Kitchen Garden Forum

I've not grown Beefsteak tomatoes before. Can you tell me if it correct to pinch out the first flower on each truss to avoid overcrowding.

Thanks
Beryl.

Tomato, tomato (that makes so much more sense when out loud) some people sware by it, some say it doesn't matter
To adapt a bee keeping saying, ask 2 gardeners a question get 3 opinions

I don't - I'm usually thankful for anything I get off Beefsteaks as they don't usually set very many. What varieties are you growing? I grew Beefmaster and Cherokee Purple both for the first time last year and was well pleased with them both so have included them again.

I've no idea the variety it was one I was given and when I asked the name I got the same answer. One of our newbies seems to be trying anything and everything without labeling either and said he had heard the practice so I wondered if I would give it a go.

Bit hit and miss I think isn't it. But thanks for your replies.

Beryl.

I've never removed any flowers from beefsteak tomatoes. The practice is probably to remove the first flower which seems to be more dominant and so produce a larger crop of slightly smaller fruits. Conversely, if you wanted one very large fruit for showing you would leave the first large flower and remove the rest. I haven't tried this so can't prove this.

Some good beefsteak varieties I've tried are Wladek, Double rich, and Cherokee green. Super Marmande is good too. I've been disappointed with the flavour of Brandy wine.

Thank you Plumbpudding. I think maybe it could be a Marmande but so far I am not convinced by replies there is much to be gained by pinching out.

Beryl

Predictive text turned Marmande into marmalade!!!

The effectiveness of removing flowers depends on what purpose you are growing the tomatoes for, and that is not as stupid a statement as it sounds !!

If growing solely for eating then pinching out a few flowers should give some extra strength and size to the remaining fruit, and to the plant itself

If growing for show purposes and hoping to produce tomatoes that slice into decent sandwich sizes then leaving just the strongest looking flower on each truss is a common method.

2014 we tried Faworyt and the best result was a 1lb tomato. Excellent flavour

Last year we tried the new Gigantomo, which I mentioned on a thread here at the time. Good flavour, think I could have done better with them so trying them again this year.

Ma Snip also trying Pink Brandywine this year for the first time

On the Gigantomo I will probably pinch out to the three strongest looking per plant as these will be grown for show purposes

I'm rubbish at pinching out ... So I'm afraid I can't help.

We grow marmande - mixed results, if you can get them to ripen they have great taste. I don't have a greenhouse so have to grow them outside and I can't help think the beefsteak needs more heat than I can provide?

I wish I had a photo but with marmande I have found that the first fruit is always a bit of a mutant? Massive/multiple flower thing that then forms a really weird looking fruit. Don't know if anyone else has found this?