The difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes

All heirloom tomato plants are either determinate or indeterminate and knowing the difference is usually helpful when deciding which type of plant to get or maybe you would like to get both types to fit your gardening needs. I would not say that one type is hands down better than the other. Determinate tomatoes stop growing at about 3 to 4 feet tall, all the fruit matures in a month or two and appears at the ends of the branches. These plants are great for a first wave of canning in mid summer since you will have more tomatoes than you could eat. Some great heirloom determinate varieties are Amish Paste, a plum tomato variety, Brandywine, Ace 55 , Celebrity, Better Bush are just a few of the great determinate heirloom varieties.

Indeterminate heirloom tomatoes grow from 6 to 20 feet long and produce from mid summer to first frost. They are more sprawling and take up more space than determinate tomatoes. These plants produce less tomatoes in a short period of time than the determinate varieties but more over the entire growing season. Some great heirloom indeterminate varieties are Yellow Pear, Yellow Plum, Rutgers, Cherokee Purple, Arkansas Traveler, Bradley, and many others. We like to grow some of each type and do some canning in mid summer with the determinate varieties and finish in the fall with the indeterminate varieties.