Do you transplant after the threat of frost has passed? Or do you wait until nighttime temperatures are expected to remain above 55 degrees F to avoid blossom drop?

Here in Mesa it is passed the threat of frost. But it will be quite some time before nighttime temps will remain above 55 degrees F.

My plants are getting big. So I just pruned 6"-8" off the top of four of my eight plants. Which leaves them at roughly 10"-12" inches tall with 4-5 suckers each. The top sucker of each will likely become the new Growing Tip.

I did this assuming that I would be planting in early March to avoid Blossom Drop.

After I chopped them. I thought some more. And since I do not plan on letting them flower and produce any fruit before they are planted outdoors. I could have just planted outdoors. Then they would have had an extra month to get established in the growing bed. Though there is always a slight chance we could get another cold snap. Which is why I played it safe.

There are pro's and con's to planting sooner rather than later. And this is the first time I have cut the terminal bud on a tomato plant so young. Here in Arizona an Indeterminate can get huge. So Yea, I have cut lots of tomato vines once a plant is massive. So I think I know what to expect. But could use a little reassurance.

These plants are growing fast and I needed to either slow them down or plant them outdoors. Did I mess up? Will it be OK.

In this situation. What do you do or what would you do?

By the way. I started from seed and up-potted three weeks ago into 6" pots. All of the plants are indeterminate. I planted SunGold, Juliet, Thessaloniki and SunCherry/Sun Cherry. I may buy an indeterminate BeefSteak locally to plant next month.

My method is to watch air temperatures, soil temperatures and dates. Nighttime temps at or above 50 degrees F, soil temps above 60 degrees...I actually like to wait until the daytime soil temp is above 65 F. All this generally happens in my area after May 5-10. Our average last frost is the third week of April and I wait for a couple of weeks after that date in case we have a cold snap. Lots of early starters have to replant if they started in April, so why not wait until May. Later planted tomatoes catch up anyway and often surpass those affected by cooler temperatures.

And I never, ever prune. That I think sets the plants back in their natural growth, does not increase production or flavor and puts stress on fragile early plants.

Paul, the dates mean nothing to me because I live in Lala land where weather is very different than yours, but I have been agonizing about buying tomato plants which are in all the nurseries/box stores now. While temps are better than yours, our weather has been just as unusual here, and I'm just not ready to waste the time and effort when things aren't somewhat stable again. Mine need to be well established and blooming before the first blast of heat, but with weird weather, when that may happen this year is anybody's guess. I still have a tomato from last early fall bearing, but it's worn out and with the yoyo weather it's time to pull it and start over. I feel your guide lines are correct, even here.

I thank you both for your responses. I have always gone by air temperature. Never even considered soil temps and it never freezes here in zone 9B. Thank you Paul. I really have no clue what temp the soil is in the raised bed. Will have to check on that.

However it is necessary to prune Indeterminate tomato plants here. If I didn't there wouldn't be enough room in my yard to contain them.

Link to my garden a few years back on PhotoBucket where I am THISISMETWO.

http://s266.photobucket.com/us...

Carol, do you get May Gray and June Gloom up there? They're the reason I don't buy plants until maybe mid-June. If I buy early the plants just sit there waiting for sun.

Yes to both.

Wow, I have never intentionally topped tomato
plants.

I plant most years at the very end of April here in zone 6B. Some years do have to wait because I do push the planting date.

Thisisme2: I always went up when I had raised beds. Six foot cages and the tomatoes fountained down the sides of the cages. I still use the cages even though there is plenty of room to spread out. Works for me.

Up here in the Great White North, I plant by instinct or I simply get tired of dicking around and stick them in the ground.
Planting though may cover weeks, not days.
I will plant from ground is good to till, till stores selling at clearance prices.

A cold snap will ,for lacking of a better word, stun them and they will sit till they feel like growing and this can happen all through may so waiting for perfect time is an exercise in frustration and pointless.

I will on odd occasions, if they are small enough put something over them for over night protection but as I said, that only happens on odd occasions.

PaulF, those little cages would not work without very heavy pruning here. My trellises are eight feet high. They climb those go over the six foot horizontal run and down the eight feet on the other side. Where I need to prune them to keep them off the ground. And it takes quite a lot of pruning.

Here are two early season pictures of the trellis in my backyard.

Newyorkrita, tomatoes are often still on the vine in December here. With our bright sunlight and plenty of water. An indeterminate tomato plant can grow quite large.

This is one of my favorite pictures of an indeterminate tomato plant. And no, this one is not mine.

RpR, I agree with you. As long as you are paying attention to the weather so that you don't get caught off guard. Assuming you have what you need to cover and or warm the plants. If you check out some of my old pictures on PhotoBucket. You will see a lot Christmas lights up in December. My garden is going to be a lot smaller this time though.

Our average last 32 degree frost here (10% chance) is April 28th. I like to wait until early-mid May before putting out tomatoes, because the ground temp is warm enough (above 60 degrees), the air temp is consistently (and rarely below) in the upper 70's by day and 50's by night. The weather is normally coherent with those planting dates. Some years, though, one may need to plant later, it just depends. Tomatoes really take off at this planting date.

I have never intentionally topped tomato plants either! I don't like to prune mine.

JacobtheRockFarmer, by mid May our temps will be 100 degrees here. I want to have everything planted before then.

Updated picture. The next lower sucker has become the new growth tip on each plant.

thisisme2 said:Updated picture. The next lower sucker has become the new growth tip on each plant.

Well, the plants do look very good.

@thisisme, I have to build my tomato cage like yours. Except I paint them green, they last longer. I no longer buy cages at the garden center. They are not sturdy enough for me.

But my tomato plants are out. I killed the last batch of plants I got from the nursery because of unpredictable weather. One cucumber and two zucchini plants. One died and the other two plants were just stunned. No growth.

I push the season to get my plants out also. So far these past few years very lucky as everything did very well.

An alternative view:

It almost never gets into the 50s reliably at night in Oregon. That's just coastal weather. Even when it's been 80 for weeks it's just barely touching mid 50s at night. I plant outside in early April, or this year mid March because I have wall o waters. Plants struggle at first but I still have massive, delicious tomatoes before everyone else on most forums.