Determinate Tomatoes

When growing tomatoes, one has a choice between determinate tomatoes or indeterminate tomatoes.

The determinate type can also be referred to as the bush type. The bush type will grow to a set height, then set all its tomatoes in about two to three weeks.

Then it stops producing.

The indeterminate tomato plant is also referred to as the vine tomato. It will keep growing and growing until it is killed by frost. Usually the grape and cherry type tomatoes are vines.

The advantage to the determinate plant is in the staking. If it does not grow very tall then there is less staking to do, however, it will produce less fruit.

The indeterminate will require staking unless you just want to let them grow on the ground. The choice is yours. One requires more work than the other, but it will require more space.

Some say not to let the vines lay on the ground since this will encourage insects to attack the plants. I have done both ways and have not noticed any difference except I seem to lose less fruits to birds when I let them grow on the ground.

Some also say to prune the suckers off the plants. The suckers are the stem and leaves growing without any tomatoes growing with them. They believe that the fewer suckers, then the bigger the fruit will be.

I have done this both ways and I have really not noticed any difference. If the tomato plant is a healthy growing plant then it will put out the fruit like it is supposed too.

In the first picture is a determinate tomato. In the second picture is an indeterminate.

The pictures below show where the stakes came from. You will notice that I did not "clean" the stake off and make it smooth. I left the little branches on as places to hold up the tomato plants.

In the picture is one of my determinate tomatoes. It is growing well and is the largest I have ever grown. I hope it taste all right since the last few we have gotten have tasted bad due to the high heat we have been having.

Thank you for your visit.

Go to Tomato Home Page from Determinate Tomatoes.

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