10 Most Popular Indeterminate Tomato Varieties

If you are a beginner in growing tomatoes or you wish to grow tomatoes, but you don’t know where to start, then you came to the right place.

Probably you noticed that on the packages of the tomato plants you see the word “determinate” and “indeterminate”. But what this means exactly?

10 indeterminate tomato varieties

In this article I will write about the indeterminate tomatoes, what are these and how they should be grown.

Or if you know already what indeterminate tomato plant is, but you are not sure which type should you grow, then you should still read this article, as I am going to present the 10 most popular indeterminate tomato varieties.

What Is an Indeterminate Tomato?

Indeterminate tomatoes are also called “vining” tomatoes as they grow continually and produce fruits until the frost comes in. These tomato plants can grow very high.

Usually, indeterminate tomatoes are supported with long strings or stakes, to offer support for them.

If you wish to have fresh tomatoes all summer, then you should grow indeterminate tomatoes.

However, these plants need more space, as they can grow big. Also, indeterminate tomatoes should be pruned regularly, which can sometimes be annoying if you are a busy person.

Growing Indeterminate Tomatoes

Both determinate and indeterminate tomato types need attention and care. You have to find the types which suit you more.

But now, let’s discuss about the basics of growing indeterminate tomatoes.

Pruning

Indeterminate tomatoes need to be pruned regularly, as these will grow many “suckers”. As the name states, the suckers are sucking away the energy from the main stem, and if you don’t remove them, these will become branches, then a new tomato plant on the main tomato plant.

Not pruning the suckers will end up in a very bushy and unwieldy plant, which will have fewer fruits, because the main stem’s energy was taken away by the new branches.

Therefore, pruning your indeterminate tomatoes is essential. You need only the main stem with its main leaves and tomato blossoms, which will turn into fruits. Pruning your tomatoes leads to a healthy and strong stem and increased harvests.

Trellising

As indeterminate tomatoes grow taller, they need support, otherwise, these will fall over. If touching the ground, these can develop diseases and can attract pests.

You can use stakes, strings, cages or trellis kits to support your tomatoes. With these tools, you can “train” your plants to grow where you want them and how big you want them.

Harvesting

As I mentioned earlier, intermediate tomatoes grow fresh tomatoes during the whole season. So, you can enjoy fresh tomatoes from your garden all summer.

However, you should harvest them in time and not leaving them on the vines for too long because the fruit can crack or the overall yields can be smaller.

10 Most Popular Indeterminate Tomato Varieties

Most of the tomato varieties are indeterminate tomatoes. Including most heirloom and cherry types, also, many dwarf tomato varieties as well.

1. Beefsteak

This variety is an heirloom and is beloved for its flavor and size for slicing in burgers and sandwiches. It produces large (14 to 24 oz/ 400 to 680 gr) fruits which are red meaty and juicy fruits.

Because the fruits are larger, they ripen later in the season compared to other varieties. Usually, it matures in 90 days.

It has vigorous vines (6 to 8 feet/ 1,8 to 2,4 meters), so it is best to grow in tall cages or stakes. Beefsteak variety is resistant to fusarium wilt (F) and nematodes (N).

2. Big Boy

Big Boy tomato is a hybrid variety. As the name states, “Big Boy” has large, bright red, sandwich-type slicer fruits (16 to 32 oz/ 450 to 907 gr) with a smooth flavor. The name and the flavor as well are easy to remember.

After planting Big Boy matures in 78 days and it can grow 6 to 10 feet/ 1,80 to 3 meters. Most of the fruits ripen in the mid-season but continues until the first frost, however not that heavily.

3. Brandywine

Brandywine tomatoes are one of the oldest heirloom tomato varieties. It is known and grown for over 100 years.

This variety is popular for its old-fashioned tomato taste. It produces large (9 to 16 oz/255 to 450 gr), rosy pink, slightly sweet fruits and can mature between 80 to 100 days.

The plant itself can grow large, between 7 and 9 feet /2 and 2,7 meters tall, so you should use tall cages for support. The foliage has “potato leaf” and fruits ripen gradually until the first frost.

This tomato type is preferred especially by the gourmet cooks for its tangy taste.

4. SunGold

SunGold tomatoes are hybrid F1 type and are the most popular yellow cherry tomatoes for gardeners. Its popularity is because of its taste. SunGold is the sweetest tomato type and the texture is very loved as well.

You can harvest fruits from this type early in the summer already, but it produces fruits until the late summer. A plant can produce 120 tomatoes in total, and 20-25 fruits per truss.

The cherry tomatoes are small (half an ounce/ 13g to 14 g) and can be used for salads or can be eaten on their own as well. The fruits have a glowing orange colour with a matt finish and are juicy and medium firm.

SunGold cherry tomatoes can be grown very well outdoors or in the greenhouse also. The fruits should be harvested only after ripening, as they don’t have a good taste if picked before maturity and will not ripen very well indoors.

5. Sweet Million

Sweet Million is not as sweet as its name states, but it has a very nice tomato flavour. It produces a large amount of bright red and juicy cherry tomato fruits early in the summer, as it matures in 62 days.

This type of tomato plant can be grown outdoors or in a cold greenhouse. It can produce around 200 to 300 fruits per plant.

Fruits can be picked before maturity and can be ripened on the windowsill as well. Each fruit can weight around 15 gr, they are slightly smaller than a golf ball.

6. Early Girl

Early Girl is a hybrid tomato variety that matures early in the summer (50 days after planting). It grows 6 to 8 feet/1,80 to 2,4 meters and if in ideal conditions can be produced around 300 fruits in a single plant.

The fruits are bright red, meaty with and have a lot of flavor and aroma. Early Girl fruits are medium-sized (6 to 8 oz/ 170 to 230 gr), around the size of a tennis ball and are slightly flattened in shape.

These fruits are considered slicers, so, they are perfect in sandwiches, bagel or salads.

This variety is popular because it matures very early in the summer and it continues to produce fruits all the season. Some of the gardeners are planting it again in the late summer so they can have fresh tomatoes until the late fall, before frost.

7. Green Zebra

As its name states, Green Zebra is a striped tomato fruit that will stay striped as they mature. This variety is considered a delight to gardeners and chefs, because of its taste and its spectacular look as well.

The tomato fruits are green with dark green stripes, but as they ripen, they turn yellowish-green, covered with mottled green and orange stripes.

Green Zebra is best in salsas and salads as its flavor if a sparkling mix of sweet and tart.

If the ideal conditions are given, Green Zebra can mature in 75 to 80 days, so, they produce a continuous crop from mid-season.

Green Zebra also needs supporting as it can grow up to 5 feet/ 1,5 m tall.

8. Amish Paste

Amish Paste is an heirloom classic. It has been passed down from generation to generation in the 1870s in the Amish community in the Wisconsin area.

These can be grown in a greenhouse or a protected position outside. Amish Paste tomato plants produce large fruits (8 to 12 oz/ 225 to 340 g) which are oval-shaped, bright red and their truss might need some support so this will not break because on one truss there can be 3-4 fruits.

Amish Paste fruits are slightly sweet, meaty and have few seeds. This makes the fruits perfect for tomato pastes and sauces. Being large, these can be easily peeled as well.

9. Yellow Pear

Yellow Pear is an heirloom tomato variety that can be easily grown even if you don’t have too much available space.

Its name is descriptive, as this variety produces yellow, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes, which are small as well (about an inch/ 2 to 2,5 cm) when ripen. The fruits are very tasty, colorful and are perfect for salads and even for snacking.

These plants can grow up to 8 feet/ 2,5 m and fruits can be harvested in 70 to 80 days. You will have fresh tomatoes from Yellow Pear tomato plants all summer until the late fall.

10. Moneymaker

Moneymaker is also an heirloom tomato variety that dates back over 100 years, to 1913. It is popular because is not a sensitive tomato.

You can rely on it even when the soil and weather conditions are not the best, also, it is resistant to many diseases.

The taste of the fruits is more like average, but the number of fruits produced can be surprising for many gardeners.

The fruits have a deep red color, moderately sweet taste and a normal texture. The size of the fruit is about the size of a billiard ball and the skin is medium thin.

This type of tomato is often used in salads or by itself.

Wrap UP

If you are not sure which tomato variety to plant this year in your garden, you should consider first the available space.

Indeterminate tomatoes can grow big, and they need pruning as well, otherwise, their foliage may become too crowded and they can be prone to diseases.

Reference

https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmgnevada/files/183442.pdf

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