Determinate & Indeterminate Tomatoes & Other ...

When growing tomatoes and reading about them on our website, store signs, and plant tags you eventually encounter a lot of tomato growing terms. Determinate and indeterminate. Hybrid and heirloom. VFNT and SWV. What does all this mean? Learn tomato growing terms right here.

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Understanding Determinate and Indeterminate

When selecting tomato varieties, you must make an important choice between plants with distinct growth habits known as determinate or indeterminate. Each tomato falls into one of these two categories.

Determinate varieties, which include bush varieties, reach a specific height before ceasing to grow. Typically, these plants will produce the majority of their fruit within a month or two, with tomatoes appearing at the tips of the branches. This variety is ideal for gardeners who enjoy canning, making sauces, or have other reasons for wanting most of their tomatoes ready at the same time. For instance, you might prefer to harvest early so that you can escape for an extended vacation during late summer.

Most determinate types benefit from some form of support. However, there are robust varieties like Better Bush that possess sturdy main stems; these often require minimal support, just a stake to prevent them from toppling over in strong winds or heavy rain. Varieties that thrive in containers, such as Patio and Better Bush, are commonly determinate and generally need little to no pruning.

Indeterminate varieties, on the other hand, will keep growing and generating tomatoes along all parts of the stems throughout the entire growing season. These plants require tall supports of at least 5 feet. Due to the abundance of shoots that indeterminate varieties produce, gardeners often prune them to ensure optimal fruit size or utilize tall trellises for training. Nevertheless, if you choose not to prune, it won’t harm the plants! Many gardeners have seen photographs of sprawling tomato vines reaching heights of 10 or even 15 feet; these are surely indeterminate varieties.

Many gardeners cultivate both kinds, growing determinate varieties for bulk harvests intended for canning and freezing while investing in indeterminate varieties for ongoing supplies of fresh tomatoes for salads and sandwiches throughout the growing season.

A few varieties are categorized as semi-determinate or compact indeterminate because they possess traits that fall in between the two. For the best results, these varieties also require support.

Understanding Disease Resistance Symbols

Often, tomato varieties will have capital letters following their names, denoting their resistance to certain common diseases. This information is vital, as these diseases have the potential to devastate a tomato crop. Bonnie Plant Farm showcases plants that have demonstrated productivity while maintaining disease resistance as a key selection factor. The letters representing common diseases include:

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• V - Verticillium Wilt
• F - Fusarium Wilt (two F's indicate resistance to both races 1 and 2)
• N - Nematodes
• ASC - Alternaria Stem Canker
• TMV - Tobacco Mosaic Virus
• St - Stemphylium (gray leaf spot)
• SWV - Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
• LB - Late Blight

Bush Goliath tomatoes have been bred to be a more compact version of the original Goliath variety, making them easier to manage in smaller spaces.

The Early Girl, recognized as an indeterminate variety, can grow beyond 6 feet in height and continues to yield fruit throughout the season.

Other Key Tomato Terms

Heirloom tomato - This term refers to any tomato variety that is at least fifty years old and not a hybrid.

Hybrid tomato - A hybrid tomato is a result of crossing different tomato varieties. They often exhibit enhanced disease resistance, improved yields, and a variety of other beneficial traits. Importantly, our hybrids are not genetically engineered.

Early variety - This designation identifies tomatoes that can mature in 50 to 60 days. These varieties are highly valued for their early harvests and may allow for a second planting late in summer to yield crops in the fall. Occasionally, we may refer to tomatoes maturing in over 60 days as "early," but this is relative only to their specific types. For example, the earliest beefsteak variety is "early" in comparison to other beefsteak types, as they typically take longer to mature due to their size!

Question:

In regards to tomatoes, what is meant by the terms determinate and indeterminate?

Answer:

Determinate and indeterminate refer to the tomato's growth habit. Determinate tomatoes are compact, small plants. They grow to a certain height, halt growth, and then flower and set their fruit within a brief timeframe. Therefore, the harvest period for determinate tomatoes tends to be shorter, making them suitable choices for canning.

Conversely, indeterminate tomatoes keep growing, flowering, and producing fruit until frost kills them in the autumn. Thus, the harvest from indeterminate varieties usually spans over a period of two to three months. Yields from indeterminate tomatoes are generally heavier than those of determinate types, although they may take longer to mature. Indeterminate tomatoes are sprawling, larger plants and thrive best when grown in wire cages or staked upright.

For further insights, check out this article: Recommended Cultivars and Types of Tomatoes for the Home Garden.

For more information on hybrid indeterminate round tomato seeds, please reach out to us. We are here to provide you with professional answers.