tomato plants – pruning off some of the first blossoms can help the tomato plant will help it put more energy into growing bigger. Pruning off the first blossoms on your seedlings and plants is especially good to do before transplanting, so they can spend energy getting their roots settled in before going into seed production mode. 

Some gardeners also like to prune the tomato suckers off of indeterminate tomato plants (you can root suckers in water to make more tomato plants or just compost them.)With indeterminate tomatoes you'll see small new branches sprouting in the elbow spot where a branch meets the stem – many gardners like to pinch those off. We often run out of time and don't prune tomato suckers, but you can try it if you're ambitious! Some people swear by it, though we find that they usually do just as well either way. 

One other thing we recommend with pruning your tomato plants is to prune off the lower leaves that are more likely to touch the ground or get splashed with soil when watering. This allows for more airflow under the plant, reducing the risk of fungal and bacterial diseases that thrive in moist, dense conditions.

If you have long leggy tomato seedlings, don't worry! When you transplant them into bigger pots or into the garden, just bury most of their stem into the ground. The stems will grow roots and give your tomato a much more robust root system that will help it thrive and be more productive. You can also prune off the lower leaves of tomato seedlings to bury and get a deeper root system. 

Choosing a wide range of tomato seeds is a great way to grow a salsa garden so you can experience all the flavors and colors of different tomatoes from your garden. Grow both heirlooms and hybrids and you will surely have a great tomato harvest come late summer. 

Want more tomatoes?

Check out our Short Season Tomatoes that come to harvest earlier in the season, and over a longer growing season so you'll have plenty to make salsa recipes with! If you have late spring frosts or early fall frosts, short season tomatoes are the fastest growing tomatoes you can grow so you'll be much more successful, whether you prune them or not!

Happy growing!