Just in case you’re wondering which kind to grow, there are two types of tomato plant varieties and the difference is each plant’s growth habit. Size matters when you are planning your garden. Determinate varieties generally grow 2 to 4 feet. Indeterminate can go about as far as you let them. Don’t be surprised that with so many varieties of tomatoes available, you’ll find hybrids that cross these lines.
Photo Source; Rijder Seeds. Determinate Roma tomatoes
Determinate tomatoes, can be a Beefsteak or Roma, grow to maturity, set all their fruit at one time and stop growing. The harvest is concentrated, which makes determinate yield an ideal time to preserve by canning, dehydrating, or freezing. Determinate varieties are better for growing in pots, on patios and in small gardens, as little to no pruning is needed and they are easily contained with a wire tomato cage or not trellised or caged at all. I do not trellis and mulch with straw or paper around the tomato to protect the fruit from critters and moisture. Not only is a fresh sliced beefsteak great on grilled burger or sliced in salads, timing is perfect to make canned salsa, which provides a welcome taste of summer throughout the winter months. Check out our favorite summer tomato recipes.
Indeterminate varieties like heirloom tomatoes, many tomato hybrids, Grape and Cherry tomatoes vine, produce flowers, and set fruit along their stems to the end of the growing season. Indeterminate plants benefit greatly from trellis or cage support. The amount of pruning is mostly personal preference. Prune suckers which send energy back into the plant. Larger fruit clusters and bigger tomatoes result. Picking these sweet little morsels all summer long is one of the great joys of an indeterminate. Upper Right: Paola’s favorite indeterminate heirloom: Anana Noir or Black Pineapple variety.
Indeterminate tomatoes. Left: Indigo Apple tomato strung with trellis. Right: Trellis system at Sage Creations