Why Topping Tomatoes & Peppers Works in Warm Climates (But Fails in Cold Ones)

Should you top tomatoes and peppers? Some gardeners swear that cutting the top off your plants increases yields, while others say it ruins their harvest. The truth is that both can be right — because the effectiveness of topping plants depends heavily on your climate and growing season length. In this video we break down the plant science behind topping, including how apical dominance, auxin hormones, and carbohydrate allocation affect plant growth. You’ll learn why gardeners in long warm growing seasons often benefit from topping, while gardeners in short cold climates may actually reduce their harvest by doing the same thing. We’ll also cover the major differences between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, why peppers respond differently to pruning than tomatoes, and the one situation where topping peppers can still make sense. If you’re gardening in a short growing season (Zone 3, Zone 4, or other northern climates), understanding these differences can dramatically improve how many tomatoes and peppers you harvest before frost. This is science-based gardening explained in a practical way so you can grow more food no matter where you garden. ⸻ In This Video • What topping plants actually does biologically • How auxin and apical dominance control plant growth • Determinate vs indeterminate tomato pruning • Why topping tomatoes can help late in the season • Why topping peppers often delays harvest • The difference between long and short growing seasons • When topping helps yield — and when it hurts it ⸻ If you enjoy science-based gardening tips backed by plant research, subscribe for new videos every week. This channel covers gardening in all climates, including cold Zone 3 gardens. ⸻ Scientific Sources Referenced Apical dominance and auxin signaling https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4244769/ Tomato pruning and carbohydrate allocation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2015.02.012 Pepper pruning effects on yield and maturity https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2008.07.009 Tomato plant architecture and yield relationships https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eru494 Helped Design A Plant Sensor! Grab one of these here is the link: https://earthone.io/?ref=GARDENINGINCANADA For a Discount code: GARDENINGCANADA 👩‍🔬 G R A B A P L A N N E R Paperback 2024 Garden Planner: https://geni.us/1Q7xaE 📝 S T A Y I N T O U C H Website/Blog & FREE printables: https://gardeningincanada.net Instagram: www.instagram.com/gardeningincanada ➡️ A F F I L I A T E S Westcoast Seeds Affiliate Link: https://bit.ly/33mGGaI Seeds Now: https://www.seedsnow.com/?rfsn=6354409.1f000b 🎉 S O C I A L S 👩‍🔬PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/gardeningincanada INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/gardeningincanada FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GardenInCanada/ 👩🏻‍🦰 A B O U T M E: Ashley has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan. At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science. Some of Ashley’s interests are YouTube, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s YouTube channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her YouTube channel as well as her reach to up-and-coming gardeners. Disclaimer This description or comments section may contain links to affiliate websites. I receive a commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such a link. This includes the gardening in Canada website. You should assume all links both on the gardening in Canada YouTube, Blog, and all other social media are affiliates and I will receive compensation.