Google can also help you.

I believe there a few "yeah, buts" as well. Why do you ask?

And by the way, how about a discourse on breba Black Jack figs in N California, but on the fig forum ? Didn't get any this year or last, I suspect because of watering restrictions.

I ask because I'm new to growing tomatoes and don't know the terminology. I guess you'll have to stroll over to the Fig forum to get an answer to your desert king question.

Okay!

Strolling!

Pruning questions?

Semi-determinate?

All the above

What I mean is, it might depend on the tomato variety you are growing, how you are growing it, and if it's a size question, or one of pruning, or how much and how long it will yield.

Determinates are expected to stay small, set all their fruit at once, and not last as long as indeterminates, but not always.

This year I am growing all my tomatoes in self watering containers, from the "dwarf project", and some are considered "semi determinates".

Determinate - The plant generally has ripe fruit all at one time and then stops growing. These are good for sauce because you get a lot of tomatoes at once. These are more adaptable to growing in containers.

Indeterminate - The plant will keep growing and producing tomatoes until frost kills it. These plants can get quite large and will need more support than an indeterminate variety.

Just ordered some Indeterminate San Marzano tomato seeds to make my pizzas and Italian sauces. I'll plant in September and give them space to grow. Thanks for the definitions everyone!

Did you click on the link to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
that Rodney linked in his first reply? It would have answered your
question immediately. It is only one of the many Growing Tomatoes FAQs
here that cover all the basics.

Most every forum has a list of
FAQs with a button directly to them in the Related Links list at the top
of each forum's front page.

All the Growing Tomatoes FAQs

Dave

I clicked on it the moment he posted it.

Make sure you do some research on san marzano tomatoes. Especially if you are growing them in containers.

They will be in ground. We have plenty of room for them. I read lots of reviews. What is the problem, Mark? I'm planting them in September where I've been growing my crowder and black eyed peas. They add a lot of nutrients to the soil (I think), and we'll be digging in a lot more to give them a boost.

The common complaint about them, as with many of the paste varieties, is BER. The fruit shape makes them more prone to it than the round tomatoes are. And while the paste-type tomatoes are generally not known for any flavor, San Marzano is one of the better tasting ones.

As often discussed here the best sauces come from using a mix of types and varieties rather than all pastes..

Dave

I'm a newbie, you know :-) BER = Black End Rot? HEY! I'm learning? See, I have a husband who craves Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Not just ANY. Has to be Malnati's. THEY source their tomatoes from California which is me. Native! I made him one last night (which he loved... but I want perfection). Had to use a less than perfect brand, so I'm thinking "I'll just grow some for us!" As sauce goes, Not a lot of sauce in Malnati's..nothing cooked (other than can processing) just mostly mashed, chunked and drained several times for a variety of tomato sizes.. The perfect cheese is another issue, but I have found one that is really stretchy and melty that will do till I nail perfection.

BER is caused by uneven watering? Bad soil? What? Everything we grow is on drippers. We water on a schedule, so nothing is uneven. Soil is well drained. Nothing sits in water.

I didn't know you could plant tomato seeds in September in Arizona. I'm a Californian. Does that give them a head start for spring?

Igteacher, you and I are in the same zone in CA. Yes, we get two harvests! Lucky us! Start inside in August, plant in Sept. reap what we sow. Then plant again in Feb (protect from freezes) and reap early. Summer is tooooo hot here for tomatoes. I have a cherry (that HD sold as Big Boy which is just a cherry), and a couple volunteers that have tomatoes. Hopefully they will ripen, but they are toast for the summer for sure.

What Dave said.

Blossom eND rot. Look up prevention because you have to start early to win that war.

Suzi, I will try that this year. We are in the same zone, but that is based just on average low temperatures and doesn't account for high temps. I'm in Sunset zone 22. I've tried growing cool season tomatoes in the fall, but they typically don't bear much. Some tomatoes have lived over the winter, usually the varieties with small fruit like grape and cherry tomatoes, but they don't bear much fruit when the temperature drops.