But I have 10 Brandywines in the ground, they have been real troopers never really showing signs of P deficiency like the others. Thing is, 1 of them (planted 4-6" deep) is only about 1 ft tall (as most of them are), and has a flower starting to open. I was going to pinch it but since I have 9 others (plus more in 1 gal pots that are starting to get buds - but those are taller - I know I need to find homes for them) I thought I might just leave it to see if it fruits soon (something like the normal Aug-Sept harvest?). Wondering how tall (or not) it will get?

Then I had a thought - talking to my cousin today, health and marital problems have prevented her from planting anything she started or that I gave her earlier, I'm afraid those tomatoes will never produce anything now since they're still in 4" pots (or smaller?) in her greenhouse. She can't manage the in-ground gardening, I do have a few hybrids I could give her, but would this small BW stay small enough to put in say a 5 gal pot and give her something, anything? I could pull it and put in a 1-2 gal pot I have, she would have to get a larger one and set it in the driveway or something.

Dave

I'll just give her the determinates.

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I respectfully disagree.

I was in a nursery (Freymeyer's) this morning. They had these tomato plants on CLEARANCE sale ($0.79 per plants) The plants were still in those 3 to 4' square singles. They have been in this place for long time, watered and fertilized. for months.Tthey all had small fruits , among them were many BRANDYWINEs too, with fruits the size of cherries and smaller,. The had been in one cubic pint of soil.

Tomorrow , if I remember, I will go there and take some pictures.
Container size is not the only requirement for plants to fruit. Actually, when plants are deprived of good growing conditions, they often tend to fruit much sooner although the fruits are smaller. My Brandywine, that I planted two months ago, in good soil and it is over 3 ft tall, abot 18" in diameter, just has few flowers. On a second though I might just buy and experiment on one of those 79 cent BWs. Thou I do not have room for it . Maybe I plant it in a gallon pot ..much better than a pint ..haha

I am not denying that highly stressed plants will bloom or even set a fruit. But you are assuming that fruit will actually ripen and be edible rather than develop BER or even be aborted. So I guess I should have said one edible fruit but I assumed that was a given.

Nor am I claiming that "container size is the only requirement for plants to fruit." It is one of the primary requirements but then so is the mix in the container, the variety used, the growing conditions provided, the care given it, etc.

Nor can you assume that a plant that is currently stressed and trying to set fruit won't recover if given the proper growing conditions. Most do. But those proper growing conditions aren't a 5 gallon bucket, not for even a healthy Brandywine. It would recover only to hit another artificially imposed limit and go right back into stressed mode producing more BER and aborted blooms and fruit. So why would you gift someone something doomed to failure from the get-go?

So should I just pinch them to get back in vegetative mode if I'm leaving it in the ground,

Sure. Removing blooms and early fruit from highly stressed plants to trigger them back into vegetative mode is the standard practice.

Dave

I'll tie a piece on yarn on that BW and report back later in the season, let you all know how it compared with the ones that were set out the same time but didn't flower early, and the larger ones transplanted 4th of July (when the rain should stop, at least temporarily).

Wish I could give my cousin some (more) indeterminates, but she just can't handle anything bigger than 5 gal, not unless I buy totes and make Raybo's SWCs for her.

Thanks again Dave!

The BWs never purpled as much as some of my others (the Mark Twain planted 6/17 still look a little peaky), but they haven't doubled in size either - I think they went in on 6/8, most of the plants I put in 6/3 had to be pulled and replaced - just too much rain and I planted the runts still in 6 packs first.

I think this is the latest I've ever planted tomatoes - except for the leftovers I didn't sell last year (that never really produced after getting them in late June - makes me wonder about even putting in the large ones now but they look so healthy I hate to compost them).

Next year a hoop house or at least set the transplants out under row cover (I can't afford 100 WOWs)!

macbttz - where are you in CT that's zone 10??