Suckers

When you hear the word "sucker" what do you think of?

-lollipop

-gullible person

-gardening

-all the above?

Growing up on a farm in Kentucky, when I heard the word sucker it caused me to groan.  Sweet treats were not headed my way that day.  Instead I would be walking through a field breaking off shoots of tobacco.  It was sticky and definitely not sweet.

Thankfully, when gardening on a small scale, pinching off the nutrient sucking shoots is not a miserable task.  Do it now before those suckers steal your joy.  Below are pictures from my tomatoes.

See also this article on pruning tomatoes.