There are very few plants you should not trim at the base! Most plants that stand on tall stems, i.e.: peppers, tomatoes, okra or plants that vine like cucumbers, beans etc. are all some of the plants that should be trimmed at the base to insure they stay healthy and strong. More than anything this is to keep the lower leaves from being splashed by dirt when watering or it rains, decreasing the risk of dirt borne diseases or fungus like damping off, Verticillium Wilt, Downy Mildew, Powdery Mildew and Bacterial Wilt etc.
I start this process when my stem like plants reach about 5-6″ in height (such as the okra in this video) trimming only the lower leaves. On plants that vine such as cucumbers or beans when the vines have gotten 12″ or longer and their lower leaves are still lying on the ground while the top climbs your trellis. You should also do this monthly as you walk the garden on any lower leaves that have gotten very large and start to touch the dirt or have yellowed and are dying off.
