Hi riti - if you will go to the Growing Tomatoes forum (linked at the top of this forum's front page page) you'll find several discussions about this question. A search there will pull them up for you.

I think you'll find there is no real consensus on it - just as many folks and just as much research says no as those that say yes.;) So basically it is up to you.

Fruit size is pretty much determined by the genes of the variety, not the gardener. But why not try both ways - remove some and leave some - and see what works best for you.

Dave

The first tomatoes of the season are always bigger. All the plants energy goes into making those first ones and then after that, the fruit tends to get smaller. Perhaps that is because the plant has to work harder to make leaves to shade the plant once the temps go up. Regular feedings with a TOMATO fertilizer (I use Ortho) will keep those BIG types like BeefMaster, Goliath and Brandywine making big fruit. That is what it is designed to do. That is what nurseries like Gurney's & PARK'S use. (Don't use Miracle Grow for bigger, better fruit. It's formula is designed primarily for growth, leaf production and "green-up". You're not growing grass, so why use the same fertilizer you use on your grass? For that same reason, I do not add manure to my general vegetable gardens in the Spring - only in the Fall, the exception being for planting melons, pumpkins and squash which are super heavy feeders.
For Flowers and Fruit, you need a fertilizer designed for only that.

I have heard from so-called experts lately that once the tomato plants begin to set fruit (on determinate type tomatoes only, like Romas), you should remove all the leaves BELOW the fruit and below any new fruit-producing flowers. This will put all the energy into making the fruit as big as it can get rather than wasting the plant's energy making more leaves. I am going to try this on a few of my Roma tomatoes and see what gives.

~ sweetannie4u

The first tomatoes of the season are always bigger. All the plants energy goes into making those first ones and then after that, the fruit tends to get smaller.

In all my years of tomato growing I have never read nor experienced this. Regular feedings with a TOMATO fertilizer (I use Ortho) will keep those BIG types like BeefMaster, Goliath and Brandywine making big fruit. That is what it is designed to do. That is what nurseries like Gurney's & PARK'S use. (Don't use Miracle Grow for bigger, better fruit. It's formula is designed primarily for growth, leaf production and "green-up".

What Ortho fertilizer product are you using? Did you know that Ortho (which you are recommending) and Miracle Grow (which you are not recommending) are both owned by the Scott's corporation? For Flowers and Fruit, you need a fertilizer designed for only that.

Please explain why. We are talking here primarily about growing plants in the ground. Wouldn't it make more sense to understand what nutrients a plant generally needs and then get a soil test to see what is lacking and just add that? I have heard from so-called experts lately that once the tomato plants begin to set fruit (on determinate type tomatoes only, like Romas), you should remove all the leaves BELOW the fruit and below any new fruit-producing flowers. This will put all the energy into making the fruit as big as it can get rather than wasting the plant's energy making more leaves.

Picking off part of any plant usually just results in it making more of that part. I don't see how removing leaves (which feed the plant as well as shade fruit from sun scald) is going to focus plant energy into the fruit versus making more leaves to replace what was lost.