Tony O’Neill, gardener and author of the popular “Composting Masterclass” and “Your First Vegetable Garden,” combines lifelong passion and expert knowledge to simplify the art of gardening. His mission? Helping you cultivate a thriving garden.
This article may contain affiliate links. We get paid a small commission from your purchases. More Affiliate Policy
Tomato plants generally fall into two categories, the determinate and the indeterminate. Knowing which category your tomato plant belongs to is important information. I have keenly researched this, and we’ll share all the information you need here.
Observing its size and growth habits is the secret to knowing whether a tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate. In deriving the difference between these two, we might want to have some background information on the grammatical meaning of the two words.
Table of Contents
- How to Tell a Tomato Plant is Determinate
- How to Tell Your Tomato Plant is Indeterminate
- Steps to Determine if a Tomato Plant is Determinate or Indeterminate
- Examples of Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato Plants
- The Suitability of the Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato Plants
- Master Growing TOMATOES With This Mind-Blowing Video
- Conclusion on how to tell if tomato plants are Determinate or Indeterminate
The word determinate implies something that has a determined or maximum size limit. On the other hand, the word indeterminate refers to something with no set limit to its size. Having gotten this understanding, you can easily relate it to your tomato plant and get a rough picture of whether it is determinate or indeterminate.
To further help you with your analysis, I wish to share some remarkable differences between determinate and indeterminate tomato plants. Determine whether tomato plants have a small stature and grow up to a certain limited size. They have the nature of producing their fruit in one go. Indeterminate tomato plants are large with long pliable branches and often produce fruits throughout their growing season.
There is a possibility for you to know whether your tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate if you had the chance to examine the seeds before planting. Reading the available label will help you know for sure. If your tomato plant is already mature, you can tell its category by looking at its size and how it is growing.
For instance, you will notice that an indeterminate plant has produced tomatoes all along the stems. You will observe a different thing with a determinate one because the tomatoes will be seen at the end of the branches.
Continue reading this blog post for more insights on the distinctions between determinate and indeterminate tomato plants.
How to Tell a Tomato Plant is Determinate
There are several ways for you to determine whether your tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate. They include the following:
Checking the growth habit
Determinate tomato plants will grow to a certain size and halt their growth. When they get to 2-4″ tall, their growth ceases. When you spot flowers blossoming at their branches, the tomato plant has reached its full height. For a gardener with a small space, this is an ideal version to go for. It can quickly be grown in a pot and placed on a balcony, deck, or patio.
The nature of the tomato fruit
You can tell your tomato plant is determined by looking at the tomatoes. They are often ripe all at once, the product is minimal, and the fruit is much smaller. Their main advantage is that they have a short growing season.
The leaves of the plant
Determinate tomato plants will have leaves close together on the stem. This makes the plant appear to have a compact and bushy nature.
Where the fruit appears
The tomato fruits on a determinate tomato plant will appear at the end of the branches. Therefore, looking at the position of the fruit is an easy way for you to know that your tomato plant is a determinant.
Examine the label
Before you plant your tomato plant, take some time to read the label. There is a clear indication on the label that will help you determine whether your tomato plant is determinate.
How to Tell Your Tomato Plant is Indeterminate
In most cases, there is no label on indeterminate tomato plants. Not to worry, though, here are unique characteristics that can help you figure out that your tomato plant is indeterminate:
Continuous growth
Indeterminate tomato plants lack a set growth limit. They’ll continue growing until winter sets in, and they can no longer withstand the cold. The plant can become so tall and have long branches. The plant can grow up to 12-15″ tall, depending on the variety. At some point, you may need to provide caging or staking for support purposes. For this reason, they prefer to be grown in gardens with ample space.
Fruit production
Indeterminate tomato plants are heavy producers. They will produce more tomato yield than their counterparts. They often take a more extended period before they can start producing fruits. Still, they’ll keep at it once they start until the frost interferes. Their tomatoes are giant and take longer before they ripen.
The position of the fruits
Indeterminate tomato plants will produce flowers along with the shoots and therefore have their tomatoes positioned all along the stem. Because they have many large fruits, each has to find a place on the plant!
Steps to Determine if a Tomato Plant is Determinate or Indeterminate
Having understood the different characteristics of determinate and indeterminate tomato plants, here are some steps you can follow to check for this:
Check the height of the plant
Watch your tomato grow for a while, then check its height. If it is short, probably less than four feet tall, it’s a determinate one. For instance, if it’s more than eight feet tall, it is an indeterminate tomato plant.
Check the flower and fruit production.
If your tomato plants flowers all at once and produces tomatoes at practically the same time that ripe all at once then stops producing, it is a determinate one. It is indeterminate if it takes a long time to produce but continues with production afterward with ripe fruits at a slow rate.
Check the leaves of the plant.
If you notice that your plant’s leaves are close together, giving it a bushy appearance, it is a determinate tomato plant. If the leaves are spaced and resemble something like vines, your tomato plant is indeterminate.
If you see your tomato leaves curl, don’t worry about it. I wrote an article about why tomato leaves curl and how you prevent it. You can read it here.
Refer to the plant tag or the seed packet
Often, there will be an indication on the tag or seed packet of whether your tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate. Be keen to observe this before planting.
Examples of Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato Plants
By referring to the lists I am sharing, you can easily judge if the tomato plant is determined or indeterminate.
See the following table capturing determinate and indeterminate tomato plant varieties. Each of these is varieties that are commonly available to gardeners.
| Determinate Tomatoes | IndeterminateTomatoes |
|---|---|
| Celebrity | Beefsteak |
| Better Bush | Alicante |
| Marglobe | Amarillo |
| Rutgers | Aussie |
| Tumbling Toms | Better Boy |
| Plum Crimson | Big Daddy |
| Principe Borghese | Black Cherry |
| Red Robin | Bolsena |
| Roma | Brandywine |
| Scarlet Red | Cherry Roma |
| Shady Lady | Dutchman |
| Tribeca | Giant Tree |
| Zebra Cherry | Husky Gold |
| Heritage | |
| Italian Heirloom |
The Suitability of the Determinate and Indeterminate Tomato Plants
Determinate and indeterminate tomato plants have their pros and cons. I wish to share some advice to help you choose which one to plant.
Go for the determinate tomato plants when:
You have a small garden
Because of their small nature, they are the ideal types you can grow if your garden is limited in space. You also have the alternative of quickly planting them in a pot or container and then placing them on your balcony or patio.
Have little time for maintenance
Because these plants are smaller, they will be easy for you to manage. You don’t need to start thinking of a support mechanism because the plant will not grow that tall anyway.
Also, before any common disease issues begin, the plant would have been done with production.
If you desire to harvest your tomatoes at once
If you are, for instance, into the canning process, the best variety of tomato plants to grow is the determinate ones. This is because they will grow fruits first, and they will ripen all at once; therefore, you can continue your canning process hitch-free.
Your garden is for multipurpose use.
Because determinate tomato plants produce first, once the plant is finished with its first batch, you can easily remove it and put that garden space to a different use. This way, you can enjoy a variety of plants in the same garden.
Master Growing TOMATOES With This Mind-Blowing Video
The video below will take you through loads of other information about tomatoes. I filmed this, which is typical of the type of videos I make on my YouTube channel. If you love growing tomatoes and want to know more, then watch the video, and if you find value, consider subscribing to the YouTube channel for more great content like this. Here is the link.
You can choose indeterminate tomato plants when:
You wish to enjoy some fresh tomatoes from your garden throughout the summer season
Because determinate tomato plants keep producing fruits until the onset of frost, you can choose to go for this variety if you are like me and would like to enjoy fresh tomatoes for longer.
Your garden has enough space.
If you have adequate space in your garden, then indeterminate tomato plants are a good option. Because of the size and the fact that they continue growing for longer, a big garden space will support their nature.
You are growing them for commercial use.
Indeterminate varieties produce more fruits and do this for longer. They are, therefore, an ideal choice if you have plans to sell them. You will be assured more income and a consistent supply with this variety.
You love to have some gardening moments.
This variety requires more maintenance because the plant does not stop growing. You will need to take some time to prune and stake the plant. If you enjoy gardening tasks, indeterminate plants will give you that chance.
Conclusion on how to tell if tomato plants are Determinate or Indeterminate
The distinction between determinate and indeterminate tomato plants can be established by checking the size, growth habits, and how long production takes. In this blog post, I aimed to ensure you understand the differences between the two categories.
Armed with this knowledge, you can easily tell whether the tomato plants in your garden are determinate or indeterminate. I have also shared some insightful thoughts to help you select a variety that best suits your needs.
As I conclude, I wish to share a trick to help you remember the difference: the determinate tomato plant has a determined growing season and several fruits.
The indeterminate one has an undetermined size, length, and several fruits. I wish you a fruitful and enjoyable gardening experience!
Tomatoes are great to grow, especially if you follow the basic rules and methods. I wrote a detailed article on growing tomatoes at home to ensure perfect results every time. Read that here.
If you found value in this article, subscribe to the blog for all future updates. You can do that below.
[mailerlite_form form_id=5]