Tomatoes with too much foliage

Question from Maureen:
We live in Palos Verdes…I attended one of your talks this spring and got re-invigorated about my vegetable garden. I have about 10 tomato plants that I fertilized regularly and started with sea bird guano. The plants are huge and over grown with more foliage than tomatoes. My tomatoes are all still green, not one ripe, even the cherry. I’m wondering if I can cut back some of the foliage on the plant to let some some sun reach the fruit? Also I suspect I should cut back on daily watering?

Answer from Pat:
It sounds as if you planted too late and also fed with too much nitrogen and perhaps failed to give the tomatoes all the nutrients they need. Sea Bird Guano is great for giving phosphorus and potassium as well as nitrogen, but perhaps blossoms fell off. We have had a cool summer along the coast in Southern California with much overcast in some areas. Cold nights can make blossoms fall off. Earlier on there was much sun and heat and I was harvesting many tomatoes in my garden during late June and July, but I planted very early this year, (mid-February), since a friend gave me plants in gallon cans that he had grown. I also sprayed the blossoms a couple of times with blossom-set spray.

Tomatoes should be planted here in Southern California beginning on March 1 each year. April is okay but June is too late. If there are frosts in March in your area, keep the plants covered at night or begin them in frost-protecting plastic screens. Always plant one or two Early Girl Improved (hybrid) tomatoes for earliest crop. The others of your choice will come along later. Additionally choose a fertilizer especially recommended for tomatoes. (Sea bird guano is great but lacks some of the elements needed by tomatoes, such as magnesium.) Give additional magnesium by drenching the soil once with 2 Tablespoons Epsom salts mixed with 1 gallon water or by spraying foliage when flowers are on the plant with small hand sprayer filled with solution of one teaspoon Epsom salts per 2 cups water.) Also, if necessary use blossom-set spray a couple of times at first to prevent dropping of blossoms and promote early fruit set despite cold night temps making flowers drop off. Watering deeply and infrequently is preferable to shallowly and often.

If it is cool where you live and not much sun, yes, you can clip off some of the foliage now so the fruit gets more sun but it usually will ripen fine in shade. Remove any brown or shriveled or diseased leaves. Pick up fallen and rotted fruit and maintain good air circulation.