Both types benefit from some sort of support so it makes no difference. As they grow you will be able to tell which is which.

Yes there are ways to tell the difference in the growth pattern but most prefer to know the name of the variety they are growing and that is the easiest way to tell. General clues are that "most" OP varieties are indeterminate, 'most' indeterminate varieties will have longer internode distances than determinates will, 'most' determinates will only get about 4-5' tall while indeterminates will grow 6-10' tall, and most determinates will develop blooms further out toward the end of the branch while indeterminate blooms tend to be closer toward the stem, etc..

But there are so many variables that can affect all those clues that they are easy to change.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - Difference Determinates vs. Indeterminates

Thank you, that is very interesting!

The FAQ states :

>>>They (determinatns) stop growing when fruit sets on the terminal or top bud, ripen all their crop at or near the same time (usually over a 2 week period), and then die. I don't know who wrote that FAQ article, but It is incorrect. Tomatoes are perennials. They wont die unless are killed by adverse environmental effects. Same can happen to the indeterminats as well.

I personally read comments by Market growers who have mentioned their DETS deep producing till the end of season.

Perennial - Plants that persist for many growing seasons. Generally the top portion of the plant dies back each winter and regrows the following spring from the same root system.

As has been pointed out to you before, determinate tomato varieties are not perennials. That is why the don't have in in front of their name and why they are called determinates - they terminate once done producing their crop regardless of environmental conditions.

And in much of the country neither are indeterminates perennials in reality as, unless moved indoors, they are killed by frost if not first killed by disease. And they do not re-sprout from the same root system. Rather they may reseed themselves from dropped fruit just like many annuals do.

Dave

As has been pointed out to you before, determinate tomato varieties are not perennials.
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No sir> All tomatoes belong to the same genus:

As It has been pointed out to you and do it again. (from wikipedia)

>>>The tomato is the edible, often red fruit/berry of the nightshade Solanum lycopersicum,[1][2] commonly known as a tomato plant >>>The tomato belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae.[1][3] The plants typically grow to 1�"3 meters (3�"10 ft) in height and have a weak stem that often sprawls over the ground and vines over other plants. It is a perennial in its native habitat NOTE: There is no distinction is made amongst the varieties.

It is true that in the non tropics tomatoes are grown as annual but fundamentally they are PERENNIAL. This is the same about all varieties. At any rate, either all tomatoes are annual or perennial. No exception in the fundamental genus.

The terms "determinant" and "indeterminant" come from statistical structure, loosely applied to tomatoes. The terms have much wider application in mathematics In tomato it just refers to the growth habit and FORM/STRUCTURE and its predictability.

FINALLY:

To claim that Determinant tomato plants just drop dead toward the end of season (supposedly implying that the indets live on) is just no accurate. And I am referring to the statement that I quoted. I do not know who wrote it. So this is not a personal issue with you or anybody else.

There are some dets that do produce all season, but not many of them do so.

From a biologic/botonic point of view the two, ind and det, are defined by the internode distances between branches that give rise to blossoms and fruits.

I'm always foregtting those internode distances, I'm not perfect yet, ahem,but I think it's something like 2-3 for dets and 3-4 for indet.

So yes, our garden tomatoes are all in the genus Solanum and species esculentum ( some use lycopersicum), the currant ones that many grow being S.Pimpinellifolium, But it was found very uselful to divide them into det and indet based on internode distances which does help gardners, whether commercial orhome gardeners, know how long the vines might be in terms of how they are going to grow their tomatoes.

And yes, sometimes when viewing many sites you'll see some varieties being referred to as semi-deteminates or even semi-ind, don't ask. LOL

Carolyn