To Pinch Or Not To Pinch? Conclusion

At the beginning of the summer we planted two yellow pear cherry tom seedlings and did a garden experiment with them:

1. One plant we pinched out the shoots
2. The other we did not

(bountiful bushes)  

The conclusion we have come to is that pinching made no real difference to the yield. The fruit was just as tasty and abundant for both plants.

(Pinched & Pruned)

  

However, the un-pinched plant's fruit was just much harder to get to!

(The Monster)

So purely for manageability (and pleasurable garden aesthetics), we have continued to pinch all our toms this season, and so far we're having a bumper crop! Yum!

To Pinch Or Not To Pinch?

Summer is coming and our Tomatoes are expanding with great gusto. So we've been reading up on whether or not to pinch out the shoots. The "shoots" grow between the main stem and the branches and have potential to develop just as productively and vigorously as the main plant its self. 

  

There are pro's and con's for both options, so we couldn't decide. Instead we're experimenting, after all - that's what our little garden is all about. We have two yellow Pear Cherry Tom's growing side by side and they were put in at the same time. We are going to pinch one and leave the other... just for fun!


In the meantime, we read you can plant the pinchings and they will regrow into a new plant! How cool! We'll give that a go too, here are our three little trials, every day they look a little droopy but pick up after a good drink. So fingers crossed!

  

Stay tuned!


See here for the results.