While waiting for my new hybrid tomatoes seedling to be strong enough to be transplanted, I did some reading on planting tomatoes. This is my second attempt at planting tomatoes and I discovered that there are two types vines - Determinate & Indeterminate. I checked the seed packing and there is no mention of this. I was wandering if it is possible to tell from the seedlings so I google it and there is no clear information. Knowing which type it is from a early stage would be beneficial for me because then I would be able to decide to stake or cage it. :?: :?: :?:
What is the name of the tomato sort that you have seedlings for? It is essential to know the exact tomato sort that you have, in order to determine if the plant will have a bushy or a cordon habitus.
When I started looking to see if my tomato plants were determinate or in determinate I got more confused. One site would say they were determinate and the next one would say they were indeterminate. Next year I'm only buying seeds with all the info on the packge.
Just to muddy the waters, there are also semi-indeterminate tomatoes! Our Celebrities are that--we get a strong early summer crop mostly all at once like a determinate tomato, and then after pruning again in the fall, like an indeterminate. KK, we really need to know the name of the tomato you planted so we can help.
Thank you Sjoerd, Donna S and Marlingardener, I'm so sorry for not writing the name down, give me a minute and I'll be right back. Tomato ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) I looked all over the packaging and there is no name for this tomato variety except for the code 303. However on the other side of the packaging under instructions it mentioned that it need stakes of 1.5 meter in height as support. So can I say this is indeterminate?
One and a half meters, most likely a semi determinate. Use a stake for support. FWIW there are very few OP determinate tomato, and even less as F1 hybrids.
Now I'm confused KK?! I always understood 'determinate' tomatoes were ones that produced one harvest and then died. And, 'indeterminates' produced tomatoes till they died or frost. I never heard these words for a short or long vining habit. So I looked it up... http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/toma ... 22708.html
Bunkie, I'm with you. I have heard of "bush" type tomatoes, mainly hybrids that were bred for patio plants. Those are short. Indeterminate to me means a long season crop without a lot of tomatoes all at once. Determinate means a flush of tomatoes (ideal for those of us who can) and then very few or no tomatoes for the rest of the season.
I agree with coppice staking them no matter what kind is your best option. I've never had luck with cages other ones i have built myself.
I believed determinate grow more like bushes(and in theory don't need staking) while indeterminate grow like vines and should be trellised, while semi-determinate are somewhere in the middle depending on the variety.
All interesting suggestions, I tie mine to a wire trellis or wooden, spacing out the branches so the air and sun can get in, they are easy to harvest that way as well.The trellis I use is at least 5' high, any plant that grows over that I bend over and tie to the trellis...it is a vine remember.I have also grown them well on an archway, the fruit hang down and I can bag them easy too.
KK, I never let mine sprawl just because I find many get wasted from not finding them before they were bad. I always put huge wire cages on mine as soon as we plant them. Then I pinch all the suckers off the plant up to the 5th or 6th leaf. This helps keep the plant leaf surface away from splashing water when it rains and contaminating the plant with fungus or virus from the ground soil. Doesn't matter whether they are determinate, indeterminate, semi-bush, bush or dwarf...or any other type of plant they still get a cage or a stake. I have no idea what the type of tomato you have, either, though. Sorry.
I thought I could do better this time after my first attempt with tomatoes. The first attempt is with minimal success but it was sweet and made my desire to have more home grown tomatoes. Learning these two new words - determinate & indeterminate - made me confused and with the plants already transplanted on to the bed, I guess I'll have to make a decision fast. Bunkie, Marlingardener I'm still as confused!!! Danjensen, maybe I should. Macbrine ... :-? :-? :-? Chocolate, that is a great idea. Mart, maybe but the weeds here especially the nutgrass is just too agressive. Carolyn, great idea too. OK, after digesting all the suggestions and looking back at what I did, guess I'll go with stakes and cages.
