Sideshooting toms?

[Snadger]

I have some tomato varieties that I am not sure if they are indeterminate, determinate or semi determinate?

Would there be any great harm if I treated them all as cordon varieties and nipped our all side shoots?

[SarzWix]

If they're semi-determinate it won't matter, but if they're determinate they need the sideshoots or you'll only get one set of flowers

Which varieties are they? I'm sure someone will know

[Flummery]

If you leave one of each and see if they look like throwing a flower truss on the side-shoots you 'll be able to let them grow as bush. Maybe. Or did I dream that?

[COMPOST CORNER]

I think I may have been over zealous with side shooting. I'm not sure if I pinched out the growing tip of my "Sungold" tomato this morning

[Snadger]

If they're semi-determinate it won't matter, but if they're determinate they need the sideshoots or you'll only get one set of flowers

Which varieties are they? I'm sure someone will know

Sorry Sarz, I thought I'd already posted a reply...senility taking over again!

Right now, lets see 6 X San Marzano, 6 X Amish Paste, 6 X Long Red Sausage, 6 X Yellow Pear, 6 X Alicante, 6 X Gartenpearle and finally 12 X Shirley F1!

I know the Shirley and Alicante are cordon and the Gartenpeale are bush.

The Amish Paste is upright so I would guess cordon but the Long Red Sausage, San Marzano and Yellow Pear all look kind of 'bushy'?

Anyway, for the time being I've sideshooted everything bar the Gartenpearle!

PS Just realised this totals 48 tom plants................... but I have them in three greenhouses and now own a food dehydrator!

[FionaH]

Armish paste are cordons. Absolutely no idea about the rest

[SarzWix]

I think that's the way to go Snadger, I've got one or 2 that I wasn't sure of, so i took the sideshoots off them I've worked out that the Belarus Orange are a bush type because it's forming a truss at the end of the main shoot and there's no growing tip now! So I think I'd better leave it to side-shoot... My Eva Purple Ball are semi-determinate I reckon as they are sending out side shoots all over the shop, and they didn't get very tall last year.

For yours, I only know the San Marzano and the Amish Paste, and as Fiona says the AP are a cordon. But, you have to be a bit ruthless with them because they're a bit thuggish... They'll frantically try and shoot from everywhere, including the ends of the trusses I left a side-shoot on one of mine last year and it grew another massive truss of tomatoes, but then tried to shoot out of the sides of that too...!!
The San Marzano, there's a discussion somewhere about them and the conclusion was that there is more than one type of them on the market and some are bush, some are cordon.. Just to confuse everyone Mine are a cordon type, and haven't thrown out as many sideshoots as the AP, so far.

[King Carrot]

I side shoot my Alicante - sure about that but not sure about the others!

[Hazel at the Hill]

If they're semi-determinate it won't matter, but if they're determinate they need the sideshoots or you'll only get one set of flowers

Which varieties are they? I'm sure someone will know

Bugger. I've nipped the side shoots out of all mine (I don't know which are which) - I'd better make a list and ask too...

[mrdinkle]

I knew I forgot something. I had a post it note for on the greenhouse to remind me which is which and which I need to snip! It is on my desk in the office - no good to me there is it!