Man, I wish all of you lived next to me, I'd be handing out tomato plants to everyone, pot luck plants though!!! From the compost, from the bed. Unbelievable, they're like dandilions here.......I planted up 100 of them volunteers and I'm still finding them.
Anyways Bigboy, Welcome!!!
As far as how to grow tomatoes it's as how you were brought up with them or your family was......
My father only took off the suckers, no pinching....... And caged and staked them up.
Now my husband's mother grew them and they were never touched after planting, no pinching, sucker's broken off or caged or staked!!!!
I couldn't imagine not caging and staking them as my beefsteak and beefmaster's are at least a 6ft. high plant. And so are my cherry tomato plants.
And I take off the suckers....
Theoretically it's suppose to take away from the main producing stem, and I do get good size fruit.
I grow: Celebrities, Beefsteak and Beefmaster, Sweet 100's (I like the grape one too!) Lemon Boy, Jet Star, Hienz, Roma's.
I like the size of the big boys' and they taste good. (no pun intended there Big Boy!!)The sweet 100's I grow for my "eatin' in the back 40" and Hubby's lunch. I like the Celebrity, they're a nice size, sturdy and early tomato. Mother likes the Jet Star and Hienz and I think they are a good tomato, produced good last year.
We grow the Lemon Boy for a slight change. Alot of people have never seen one before and are hesitant to try them sometimes.
I have never tried the purple or the whites.
You'll have to sneak me some seeds, I'd love to try them!!!
Big Boy, what did you mean by the leaves are curling? We had that happen to my mom's last year, first time I tried that variety in a raised bed. And wasn't sure if it was her adding extra fertilizer or too hot, which I can't believe for tomatoes. I'm still wondering.
Hope some of this info helped!!!
Weezie