Tomatoes: Determinate vs Indeterminate

Tomatoes either get super big or stay rather compact. It's important to buy or grow the right tomatoes with what space you have (container, raised beds, or garden).

Determinate tomato plants or bush tomatoes don't get as tall as indeterminate tomatoes. They usually get around 3-4 feet tall and all the tomatoes from the plant ripen at approximately the same time (usually over a period of 1- 2 weeks).  These varieties do best in containers and they don't necessarily need to be staked or caged, but it would be of benefit. Cages keep the plants upright, provide some support if wind storms come along and keep leaves off of the ground. Determinate tomatoes don't need to be pruned.

Indeterminate tomato plants can get huge and tall. Typical is 6 feet tall, but they can get taller. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. These tomatoes will need cages for support and are often pruned. These tomatoes are best grown in the garden or raised beds, but with a lot of care and lots of watering can be grown in containers.

To prune or not to prune? I don't prune my tomatoes to encourage more fruit, I prune to prevent diseases or encourage fruit to get ready. When the plants get bigger I will remove the bottom leaves/stems that are touching the dirt. I will also remove any leaves that look unhealthy, a disease that affects tomatoes is blight. By removing some stems it prevents soil from getting onto to the leaves when it rains, this can be a cause of blight. Also by removing some stems it allows better airflow. One word of caution don't remove to many stems as tomatoes can get sunscald/sun burned!

Chose tomato plants that will work best with where you will be growing them. If you're a container grower than chose determinate tomatoes. If you're doing raised beds it might be best to use determinate tomatoes, just because of the height the indeterminate plants can reach, but hey there is always ladders. If you are planting in a garden the sky is the limit, chose what varieties you are most drawn to.