Page 4 - LEAD MAGNATE - TOMATOES

INDETERMINATE TOMATOES INDETERMINATE

CULTIVARS:
These tomatoes have a totally different growth habit to bush
tomatoes. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to set fruit right
until frost wipes out the plant. Instead of one huge harvest of
tomatoes, indeterminates give you a slow and steady tomato
crop. They tend to be a little slower to set fruit than their bush Arkansas Heirloom
cousins, because they put so much of their energy into grow- Beefmaster
ing so tall. Better Boy

Big Beef
There is a very big range of indeterminate tomatoes, which Big Boy
included most of the cherry varieties, and the heirlooms, and Bradley Heirloom
the big beefsteaks. Early Girl is a great favorite and readily Creole
available at garden centers and lives up to its name by pro-
ducing very early. EarlyGirl
German Queen Heirloom
Golden Jubilee Heirloom
Indeterminates can grow from 6’ – 10’ and have to be staked. Goliath
Because they grow so tall, and have considerable weight, Husky Cherry Red
they will need an extra tall tomato cage. Park’s Whopper
Jet Star

How to prune Indeterminate tomatoes Juliet Roma Grape

Since indeterminate tomatoes are inclined to ‘outgrow’ them- Lemon Boy Yellow
selves, some gardeners choose to prune them. This may Marion Heirloom
sound a little daunting, but actually it is quite simple. Mr. Stripey Heirloom
Pink Brandywine Heirloom

You will see that a sucker will develop in the axil – the spot Red Beefsteak
where the leaf stem attaches to the main growing stem. You San Marzano
will want to remove this sucker as close to the stem as possi- Super Sweet 100 T
ble. Either pinch it out completely with your fingers, or snip it Yellow Pear Heirloom
with a pair of scissors. It is much better to do this when the Cherry
sucker is young – perhaps an inch tall. Start doing this when
the plant is about 12” to 15” tall. Repeat with all suckers.

Essentially, you are focusing the plant’s energy into produc-
ing fruit rather than leaves. You can expect larger fruit using
this pruning method. An added benefit is that the fruit should
set a little earlier than if the variety had not been pruned.

About four weeks before the first expected fall frost, remove
the growing tip of your indeterminate tomato plant. This
practice, known as ‘topping’ will trigger the tomato to stop
flowering and to concentrate all its energy into the remain-
ing fruit on the vine.