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The Rock Prairie Master Gardener Association, located in Rock County, Wisconsin, is the 42nd association of the Wisconsin Master Gardener Program.

This blog is used to distribute timely information to association members regarding volunteer opportunities, MGV highlights, and other social tid bits.

Horticulture related information is to be directed to the Horticulture Educator or the Plant Health Advisors.

This blog is not for garden related questions.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

What is it? - Determinate versus indeterminate tomatoes


Tomato plants may be determinate, semi-determinate, or indeterminate in habit.

Determinate varieties are compact plants which are often smaller than the indeterminate varieties. Each shoot on a determinate plant ends in a flower cluster, and consequently a fruit cluster. Determinate tomato plants tend to produce fruit all at once.

Indeterminate cultivars are vining or sprawling in habit. The shoot tips continue to grow and flower clusters are borne in the leaf axils of the expanding shoot. Indeterminate tomato plants yield fruit over a long time.

Determinate tomatoes, which grow on the ends of branches, tend to ripen earlier than indeterminate tomatoes because the fruit receives more heat and sun.

Excerpted from UWEX publication A3687 – Growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in Wisconsin, a guide for fresh-market growers by K.A. Delahaut and A.C. Newenhouse. (Clicking this link will take you directly to the pdf which you can download.)

This publication is available at The Learning Store online as a free pdf download, or from the UW Extension office in the Rock County courthouse.

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