Dr. Carolyn J. Male, author of 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden has grown out thousands of varieties of tomato plants and found there there is little to no difference in yield or quality if you pinch suckers or prune. She also frequents the tomato forum here at GW. The difference is mostly in the aesthetics for the human growing the plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden

make them stronger? No.

"Pinching" as one often does with flowers to make them bushier isn't the same thing when it comes to tomatoes. ;) "Pinching" off the growing tip of a tomato plant isn't usually advised. Pruning (the removal of suckers) on determinate varieties usually reduces production. Indeterminate varieties can be pruned but it is purely optional depending on the form of containment - staked or caged and the gardener's preference in plant appearance. Since yours are caged rather than staked it likely isn't necessary.

Indeterminate varieties get tall because that is their nature. They will keep on growing and producing till freeze. ;)

Tomato Pruning FAQ

Pinching off tomatoes previous discussion

Wait a sec..... I was told that I should prune dense tomato plants to increase air circulation. Any credence to that theory?

Again, have a little faith that mother nature designed the plant to grow the way it was created to grow in the first place.

If you feel you need more air circulation, rethink the caging methodology you're using - also something catered more for the human than the plant.

I pinch off late season blooms. I figure there is no sense in the plant diverting energy into a fruit that will not happen before it freezes.

mawmaw,

Some people routinely "top" their plants. It will keep them shorter, and cause the plants to bush out. There isn't much point in a 9 foot plant that requires a step-ladder to pick the fruit at the top, especially if you are a short person.

lelia,

Tomato plants can be prone to fungus, particularly if your weather is both hot and humid. If you plant them close fungus can be a difficult problem, and pruning will decrease the density of foliage and improve the air circulation, thus lessening the chance of fungal growth. You can also spray with an anti-fungal of your choice. What you choose to do should depend on your weather conditions and your garden.

Having faith in mother nature is a philosophy, and not the only one. At the very least, species go extinct, all by themselves. Not all species thrive in the natural environment. So much for the perfection of Mother Nature.

Caging and staking, just like vegetable gardening, are constructs. They are not necessarily easier (catering to the human), in fact they can be a lot of work. They allow the gardener to plant tomatoes closer together, when space is an issue. More importantly these techniques keep the fruit off the ground, where it can rot more easily and may be vulnerable to pests like slugs. Mulching can help with the rotting problem, but will provide a wonderful habitat for slugs. Caging and staking will fix that, but may make your 'maters more vulnerable to birds. Once again it depends on your garden conditions.

Petro

There isn't much point in a 9 foot plant that requires a step-ladder to pick the fruit at the top, especially if you are a short person.

True, but there is no reason to have a 9' plant anyway unless you are in a contest with the neighbor. ;) The plant just drapes back down over the top of the cage or stake and keeps on doing its thing - making more tomatoes. Top it off instead and you limit production. I guess I just assume that most folks want as many tomatoes as they can get out of a plant. ;)

But if your goal is a 5' bushy plant that never outgrows its cage or stake and limited production is ok with you, why not just plant determinate varieties? There are lots of great ones available and you can stagger their planting times and get tomatoes for most of the summer.

green tomatoes are good for all kinds of stuff, so i just let them keep producing until I pick everything when a frost is predicted

"will pinching them keep them more "bushy"?"

ouch!! might make em mad

I once pinched off winter squash blossoms at the end of the season to have them not waste energy on that, but what did the plant do, it made more blooms. So I let them do what they want now.