Determinate or Indeterminate Tomatoes

In all of those seed catalogs you are receiving you will find the tomato section. Tomatoes are not going to be grown on the High Desert of central Oregon unless you move them in and out ever night or have a heated greenhouse. Our extreme weather fluctuations do not make for the ideal climate for avid tomato growers. But if you are determined to grow your own tomatoes please read about the difference in seed types.
Before ordering you need to know the difference between Determinate and Indeterminate tomato seed and make the choice for the type of plant you want.
Determinate tomatoes are varieties that grow to a fixed mature size and ripen all their fruit in a short period, usually about 2 weeks. Once this first flush of fruit has ripened, the plant will begin to diminish in vigor and will set little to no new fruit. These varieties are often referred to as "bush" tomatoes because they do not continue growing in size throughout the growing season.
Indeterminate tomatoes are actually vines that continue growing in length throughout the growing season. Also referred to as "vining" tomatoes, indeterminate tomato varieties will also continue to set and ripen fruit until killed off by frost. The majority of tomato varieties are indeterminate including most heirlooms and most cherry types. Some of my favorite indeterminate tomatoes include: Beefsteak, Big Boy and Brandywine. Early producing varieties like Celebrity and Early Girl are also indeterminate. However since they tend to mature earlier and die back before the end of the season, they are sometimes labeled semi-determinate.