Tomato Tomato: The Difference In Tomato Types

There is more than one way to say and to grow a tomato.

after you grow your first ever tomato plant and you get a taste of what a real tomato is, you get addicted. the taste of a tomato still warm from the summer sun just hits different. makes you feel warm inside too. makes you want to grow even more tomatoes. you begin to look for more tomato plants only to find out there are MILLIONS of tomato varieties out there - all these varieties with different tastes and acidity levels, some sweeter than others, some round, some oblong. then all these terms start to show up with really no explanation at all.

before you get overwhelmed, here it is: your tomato dictionary.

even if you don't grow tomatoes, you can still learn a thing or two for farmer's market visits.

Determinate Tomatoes

determinate tomatoes are those with genetics written into their system to produce a determined or approximate number of tomatoes to grow in their lifespan. their genetics say “once you have produced X amount of tomatoes, your job is done.” a lot of customers at the market always wonder why they get a few tomatoes and then the plant dies - this is why. that plant believes in all it’s heart it did what it was grown to do so therefore it no longer needs to produce or exist.

i personally don't grow a lot of determinate varieties so um here are the only two photos i could find of determinates.

when farmers or influencers talk about succession planting tomatoes, they are talking about determinate varieties because of this. other ways to determine if what you are growing is a determinate tomato is to look at the plants characteristics:

• plants grow no taller than 3 to 4 feet in height*

• leaves tend to be larger and compact, making the plant appear more bushy

• while fruit might all come in at different times, they all ripen at the same time

Indeterminate Tomatoes

indeterminate tomatoes are, as the name says, the opposite of determinate varieties. they will continue to grow and produce until the weather outside is not to their liking. typically these are cherry tomatoes, but take that with a grain of salt. with so many new varieties hitting the market every year it is hard to group them all as such anymore - which is a good thing!

hmmmmgh i can't get ENOUGH of indeterminate tomatoes. green doctors on the left and spoon on the right are currently my top 2 favorites to grow.

if you cannot get enough of tomatoes and want them to last until the first frost, then make sure you get a variety that says indeterminate. if the type is not listed, then look at the characteristics of the plant itself:

• plants are very tall and skinny, even at a young age. because the plant never stops growing, it can be considered like a vine and has no height limit

• leaves are more spread out and thinner, focusing more on stem growth

• flowers and fruits have no schedule - they will produce and produce and produce and produce whenever and however they feel like

*Dwarf Tomatoes

ah-ha! you thought we were done? this is me, elizabeth at tomorrow’s garden. if i didn’t mention dwarf tomatoes then it’s not me but an AI writing this. if you’ve been to my spot at a market then i’m sure you’ve heard my spiel about dwarf variety of tomatoes and other types of plants so i saved this for last if you have heard of this before.

also dwarf varieties are just too cute to leave out of your garden planning!

the term dwarf - just like the other two terms above - does not refer to the size of the fruit but rather the size of the plant. the reason behind growing (any) dwarf plants is not just in their height but also in the root system. both above and below ground grow compact in size, therefore making it ideal for either container gardens or filling in more plants per square foot in a plot.

here is a handy-dandy guide for you to remember all the different sizes. make sure to print it out and put it in your garden planner for next year: