Should you pick tomatoes off your plant in the growing stage

Question

Plants are small and putting on a lot of fruit. Should they be picked so nutrients go to plant

Answer 1

Contrary to what many gardeners believe, thinning of tomato fruits in warm summer areas has no effect on the flavor or nutritional value of the remaining fruits, and only a slight influence on fruit size. In fact, fruit thinning may increase problems with fruit cracking, especially if you thin fruits just before a heavy rain. Commercial growers often thin to enhance uniform ripening, but home gardeners have little need for a crop that ripens all at once.