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I was reading on the internet on how to best cage my tomatoes since I don't think I will be able to plant next to a fence this year. and I saw that weather you stake or cage depends on the kind of plant you have determinate or indeterminate, how do I know what kind of tomato plants that I have?? I don't remember ever seeing that info on the seed packets but that doesn't mean it wasn't there, I just didn't pay any attention.

nevermind, I just checked the seed packets and they all say indeterminate. I guess I never noticed it because I didn't know what it meant. I don't think I have ever seen the other kind, what kinds are determinate??

now I need to figure out how I am going to stake, I wish I could get hubby to just put me up a temporary fence in the middle of the yard.

Indeterminate tend to be ever bearing and produce all season long, though they do have a peak period of production. Determinate tend to form one crop and then are mostly spent. Selection between the two forms in part depends upon your uses. If you wanted to can or freeze a bunch in the first half of the season, then determinate vines would be a good choice. This year I'm planting a few determinate vines because I have so much trouble with disease. The determinate varieties that I plant seem to mature their main crop prior to our hot, humid, vine killing weather in mid to late July.

I was thinking of that too. we tend to get some really hot days and that's when we start getting diseases on the tomato plants, if I can get some that grow them all at once then can then that would work, I could plant both kinds. I just need to find them.

Marion and Rutgers are two old fashioned common varieties that are carried in this area. Also Totally Tomato and Tomato Growers Supply both have excellent selection and are top quality mail order businesses. I usually opt for Totally Tomato because their seed prices are much more reasonable.

[url]https://www.totallytomato.com/dc.asp?c=69[/url]

[url]https://www.tomatogrowers.com/[/url]

_ D tom versus IND tom. The D tom are used more for containers or for companies that can or make soup that need a crop to be finished in a certain time period. They usually have a smaller stock and do well in containers. I myself prefer the IND but will palnt a few for nice earlier tom. Most tom sold in the packs are IND but look at the pack. I have even seen Semi IND. and semi D whih some have both so they will extend after the big yield!

Methinks many of the "facts" about determins vs. indies is folklore that has been erroneously copied and pasted by most purveyors. I've grown several determinates that produced from mid-July until they were killed by the frost, with very little difference in weekly harvest.

The main differences I have seen is the height of the plant and the number of suckers.

Mike

I grow celebrity each year. It has a massive crop which is followed by a trickle for the rest of the season. My experience was similar with marion and rutgers as I recall, but that was many decades ago, so the memory could be in error. I'm having so much trouble with disease starting in mid July that it doesn't much matter which types are selected, except I believe determinate tomatoes may give me a more bountiful harvest before the invariable decline that takes place with the heat, humidity, and pests of mid to late summer. The only way that I've found to keep a steady stream of tomatoes through the season is by planting three to four succession plantings. The young vigorous plants seem to tolerate the diseases until they become mature plants. Also, the late plants don't seem as prone to problems with diseases, probably because of somewhat lower temperatures and lower humidity.