Pruning tomato plants is not necessary in all cases, but it can potentially help increase your yields, improve the health of your plants, and even provide an earlier harvest. This quick video explains why – and how to do it.

Do you prune your tomato plants?

While it’s not a necessity, some gardeners swear by pruning their tomato plants for better yields. It can also encourage the plants to put more energy into fruiting, bringing on an earlier harvest.

Small Garden Tip: It also helps reduce plant size, allowing you to plant more tomatoes in a smaller amount of garden space.

Remember that you should only prune indeterminate types, and not determinate tomatoes. (Check out our earlier post on this if you’re not sure of the difference.)

You may also wish to remove lower leaves to prevent the spread of blight, and even top off your plants once they reach a certain height.

This quick video explains how to prune your tomato plants correctly for optimal results: