Question about transplanting tomato

I bought a Beef stake tomato today - its about 18 in. tall. I understand that I should bury the stem about two thirds in the soil. My question is: it has some buds on it already. should I pinch these off and wait for the root system to establish and the plant to grow more, or should I leave them alone?

thanks in advance.

Cue_chik,

Most people will tell you to pinch the blossoms, so that the tomato will spend its energy establishing new roots and growing more plant. I can't find the reference right now, but I seem to remember that tomato blooms come in cycles of less than three weeks. So if they are blooming now and you pinch the blooms, you should still see more blooms fairly soon.

The problem you may have will be heat and humidity--in many areas of Florida, tomatoes are a fall/winter/spring crop and don't do well into summer. There are several growers from Florida in the Tomato Forum. Hopefully one of them will see your message and comment about growing in Florida.

David

Thanks!

I would prune off the buds and small shoots and plant DEEP in a good soil. It should do well up till the start of the rainy season. After that, tomatoes become a real challenge due to the rain and high humidity. Good luck. I'm trying some new hybrids this year.

Pinch off the blooms to promote the root & plant growth. I had far better results from the plants that had regular bloom pinches until they were big enough to support the crop than the ones that I let just flower when they wanted. They will bloom again and produce tomatoes.

As far as FL climate, I have no clue.

Thanks for the info! I will promptly pinch off the buds and build the soil up just a tad higher. I appreciate the tips. hopefully, maybe this year I'll have some luck!

cue_chik - I lived in Palm Beach County for 30+ years and always grew tomatoes in the Winter. Tomatoes do not like really hot weather - they don't even do well here in NC once August rolls around!

Even tho it's central fl, I don't think they would survive. We do get quite a few hard freezes here. Maybe fall would be a good time? But I've already got this one, so will see how it goes lol. If I get just 1 tomato I'll be thrilled hehehe

If it was here, I'd pinch off all the side branches and blooms and bury the stem as deep as possible to develop a good root system.

In Florida, though, it may not be terribly long until your temps reach 90 degrees. Once it's over 90 degrees and with high humidity, new tomatoes won't set on. You may want to leave those blooms to set some tomatoes before it gets too hot. Once set on, the tomatoes will develop and ripen even in the heat - and if you can keep the plant going through the summer you may get more tomatoes off it in the fall and winter.

Florida is tough on maters, except maybe for cherries. I had some go rouge on me (Palm Beach County, too) and I hear they;re still found in the trees.....