Taking cuttings

   I admit it, I'm a pruner. Maybe more of a butcher If you ever say the green I leave behind for the compost pile. But the rain has been really constant here and the plants were showing signs of fungus and blight so it was a necessary evil. I do it anyway because I don't need branches and excessive foliage that don't grow buds. But sometimes while staking or trimming it becomes by accident, or necessity , good branches get broken or cut. I try to make them useful, I put them either in a bucket of water or dip the tip in rooting compound and put them in the ground or a pot. The ones I put in the ground always seem to look droopy. The ones I root in water seem to do better. Here are the ones I have recently done and you can definitely tell the ones that had roots from the ones that didn't, the droopy ones have been in for 4 days and haven't died but they look like its a struggle, but they will probably make it ok.

It's a very thrifty way to extend your garden, and it's nice to have extra plants to produce more fruit. These are a bit late in starting but if they get a nice start they can still produce. I plan on moving some to large pots to go in my greenhouse this year and hope they can go for en extended growing season if I keep the frost off. But eventually they will stop because here in Ohio the temps will drop and tomatoes like it above 70.