I would definately quit removing blossoms. At 2 ft. tall they are more than ready to produce fruit. I only remove buds that form before the plant goes into the garden, but I know some gardeners do. Good luck with your tomatoes.
Lew

Don't know why you are removing suckers since it sure isn't required and can cost you production but that is your choice.

As to blooms, like suckers, nothing says you MUST remove them and many of us never remove any of them. Early blooms when the plant is quite small usually won't set fruit anyway and fall off all on their own.

So the answer to your question based on 50 years of gardening would be why start in the first place? Stop whenever you wish.

Dave

The "trunk" is usually called a stem, or the main stem.

By the way, there's no need to remove suckers unless you are short on space. Suckers are simply the tomato's way of making branches. More branches => more fruit.

As was mentioned before, removing suckers is definitely not required. In fact, in CA if your plants get a lot of sun removing the suckers just gets you less tomatoes and more sunburn on your fruits I've found.

I was always told to remove the suckers too. I'm going to try leaving them this year since I have more room to plant in my community garden plot, maybe I'll get more tomatoes!

I would stop removing blossoms as soon as you want tomatoes, and I would stop removing suckers when you want to have more blossoms... In all seriousness, I would just stop messing with them.

If my plants have blossoms at the tops when I plant them out, I leave them alone. Odds are they'll fall off if the plant is not ready to start fruit production. The only type of pruning I recommend is leaf and sucker pruning below the first fruit cluster after the plants reach about 3ft. tall; And, of course, this only applies to indeterminates.

Tomatoes, and most garden plants - I find - like being left to their own devices. Plants do just fine without our intervention. Do all your garden prep, plant them out, water them in... Then leave them be. Look for them to tell you what they need (if they, in fact, need anything).

If they are wilting in the heat and slow to recover and you've been without rain for a while, water them. If they are producing a ton of fruit, haven't been fertilized in a while, and look like they could use a boost, fertilize them... Otherwise, leave them alone and they'll do alright.

Experienced gardeners who remove suckers from tomato plants are generally training indeterminate varieties to a single stem supported by a stake or suspended string. This allows for good air circulation where humidity is a problem, and allows some people to grow more varieties in a smaller area. The fruit is more visible, and sometimes these gardeners also thin their fruits for bigger or more perfect individual fruits.

If you are planting in big cages, you can leave suckers (those which won't lead to fruit lying on the ground) on indeterminate varieties. Especially if the air is dry and the sun is strong where you live, good leaf cover is an advantage in protecting fruits from sun scald.

Did you leave the bottom on the kiddie pool in which you planted your tomatoes? How do you plan to support your plants? Are they determinate or indeterminate varieties? Pruning determinate varieties to a single stem will lead to much less fruit, as they do not make new flower buds throughout the season as a single stem grows taller.

Carolync I wish there was a way to give kudos points or a thumbs up, that's exactly what I needed to know! Thank you so much for giving such a complete answer. I'm the curious type, and I always ask why about everything.