Tomatoes will grow bigger and juicier fruit if a 10-second task is done once a week

Tomatoes are nearing the end of the harvest season, but there is still time to get lots of tasty fruit and there is even a really quick 10-second task which can help them grow even bigger. When a tomato plant has ripening fruit on it they tend to grow suckers, which are small shoots that grow between the main stem and the vine branches.

Suckers help the plant spread its foliage so it gets more sunlight and grows more fruit, but they get their name because they drain so much energy from the tomatoes. In late summer, if you leave suckers alone it can really affect the quality of your tomato fruit, and make it more likely they grow shrivelled or smaller.

Toni, a gardener and founder of Simple Frugal Life, explained that not tending to suckers can also affect the health of the plant so it is best to remove them.

She said: "If you leave your side shoots to grow, and don't pinch them out, the plants may become very heavy, may become tangled, and could be hard to manage and control. They will take up a lot of space too."

Removing suckers helps tomatoes focus more and fruit production, keeps it tidy and stops it becoming stressed so you are more likely to get bigger fruit.

How to remove tomato suckers

It is really easy to get rid of suckers and should only take a few seconds, as all you need to do is pinch them off with your fingers.

Simply look for a small shoot growing between the main stem on a tomato plant and the branch, then simply use your thumb and forefinger to snap it off.

Make sure to be gentle and avoid twisting the shooters too hard otherwise you can damage the tomato stem.

It is best to catch shooters early when they are young and tender as it makes it easier to remove them, so make sure your are checking your tomato plants regularly.

If you have not inspected your tomato plant recently then the shooters have likely hardened so you will need to cut them off using clean scissors or gardening shears.

Toni said: "If you haven't checked them recently, or you only have time to do this once a week, they might be quite large before you remove them. This will make them harder to remove and you may need to use scissors or shears."

Check your tomato plants once a week, pinch off any new shooters you find, and you will bigger and juicier tomatoes until the growing season ends.