Indeterminate tomato plants grow continuously until killed by frost or disease, producing fruit through the entire growing season. Most (though not all) indeterminate varieties grow quite tall—some reaching as much as 8 or 10 feet—so they need a lot of room and support.
Indeterminate tomatoes can reach heights of up to 12 feet, although six feet is typical.
Determinate varieties require little or no staking of the plant. Indeterminate varieties develop into vines that never top off and continue producing until killed by frost. They are preferred by home growers and local-market farmers who want ripe fruit throughout the season.
Vining tomatoes are often described as indeterminate, a term applied to tomato plants that continue to grow and produce fruit until a frost. But not all indeterminate tomatoes are vining varieties.
Tomatoes are divided into two main types: cordon (indeterminate) or bush (determinate). This identifies how the plant grows. Cordon types are the most commonly grown, and grow as cordons (single-stemmed plants). They grow to heights of up to 2.5m and require support and regular pruning of sideshoots.
'Gold Medal' (beefsteak, indeterminate, heirloom c. 1920) is arguably the top bicolor for taste. The giant 1-3 lb fruits are perfectly marbled with red and yellow and are large, meaty, and juicy. It has won lots of taste tests where it has been described as luscious and superb.
For Big Tomatoes, Go Beefsteak. When it comes to growing the biggest tomato varieties, the list is pretty much all beefsteak-type tomatoes. No real surprise there. They're big, they're beefy, and they're just the category that grows the biggest and weighs the most.
For really tall tomato plants, you would need to dig a super deep hole. In doing so, you may also run into more compacted soil, or clay soil, the deeper you dig.
While grape tomatoes are determinate, meaning they are bushy and produce fruit in a short period of time, beefsteak tomatoes are indeterminate, meaning they have sparser foliage and produce fruit over the course of a growing season. As indeterminate plants, they grow higher and require staking as well.
Pruning indeterminate tomatoes improves fruit production by removing extra growth that diverts energy away from developing fruits. Removing extra growth redirects energy back to the fruits and reduces fruit shading, both of which will help fruits mature more quickly.
Indeterminate tomatoes continue to set and ripen fruit throughout the growing season until frost kills the plants. This continuous fruiting will yield a slow and steady supply of tomatoes, rather than one immense harvest.
To speed ripening late in the season, remove the growing tip of each main stem about four weeks before the first expected fall frost. Called "topping," this type of pruning causes the plant to stop flowering and setting new fruit, and instead directs all sugars to the remaining fruit.
Determinate tomatoes are smaller and grow like a bush. They usually grow up to five feet tall, so they are perfect for a small garden or container gardening. Indeterminate tomatoes have a more vine-like structure and can grow up to 8-10 feet tall.
If tomatoes are not pruned early enough in their growth, they will grow tall with lots of leaves and flowers at the top, but no growth on the lower stems.
Blood Meal (Nitrogen)
Nitrogen is definitely necessary for tomato plants so I add this every year. To supply the nitrogen the plant needs, in each planting hole I add 2 tablespoons of blood meal and mix it with the soil.
Give them consistent watering (deep and infrequent trumps a daily sprinkle), well-draining soil (incorporate generous helpings of compost into beds or containers at planting time), plenty of heat and light (direct, unobstructed sunshine for a minimum of 6 hours daily is best) and a slow-release, balanced fertilizer ...
The Guinness World Record for the tallest tomato plant is 19.8 meters — that's 65 feet — grown hydroponically by a company in the United Kingdom. Tomato plants like Big Boy and Early Girl can reach 7'+ with proper care and attention.
Large, thickly fleshed beefsteaks are the biggest type of tomatoes, weighing 1 pound or more. Growing quickly to at least 6 feet tall, the late-maturing tomato plant will produce a bountiful harvest in about 85 days. It needs a sturdy cage, trellis, or stake to support its fruit.
The persimmon is a fruit that comes from certain trees in the genus Diospyros. Like the tomato, it is technically a berry but rarely considered one. The fruit is picked in late fall and sometimes stays on the tree into winter. Depending on the strain, the color ranges from yellow to dark red-orange.
Beefsteak. As their name suggests, beefsteak tomatoes are big and juicy with a mild flavor and thick flesh. When they reach their prime in late summer, they can weigh up to a pound each (sometimes more!). Because beefsteak tomatoes have a high-water content, they're best eaten raw in salads or sandwiches.
Black Krim is one of the most flavorful heirloom beefsteak tomatoes, producing large, sweet, reddish-purple fruits that are beautifully mottled. The flesh has a rich, complex flavor with a hint of smokiness, making it perfect for salads, sauces, or slicing.
Better Bush Tomato. This is a great choice that bears sizeable fruits on a very compact plant that works well in containers and small gardens. Especially strong, bushy plants bear truly tasty, medium-sized tomatoes great for sandwiches and slicing. The heavy foliage of this hybrid helps protect tomatoes from sunburn.