Pruning Tomatoes
Should you prune your tomatoes? I'm in the "yes" camp, because pruning seems to produce bigger, better quality fruits. And pruning tomatoes isn't like pruning fruit trees; it's not hard work, and you don't need to climb a ladder or even use any special equipment. To prune tomatoes, all you do is remove the side shoot, which has formed in the angle where a leaflet branch is attached to the main stem, when it's 3 to 4 inches long. Everywhere you see a leaflet branch, you'll see a sideshoot or sucker. Just pull the sideshoots off with your fingers. "Pruning and Training Tomatoes" provides a detailed explanation of this and a technique called the Missouri Method with a pictorial guide for you to follow.
Feeding and Watering
The key to caring for tomatoes is regularity; tomatoes must never be allowed to dry out. An even supply of water will maximize growth and help prevent blossom end rot. Tomatoes are thirsty plants; they'll need at least 1 inch of water per week; if the temperature gets over 90 degrees, they'll need 2 inches per week.
To help avoid blight, you should water only at the base of the plant and early in the day. (Moisture on foliage encourages blight, which is why I grow all my tomatoes "undercover".)
Tomatoes are also heavy feeders; no matter how much organic material you worked into your tomato plot, they'll need to be fertilized. I fertilize mine with Miracle-Gro (but I fertilize everything with Miracle-Gro)! Alvin D. Rutledge, professor of Plant & Soil Science at The University of Tennessee, advises to apply sidedressings of ammonium nitrate (a source of nitrogen) beginning when the fruit on the first cluster is about the size of a half-dollar and repeating every four weeks through harvest. (Don't do it before this time or you'll ruin the fruit set!) To sidedress, apply one tablespoon of ammonium nitrate in a circle around the plant about 12 inches from the plant.
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