Tomatoes: What is a Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato?

Tomatoes come in two basic forms. There are determinate tomatoes and indeterminate tomatoes.

Determinate tomatoes typically grow to a specific height, stop growing and all the fruit sets at once. There are many types of determinate tomatoes. They are great for early fruit. They are outstanding in containers and small gardens. Its worth planting one or two determinate tomatoes in your garden. They will mature while your indeterminate tomatoes grow.

Indeterminate tomatoes typically grow continuously and set fruit all summer long up until the first frost. Indeterminate tomatoes will continue to grow and need a lot of maintenance. They are more work but continue to fruit all season long.

Determinate tomatoes require less staking and tending vs. their counter-part. They both have places in your garden. Any tomato plant you buy will have the words determinate or indeterminate on the label. This is also true for seed packets.