Tomato plant size

15 years ago

Last summer I grew Beefsteak, Pink and Red Grape in 7' tall remesh cages, and was amazed the plants grew out of the top and then erupted like fountains, reaching to each other's cages (30" plant spacing) and finally into a solid overgrown 8' tall mess. It felt they would have grown 15' tall had the cages been tall enough. There were plenty of tomatoes, too. I didn't expect such rampant growth, and they kind of dominated and shaded the surrounding plants.

I'm wondering how to budget tomato spacing and sizing this year. Are there indeterminate cultivars that are less likely to grow that large? Is there anything I can do to keep them from growing so rampantly, or should I just be proud they ended up so large? I tried to prune suckers, but the task got out of hand quickly.

The soil is sandy, amended (past fall) with lots of seaweed (6"-8" layer) and compost (made from fish scrap and wood chips). I mixed in ~1 cup of rock phosphate into each planting hole. They were mulched with seaweed, and weeds were not an issue.

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Comments (5)

ribsyhuggins
15 years ago
if you want short plants grow determinate varieties.
cybrczch
15 years ago
josco,
Tomato plants are described as determinate, semi-determinate, and indeterminate. Indeterminate plants are like the ones you grew, they keep growing and bearing throughout the season. Determinate tomato plants terminate their new growth with a flower cluster, which keeps the plants smaller. It also means they will bear most of their fruit at the same type. Semi-determinate are between the 2 extremes.
If the plant description doesn't state what type it is, most likely it will be indeterminate.
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josko021
Original Author
15 years ago
Are there determinate cultivars that produce as long as indeterminates?
Bets
15 years ago
josko,

Determinate or "bush" tomatoes grow to a compact height, usually under 4 feet tall, and they bear a majority their crop over a short time period, then die back or go dormant. Some varieties will continue to produce a few tomatoes or have a second smaller crop later (perhaps it is related to the length of the growing season, I don't get a second crop in my zone 5 garden, so I can't advise you as to which varieties may do that.) In Zone 7a, you might get that second wave, or they may produce a few sporadically after the bumper crop.

Determinates are really best for "putting up" so that you have a large quantity to work with at a time, although you can do that with indeterminates if you have a lot of plants or like to process small batches.

So, no they really don't produce the way indeterminates do. What you may want to do is to plant a few determinates with some indeterminate varieties and see what they do for your area.

Your mileage may vary. :-)

Betsy
txted
15 years ago
Josko,

I researched the thirty six varieties I will grow this year. I tried to determine the reported growth habit of each. I built trellis and cages to accommodate each height. I will be growing some early determinates that only grow to about 24". Others will grow to about 36". Many or most of my indeterminates will grow between 6' and 8'. A few will attain 10' in height. My trellis and cages range from 4' to 10' in height.

Ted