Have you ever found yourself looking at garden seed catalogs or garden center tomato plants and wondering what the difference is between Indeterminate tomatoes and determinate tomatoes? Does it even matter?
It does matter to you because it will affect your planning. What you want from your tomato plants will determine which is better for your garden. I'll start with the basic definitions.
Determinate tomato plants grow to a certain height (usually about 4 feet) and then stop growing. They then set all of their fruit at once and is prolific for about two weeks.
Indeterminate tomato plants continue to grow in height throughout the entire season and sets its fruit continually as well.
So there are basically two things to consider when choosing between Determinate (DET for short in seed catalogs) and Indeterminate (IND for short in seed catalogs) tomatoes. First is how you want to harvest your tomatoes. If you want to can them, DET plants may serve you better. If you want a continual supply for the table, then choose IND varieties.
The second main thing to consider is how you will support your plants. If you just want to use small stakes or store bought cages, then DET varieties are best. Grow IND varieties if you don't mind using larger stakes and cages, or other creative methods like a tomato tower or trellis.
Determinate plants are a must if you plan on growing in patio containers. On the other hand if you are trying to grow the World Record Tallest Tomato plant like Charles H. Wilber, then you have to choose an Indeterminate type. Look how tall Wilber's plants grow! That could never happen with determinate tomato plants.
So which ones will you choose? If you have enough room, you may want to grow a couple varieties of each type. That way you can make sauce or salsa with your short DET plants and enjoy a season long bounty from your IND plants. But of course its all up to you.
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