Here is how that would work.

Let's say that Tomato 'X' information says that those tomatoes get to be 9 ounces. If you live at high elevation apply the one third rule, and you can expect to get 6 ounce tomatoes. If Tomato 'Y' information says that those tomatoes get to be 12 ounces, you will get 8 ounce tomatoes at high elevations.

Let's say you are looking at Tomato 'X' and the information says it is '70' days to maturity. That makes the real days to maturity, here at high elevation, about 93 days. I calculate that here in Casper our season is about 114 days. If you can get the average tomato from that seed packet to mature in 93 days, you have a winner.

If you are looking at Tomato 'Y' and the information says it is '90' days to maturity. That makes the real days to maturity, here at high elevation, about 120 days. I calculate that here in Casper our season is about 114 days. The average tomato from that seed packet is not going to be ripe when the season is over. Most tomatoes from that seed packet will not even be fully sized when the season ends. Tomato 'Y' is a loser.

The top line of the chart below are the days given by the seed supplier. The second line shows the approximate days here in Casper. The third line shows the weight given by the seed supplier. The fourth line shows the approximate weight here in Casper.

Days Given:	60	63	66	69	72	75	78	80	85	90	95	100	105	110	115	120
Casper Days:	80	84	88	92	96	100	104	107	113	120	127	133	140	147	153	160

Weight Given:

2 oz

4 oz

6 oz

8 oz

10 oz

12 oz

14 oz

1 lb

2 lb

3 lb

4 lb

5 lb

10 lb

Casper Weight

1.3 oz

2.7 oz

4 oz

5.3 oz

6.7 oz

8 oz

9.3 oz

0.67 lb

1.3 lb

2 lb

2.7 lb

3.3 lb

6.7 lb

I figure that the absolute maximum days, given on a seed packet or in a catalog for a tomato variety, that will work is 80 days, and that is pushing things too far in a cool season. 80 day tomatoes will only yeild in very hot seasons. Try to stick with tomato varieties that are 75 days or less. That is what the chart above implies. This rule applies to most other vegetables with the exception of squash and pumpkin. The one third rule applies to them in a different way. Instead of taking more days to produce fruit, or producing smaller fruit, squash and pumpkin seem to produce at least 1/3 less numbers of fruit.

Trimming Indeterminate Tomatoes - the Jacquot method
Despite being one of the coldest summers on record, 2004 was one of our best ever seasons for tomatoes. We did a lot of things right. But we think the main reason for our success was the fact that we started trimming tomato plants in July and we did not stop until the end of the season. Why Trim? Trimming directs and controls plant growth. When to trim? How to trim? Trimming should happen based on three ideas.
		1. Laterals. Laterals are branches of the tomato plant that have on them ONLY leaves, no flowers, and no new branches emerging from them. The laterals will grow, given the chance, way out of proportion to their function, which is to provide photosynthesis, period. After some trimming you will come to realize the truth to the statement that tomato plants are far too fond of their own foliage. Given the chance, an indeterminate tomato plant will grow more leaves than fruit. So trim the laterals in half. On the branch pictured to the left, one would cut at point A or point B. Do all the laterals on the plant. Start trimming in July, or when the plant is twice as tall as when you first set it out. If, when you come back a week to 10 days later, you can hardly tell you did any trimming at all, you trimmed just about right; and it is time to trim the new laterals. If you trimmed at point A but the branch and leaves have grown a lot since you trimmed, go ahead and trim the branch back to point B.
2. Core. From above, look straight down at the center of the plant. If you see just a mass of crossing lateral branches, get to trimming. Open up the core of the tomato plant to a lot more sunlight.
3. Topping. Calculate your season 'end', the date when you think you will be picking your tomatoes due to frost or simply to be able to harvest under more favorable conditions than frost. Now back that date up one month. That is the date to 'top' your tomato plants. By 'topping' trim so that you absolutely halt the growth, upward and outward, of your tomato plants. When you are two to three weeks from your 'end' date cut off all blossoms. Some old hand gardeners cut back the water to their tomatoes toward the end of the season to hasten maturation. Don't do this. You want to keep the plant healthy and energetic to grow those tomatoes as big as possible. I am sure you have noticed that a tomato plant will tend to fill all available space with growth, one kind or another. What trimming will do will be to insure that the tomato plant fills in its available space with non-lateral branches instead of lateral branches. In other words, it will fill space with branches that produce tomatoes, as opposed to branches that do not.