Choosing the right kind of tomato
It can be difficult to know what treatment the tomato cultivar you are growing requires, but identifying different types of tomato habit should help clear up any confusion.
Bush and indeterminate tomatoes
There are two main types of tomato plant that have different growth habits: indeterminate (also called vine or cordon) tomatoes or determinate (bush) tomatoes.
Indeterminate (vine) tomatoes
Indeterminate tomatoes branch freely and will grow indefinitely. Left untrained, they produce a prostrate habit. If too much growth is allowed the crop will consist of numerous small fruits that may not ripen. These tomatoes are therefore trained as a cordon, limited to a central stem grown up a tall support such as a cane or string, to a height of around 1.5-2m (5-7ft), although under glass this may need to be higher.
Additional laterals (sideshoots) that appear from the leaf axils are pinched out. The flowers and fruit are borne on trusses that grow from the leaf axils of the main stem. After four to five trusses have developed (five to six if under glass) you may decide to restrict growth in order to maximise ripening, by pinching out the terminal shoot. Vine tomatoes are easier to keep under control if they are grown in pots or growing bags, but as with other container-grown plants, these will need more attention.
Determinate (bush) tomatoes
Bush tomatoes (left) are more compact plants with plenty of side branches. Each branch has limited growth and terminates in a cluster of flowers. They do not need regular de-leafing and can be tied loosely to a 1m (3ft) cane.
Semi-determinate
There are also semi-determinate tomatoes, which have a habit between that of a bush and a vine type. They have vigorous lateral shoots that are likely to terminate in a flowering truss and so these are not usually removed, except to curb unruly growth. Be careful when pinching out these shoots to preserve the laterals that will flower and bear fruit.
Why choose indeterminate cultivars?
Indeterminate tomatoes will produce fruit regularly for the duration of the season, whereas bush cultivars produce fruit over a more limited period, often resulting in a glut. In cooler regions with a shorter growing season bush tomatoes under glass or fleece may be more suitable, however the range of colours, shapes and sizes is greater with indeterminate cultivars.
Fiona Dennis