Determinate Versus Indeterminate Tomato Plants

When choosing tomato plants, it’s easy for a gardener to focus only on the size of the tomatoes, the color, and how many plants they would like to see in the garden. But, unless you understand the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomato varieties it’s hard to know how many plants are necessary. Knowing these differences make it easy to have tomatoes when the gardener needs them.

Determinate Tomato Plants

A determinate tomato variety’s usual habit is to grow into a bush-type plant, and their height is rather fixed, although this may not be true for all of them. Once they reach a certain size (3-4 feet), they bloom and set fruit. This is all done in one fell swoop and the tomatoes need to be harvested all at once.

Gardeners who prefer less staking and trellising would do well to choose a determinate variety. Although a cage is usually still required, most need very little pruning if any at all. Many hybrid or cultivated tomato plants are determinate.

Determinate varieties are a plus if canning (either whole or as a sauce), or drying is the primary reason for growing the tomato crop. For some, it may make good sense to plant determinate types if the tomatoes will be grown in containers.

Indeterminate Tomato Plants

An indeterminate plant is a vine, which means it continues to grow during the entire growing season. Some may argue that “true vines” are those that can attach themselves to a support as they grow. Still, most consider this to be a mere technicality as the idea here is that the branches grow like vines continually.

These tomato plants can reach up to 12 feet tall. They can take up a lot of space and definitely need to be caged or staked. Even then, many need continued support with ties or by trellising throughout production. Indeterminate vines also need pruning to keep them from becoming completely unruly.

That said, the indeterminate varieties have a lot going for them. For one, these wild vines produce a higher fruit yield per square foot compared to their bushy cousins. Also, indeterminate tomatoes win the taste-test every time. In general, their tomatoes are bigger, tastier, and they continue to produce right up until a hard frost kills them. Most heirloom tomato varieties are indeterminate plants.

Indeterminate tomato varieties are perfect for the gardener who would like to use them periodically throughout the season such as adding them to sandwiches, salads, or as side dishes. They’re also simple to add to a garden with a fair amount of space.

Deciding Which Tomato Plants to Purchase

It’s important for a gardener to be aware of the characteristics of the tomato especially if there’s a designated spot in the garden or container for them. Knowing what is purchased helps the gardener be successful with growing vegetable crops. Depending on their needs, gardeners may find they don’t have enough tomatoes ripen at the same time; or too many for them to use all at once.

Seed packages are usually marked as determinate or indeterminate. When purchasing seedlings at a nursery, they may be marked “DET” (determinate) or “IND” (indeterminate). If they aren’t a nurseryman can help.

The last thing you’ll want to check before purchasing tomato plants is how many days before the fruit will be ready to be harvested. While it’s good to know the dates in any case, it can be vital for growing zones that may have a short growing season. This information is almost always on seeds packets as well as the containers of seedlings.

Understanding the determinate and indeterminate characteristics of tomato plants gives the gardener more control over his tomato crops than ever before.

For more articles on vegetable gardening, check out The Definition of Heirloom Vegetables, Growing Potatoes in the Vegetable Garden, and How to Grow Peppers in the Home Vegetable Garden.