Tomatoes are a delicious part of any garden. There are many varieties for a wide range of uses. From slicing tomatoes to cherry tomatoes to sauce tomatoes, there are so many to try!

Tomato plants fall into two main categories: determinate and indeterminate. These categories relate to how the plants grow and produce fruit. It is important to know which type of plant you are growing, as they have different needs and results.

Determinate Plants

Determinate tomato plants are often called bush tomatoes. These plants reach a certain height and stop growing, and produce most of their fruit within a short period. Determinate plants are great for gardeners who do not have a lot of space, as these plants do not grow as large as indeterminate plants. Determinate plants also do not require staking or caging, which means they take less effort and are more manageable; great for beginners or those who do not want to spend as much time taking care of their garden.

Another feature that sets determinate plants apart is that they produce most of their fruit within a short period. This is great if your goal is to have large batches of tomatoes ripe at the same time, such as for making tomato sauce or paste. With determinate plants, you will be able to make larger and fewer batches of sauce or paste.

Indeterminate Plants

Indeterminate tomato plants are often called vine tomatoes. These plants grow continuously and do not stop until they die at the end of the season. These plants produce fruit throughput the growing season rather than all at once. Indeterminate plants are great for gardeners who want a consistent, steady stream of ripe fruit for daily use. These plants will grow large and do require staking or caging to control the growth and keep the plant healthy and disease-free. These plants are more difficult to grow and require more time and effort than determinate plants, but they are more consistent, steady producers.

Terrestrial Nursery Varieties

At Terrestrial Nursery, we offer three different tomato varieties. We have hand-selected these varieties and believe they are the best varieties that cover the widest variety of uses.

Brandywine

Our Brandywine Tomato plants are an indeterminate variety plant that produce large, rounded fruit up to 7 inches in diameter. These tomatoes are great for slicing, and as an indeterminate plants, they produce fruit more consistently and over a longer period of time, which is great for a daily slicing tomato!

Cherry Buzz

Our Cherry Buzz Tomato plants are an indeterminate variety plant that produces shiny 1/2 - 3/4 inch fruit. Great for snacking! This variety produces ripe fruit earlier than most other tomato varieties and continues to produce throughout summer, making it a great choice for snacking, salads, and more!

San Marzano

Our San Marzano Tomato plants are an indeterminate variety that produces the perfect sauce and paste tomato. The plant produces meaty, roma type tomatoes about 5 inches in length. This variety of tomatoes is often considered the best tasting sauce tomato!

Planting

Like all of the garden transplants we offer, our tomato transplants are hardened off and ready for planting when you get them. Our tomato transplants can be planted outdoors as soon as the last frost date has passed. We recommend checking the weather forecast before planting to ensure there are no freezing temperatures forecasted. For indeterminate tomatoes, we recommend setting up staking or caging when planting, as it will be easiest to get around in your garden when the plants are small. We recommend adding some organic fertilizer or bone meal to the planting hole, as tomatoes like a high level of nutrients. Organic compost is also a good option. We recommend planting in rows that are 3-4 feet apart and 18-24 inches between determinate plants or 24-36 inches between indeterminate plants. After planting, water well.

Watering

Tomato plants should be watered first thing in the morning. It is important to water at the base of the plant and not overhead. Wet leaves can lead to disease. We also recommend surrounding the plant with organic mulch, a couple of inches thick; this helps to retain moisture in the soil and prevent splashing while watering.

Pruning

We recommend pruning indeterminate tomato plants to improve airflow, reduce risk of disease, and encourage larger and more fruit to grow. As the plant grows larger, we recommend removing suckers, which will help direct energy to fruit production. We also recommend pruning lower branches and leaves that are touching the ground. This will help prevent disease.

We are very excited for this growing season, and would love to hear what varieties of tomatoes you will be growing and how they turn out! As always, we encourage you to contact us with any questions. Happy growing!

Images courtesy of Territorial Seed Company