Les, opinions are divided on the issue of whether one should take off all or most blossoms and tiny fruits before setting out plants in their final places, whether that be inground or in containers.

My own opinion is that I think it's best to do so b/c that keeps the plants in the vegetative phase of forming new roots and stems and foliage and all energy the plant makes is devoted to that rather than devoting energy to the sexual phase of the tomato life cycle which is blossom formation, fruit set and fruit maturation.

You can always leave a few tiny fruits or blossoms on the plant, but I'd rather help the plant become the strongest plant it can be before allowing it to go into the business of fruit formation and maturation.

Others will disagree I'm sure, but that's my opinion.

And there are many many threads here where the same question has been asked.

I know recently I suggested to someone that they should try to answer the question for themselves by taking two plants of the same variety, or more, and taking off early blossoms from half the plants and not the other half and see what happens,

Carolyn