Okay so for the BYC Gardening Thread I'm currently doing a Great Tomato Experiment. The experiment? Pruning vs. Non-Pruning.
The question is, does pruning tomatoes really significantly change the flavor and quality of the fruit? The current hypothesis of most experienced Garden Masters is that pruning bears better quality fruit while most gardeners in the thread don't notice a difference. So I'm going to find out once and for all which is better!
I am currently working with the following varieties. We live in the temperate Flanders region of Belgium, USDA growing zones 6-8; we get plenty of rainfall and relatively cool summers.
3 Indigo Rose (indeterminate)
3 Russian Black Sea Man (determinate)
3 Roma VF (determinate)
Of these, here is the list of pruned plants:
1 Indigo Rose
2 Russian BSMs
2 Roma VFs
Unpruned:
2 Indigo Roses
1 Russian BSM
1 Roma VF
They all are growing in the same zone, with the same amount of water and rainfall. All are watered every day to every other day. They get fed a homemade organic fertilizer once a week. The only changing variable is pruning. I pruned late after neglecting the plants through most of the season, as I didn't realize you could prune them, which meant that by the time I actually began, they were in bloom and beginning to fruit in some cases. The only thing I have done to the unpruned plants other than water and feeding is take off any yellow leaves or withered branches.
All are currently in flower or putting out first fruit. Three are fairly large, three are about medium, and three are kind of puny but have time to grow. This is being done in a rooftop garden in a large 1x1 meter tiered planter. I'm keeping relatively diligent watch and notes at this point, as I really haven't been this year and I want to do this experiment properly. Pruning took roughly three days to complete, so while we are technically on Day Four it is really more like Day One.
The unpruned IR plants have more immature fruit than all the BSM put together. The Romas are roughly in the middle with two half-developed tomatoes and a few small immature ones forming on the largest pruned plant. The BSM has only two half-grown fruits and one immature fruit on the pruned plants , with most blossoms still just flowers and not drying out yet.
The two unpruned BSM and Roma plants have only blossoms (and not many). All the IR plants are beginning to fruit, with the unpruned IR plants putting out more fruit than the pruned. I'll keep everyone updated daily on the experiment!
The question is, does pruning tomatoes really significantly change the flavor and quality of the fruit? The current hypothesis of most experienced Garden Masters is that pruning bears better quality fruit while most gardeners in the thread don't notice a difference. So I'm going to find out once and for all which is better!
I am currently working with the following varieties. We live in the temperate Flanders region of Belgium, USDA growing zones 6-8; we get plenty of rainfall and relatively cool summers.
3 Indigo Rose (indeterminate)
3 Russian Black Sea Man (determinate)
3 Roma VF (determinate)
Of these, here is the list of pruned plants:
1 Indigo Rose
2 Russian BSMs
2 Roma VFs
Unpruned:
2 Indigo Roses
1 Russian BSM
1 Roma VF
They all are growing in the same zone, with the same amount of water and rainfall. All are watered every day to every other day. They get fed a homemade organic fertilizer once a week. The only changing variable is pruning. I pruned late after neglecting the plants through most of the season, as I didn't realize you could prune them, which meant that by the time I actually began, they were in bloom and beginning to fruit in some cases. The only thing I have done to the unpruned plants other than water and feeding is take off any yellow leaves or withered branches.
All are currently in flower or putting out first fruit. Three are fairly large, three are about medium, and three are kind of puny but have time to grow. This is being done in a rooftop garden in a large 1x1 meter tiered planter. I'm keeping relatively diligent watch and notes at this point, as I really haven't been this year and I want to do this experiment properly. Pruning took roughly three days to complete, so while we are technically on Day Four it is really more like Day One.
The unpruned IR plants have more immature fruit than all the BSM put together. The Romas are roughly in the middle with two half-developed tomatoes and a few small immature ones forming on the largest pruned plant. The BSM has only two half-grown fruits and one immature fruit on the pruned plants , with most blossoms still just flowers and not drying out yet.
The two unpruned BSM and Roma plants have only blossoms (and not many). All the IR plants are beginning to fruit, with the unpruned IR plants putting out more fruit than the pruned. I'll keep everyone updated daily on the experiment!
