It is a lot of fun to meet gardeners from all over the world and exchange knowledge and experiences. I truly enjoy that and Steemit has given me an outlet to do it. I have found it difficult in the past to discuss growing techniques and gardening on most social platforms. Now, thinking about all this, I can share and discuss these things with like-minded folks -- and we can all reward each other in the process. How incredible is that?!

It encourages me to share even more time; creating media, sharing resources and information, commenting and networking with my fellow Steemians is fun. The rewards are a welcome bonus. I'm just glad there are so many homesteaders and DIY minded individuals here - it's beautiful.

I was inspired to create some media to share in the discussions (comments), so thanks for allowing me to share it with you!

Pruning your indeterminate tomato plants in flowering

Things to Remember:

• Use sterile / clean cutting tools (always clean after each plant - do not use on more than one plant without cleaning in between, to avoid spreading disease from plant to plant

• Leave some leaves! Tomatoes like the shade provided by the foliage, so be sure to leave some. Trimming too much foliage increases sun scold and also reduces the energy intake. Leaves are photon-collectors, so think of them as solar panels AND with the utility of providing shade for the precious fruits.

• The energy being consumed can be directed where we want it by careful pruning. "Sucker" growth is a new growth, usually from a node of the plant, that will 'suck up' energy to try to establish itself. Pinching or pruning these off early will help channel energy to fruit production rather than making branches and foliage.

• Support is Vital! Just like it is here on Steemit, it's equally vital to the plants that will be holding much more weight than an average tomato plant. The average for a single tomato plant yield in a home garden is about 10 pounds/4.5 kilos (from my own personal gathering of data). More experienced commercial growers can fetch 75-90 lbs (34-41 kilos) with intensive methods. You will need some serious support to hold that sort of weight and a typical tomato cage is not going to work. I have had them bend and fall over with the entire crop, so it is important to plan ahead.

A Few Secrets to Growing BIG, Delicious Tomatoes:

• Beefsteak varieties are great for size - Mortgage Lifter, Delicious, Brandywine, Pineapple are my favorites and not only grow large fruits but are top-notch flavor as well.

• Soil is key! Tomatoes are heavy feeders - I experiment with organic supplements and nutrients like kelp and micronutrients. Lots of Phosphorous and Potash!

• Bigger Roots = Bigger Fruits - tomatoes like to search deep into the soil for nutrients and they like to spread out their roots. I try to plant my plants when they are nearly 3 ft tall - planting about 24"-30" below the soil line. Burying the stem below soil will encourage root growth / more roots = more fruits.

• Support! Indeterminate varieties need something to lean or climb on. I use several techniques, but any kind of support is better than none. You will need to have something that can hold the weight of massive fruits. Most garden tomato cages can't hold 50 lb of tomatoes ;)

• Keep main stems/leader branches to a maximum of 3 or 4. Prune off sucker growth below the first set of flowers, being sure not to cut the branch below the new growth (it alters the hormones and can stunt growth cycle). I pluck off these growths to allow nutrients to flow to the fruits. If you want larger fruits, simply prune and leave the larger, fast growing ones. Too many flowers will make the plant struggle to uptake the nutrients provided.

• Stress training! Tapping and bending the seedlings, blowing a fan on them helps to strengthen the herd. I also use techniques where I bend or crush the inner herd and it essentially multiplies the channels for nutrient uptake. Think of it like expanding the lanes of a highway = wider road can have more lanes of cars. Same idea. This can take some experimenting and mistakes, so proceed with caution.

• Watering is key - later in the season I tend to water much less and I allow the plants to dry out a bit. I think the tomatoes have much more flavor during that time they are seeking water (instead of being fed it). Many growers also attest that this technique produces more flavor, but it depends on the variety.

source: my comment on steemit

Why is it important to keep the leaves off the ground?

Soil-born disease can spread to plants when it rains. I try to keep all of my tomato plants away from the ground, especially later in the season when airflow is more important than ever. I recommend pruning and training plants to be away from the soil. Mulching can help quite a bit and even landscape fabric/weed blocking fabric can prevent many issues. When the fruits are on the ground, they are also free-game for pests and critters. Proper airflow throughout the plant is absolutely necessary when the plants are focusing on fruit production. The last thing you want is your tomatoes rotting on the plant or to lose plants during peak harvest time.

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I first stumbled upon @thelaundrylady on this post here and we continued the discussion in a recent post thread of mine:

Now Growing: The Dutchman • An Heirloom Tomato with a Good Story

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Gardening is about learning - constantly. The more we know, the more we grow

That all starts with sharing of information. I've given praise to the Steemit platform enough for one post, but where else can you share, discuss, interact, learn, create AND get rewarded? I see a strong garden and homestead community here on Steemit and I want to identify ways that I can help enhance the overall experience of these communities.

Concluding Thoughts:

Part Two of this 2 part article will further elaborate on each tip and technique shared above, while also providing some useful resources to enhance your garden. Whether you consider yourself a newbie or expert, there is so much to learn! The next part of this will be packed with some visual references as well as some great references that I use frequently.

The reason I say the more you know, the more you grow is because it's true!

Furthering independence is promoting liberty and freedom

We can control our future by accepting responsibility today. I firmly believe that if more people were to enhance their skills and grow food that less starvation would occur.

Every little bit that we can grow for ourselves and our communities gets us farther from the dependence of large corporations that feed us poison for profit.

There is no reason to allow the monopoly over what we eat any longer.

We have the power of the internet and the ability to share information in fractions of a second.

We have a platform here that can afford us even further incentive to earn, power up and continue to strengthen this Steemit community.

I figure it would be a waste to not use this opportunity to encourage more of you to come together and grow something incredible. No amount of division can generate the power that unification of humans with a common goal can achieve.

If you like what I am doing please let me know! It's my fuel to create. If you are interested in learning how to generate profit from your garden and get started generating an income from your yard - please check out my GROWING MONEY IN YOUR YARD SERIES

It's a Steem it exclusive series that is ongoing, currently about 1.5 hours of reading - it is extensive.

It's geared toward gardeners with an established garden and experience growing quality produce, however, I am calling for curators and authors to help write content to broaden that reach to newer individuals in the gardening community. If that sounds like something you might be interested in helping me do, feel free to join me in the Growing Money Discord.

PREVIOUS PARTS OF THIS SERIES:

🌱to💰- Growing Money In Your Yard Series - {Introduction & Synopsis}

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🌱to💰• Growing Money In Your Yard Series • {pt1} • Learn the Laws, Plan & Prepare

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🌱to💰• Growing Money In Your Yard Series • {pt2} • Grow What You Know & How to Find Profitable Opportunities

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🌱to💰• Growing Money In Your Yard Series • {pt3} • In-Depth Look At How I Started & What You Need To Succeed!

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🌱to💰- Growing Money In Your Yard Series Returns! Calling All Homesteaders & Green-Thumbs!

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🌱to💰- Growing Money In Your Yard Series NOW HAS A DISCORD!!

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🌱to💰- Growing Money In Your Yard Series • {part 4.1} • Setting Yourself Up to Grow Money

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You can also find all previous parts of the series HERE which is in the "PUBLISHED" Room on Growing Money In Your Yard Discord

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all media and content in this post in original work of @grow-pro and exclusive to Steemit platform. Help let the others know what they are missing by sharing this content on your alternative social platforms, thanks!

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