Growing determinate tomatoes
Determinate tomatoes are short and bushy and are the varieties best suited to pots, containers and small gardens. Some say they are the easiest to grow as they do not require staking, although some support can be beneficial in certain situations (windy areas or where plants have ample fruit!), and gardeners do not remove the laterals (side shoots) on these types.
Determinate tomatoes will usually grow to a set, or determined, height and generally ripen all at once. This is ideal in the case of varieties you may wish to turn into passata or preserve as semi-sundried tomatoes, but not great if you want a long harvest period of fresh fruit for salads and sandwiches (but that's what indeterminate tomatoes are for).
When plants start to flower, that signifies them reaching their final height, and fruiting won't be long after.
To pinch out the laterals or not?
The laterals are the small side shoots that develop just above a leaf and grow vigorously to develop a new branch.
Most tomato growers remove the lowest laterals to create space under the tomato for air circulation and to prevent splashback of soil during watering.
Removing laterals also makes the tomato easier to stake and manage. Although it does reduce the amount of fruit your tomato may set, the fruit you do produce will be larger, of better quality and ripen more evenly.
View all determinate tomato varieties
Growing indeterminate tomatoes
Indeterminate tomatoes are the most prolific, in both height and yield. They are called indeterminate, as they can, theoretically, keep growing to an indetermined height, although most gardeners pinch out the central leader (top growth) to stop them once they reach an adequate height.
These plants require staking and support throughout the growing process, and some pruning to maintain a manageable size and shape. Indeterminate tomatoes ripen over a longer time, giving you less fruit all at once, but more fruit over a longer harvest window.
There are many more indeterminate varieties to choose from than determinate, with a wide variety of purposes from cherry tomatoes to salad, beefsteak and saucing varieties. They will usually crop until the weather cools, especially the smaller fruited cherry varieties.
