Tomatoes are most gardeners’ gateway plants, and just about everyone has planted them at some point. That said, there are two different key varieties to grow: determinate and indeterminate tomatoes.
If you’re unsure of the differences between them, read on! We’ll describe both to you and let you know which is best suited to your gardening needs.
What We’ll Cover:
Determinate Tomatoes
Determinate tomatoes are so-called because they work to a definitive, pre-determined growth rate. Once they reach their ideal height—which is normally quite short and compact—they stop growing vertically. Instead, they start bushing out and focus entirely on flower and fruit production.
If you grow a group of these plants, rest assured that they’ll all have a similar growth pattern and will mature around the same time. This is ideal if you want to go away for the summer holidays and want to ensure that you plan around tomato harvest time.
Since you know that all your plants will mature and fruit within 2-4 weeks of each other, you can plan accordingly so none of them go to waste.
Similarly, these bush varieties are perfect for gardeners who don’t have a lot of space to work with.
Since determinate tomatoes only grow between one and four feet tall, depending on the cultivar, you can grow them on patios and balconies, in small front or back yards, or even on an indoor surface near a sunny window.
Although most of them benefit from a supportive cage so their branches don’t break from heavy fruits, these supports aren’t necessary for tinier plants.
Some of the best determinate cultivars to choose from include:
- ‘Micro Tom’ (these only grow about eight inches tall!)
- ‘Orange Hat’ (another micro variety)
- ‘Purple Reign’
- ‘Martino’s Roma‘ (paste/sauce tomato)
- Orange Peach
Indeterminate Tomatoes
In contrast to the determinate varieties mentioned above, indeterminate tomatoes don’t all grow and ripen at the same rate. Instead, they keep on growing throughout the season, producing more fruits until either autumn rolls around, or you cut down the parent plants.
These plants can grow up to 12 feet tall and thus need significant support over the growing season. You can support them with trellises, cages, or stakes or even grow them against walls or fences.
As you can imagine, these plants need a significant amount of space, but they make up for their spread by offering up absolute deliciousness over the course of several months.
Some of the most delicious indeterminate varieties include:
- ‘Riesentraube‘ cherry tomatoes (their name means “large bunch of grapes” in German)
- Classic ‘Beefsteak‘
- ‘Queen of the Night’
- ‘Gold Medal‘
- ‘Black Beauty‘
- ‘Amish Paste‘ (ideal for sauces)
Which Variety Suits Your Needs Best?
If you’re trying to decide whether to grow determinate or indeterminate varieties, consider how you like to enjoy your tomatoes best.
For example, if you enjoy fresh, ripe tomatoes to toss into salads or to process into juice, then indeterminate cultivars are your best option.
You’ll be able to pick a few from each plant just about every day throughout the growing season, which means that you’ll be enjoying the literal fruits of your labor from midsummer through early (or even late) autumn.
In contrast, if you’re an avid canner and you’re aiming to process hundreds of jars of sauce and salsa all in one go, then determinate varieties are your best bet. The plants won’t grow as tall as indeterminate varieties (thus requiring fewer supports), and the fruits will all ripen within a brief time span.
Since indeterminate tomatoes grow so large, you’ll need a lot of space to cultivate several of them, as well as plenty of stakes or cages to support them.
As such, they’re great for gardeners or homesteaders who have large swathes of land that can be dedicated entirely to tomato growing. That said, I have grown a few plants against patio walls and along balcony railings, so you can definitely train them in smaller spaces if you need to.
For a complete tomato-growing guide, check out our article.
Benefits of Growing Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes at the Same Time
If you’re anything like me, then you love to eat ripe tomatoes right off the vine all season long while also canning as many as possible to enjoy during the winter months. As such, it’s a good idea to grow both determinate and indeterminate tomatoes.
The only thing you need to keep in mind is that if you grow them too close together, they can cross-pollinate.
This will result in shared genetics between your cultivars. Now, this is all well and good if you’re okay with semi-determinate plants that have shared characteristics, but if you’re aiming to keep your varieties separate, you’ll need to space them out.
I plant my indeterminate tomatoes close to the house, near my kitchen “potager” garden. This allows me to go out and grab a few any time I need to add some to a dish I’m cooking. In contrast, my determinate plants are about 200 feet away, on the other side of the house, at the edge of the property.
This allows them to mature in their own time, with very little risk of being cross-pollinated with my indeterminate tomatoes. Each tomato patch also has beneficial herbs and flower companions planted around them for maximum health and pollinator attraction.
You Can’t Go Wrong
Now that you know the key differences between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, you can make an informed decision about which is the best for your growing needs.
Whether you’re growing from seed or purchasing seedlings from a local nursery, be sure to check the plants’ descriptions so you can tell which variety they are. These details give you clues as to how tall you can expect your plants to grow and also how many days they’ll need to mature fully.
The best results I’ve had have been planting several different determinate cultivars close by so I can have a wide range of colorful, tasty fruits for fresh eating, and then two indeterminate cultivars specifically for canning: one Roma (paste) and one beefsteak type.
The latter are perfect to can with just a bit of salt and a pinch of sugar, but are also magnificent to process into sauces, salsas, soups, and juices.
Whether you choose determinate or indeterminate tomatoes for your garden, ensure that they have the best, most nutrient-dense soil possible (with lots of calcium to prevent blossom-end rot), as well as support structures and plenty of sunshine. Healthy plants will result in healthy, beautiful fruits that you and your family will absolutely adore.
