🍅 Growing and pruning tomatoes: the secrets to a plentiful harvest

Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables (or fruit!) in our gardens. They're easy to grow, but can produce the best... or the worst, depending on how you look after them. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced gardener, here are the best practices you need to know to grow and prune your tomato plants successfully.

🌱 The right start: planting and location

It all starts with the choice of location. Tomatoes like sun, lots of sun: choose a well-exposed spot, sheltered from the wind, and if possible against a wall that stores heat.

Before planting:

• Wait until the last frosts have passed (generally after mid-May in French-speaking Switzerland).
• Enrich the soil with ripe compost or decomposed manure.
• Space your plants about 50 to 70 cm apart to ensure good air circulation.

Plant them deep: bury up to the first leaves so that the stem develops extra roots. This strengthens the plant and allows it to draw water and nutrients more effectively.

💧 Watering and mulching

Tomatoes like to keep their feet cool and their heads warm. For this, mulching is your best ally:

• Use hay, dead leaves or straw around the stem.
• This keeps in moisture, prevents weeds and limits disease by preventing soil splashing onto the leaves.

Watering:

• Water regularly but not excessively. Once a day in hot weather, preferably in the morning or evening.
• Avoid wetting the leaves, as this encourages mildew. Water directly at the base of the plant.

✂️ Pruning: should tomatoes be pruned?

Yes, but not always in the same way, as it all depends on the type of tomato:

🍅 Indeterminate tomatoes (the most common)

These are the ones that grow tall throughout the season. You need to:

• Remove the suckers: these secondary stems that grow in the leaf axils (between the main stem and a branch). They consume a lot of energy and produce little.
• Leave just one or two main stems, depending on the space available and the vigour of the plant.
• Stake the plants: tie them securely to a stake or vertical structure.

🍅 Determinate tomatoes (bushy varieties)

These varieties remain smaller and do not require pruning. Pruning is avoided so as not to compromise production. A simple light staking is sufficient.

💡 Bonus: tips for a successful harvest

• Pinch off the head of the plant (cut off the tip) at the end of the season (around mid-August) to concentrate energy on the fruit that has already formed.
• Remove the lower leaves as you go along, especially those in contact with the ground.
• Check regularly for diseases such as mildew (brown spots, blackening of the leaves): if in doubt, cut off the affected areas immediately.
• Rotate crops from year to year to prevent soil exhaustion.

🌿 To sum up