Winter is the most suitable time for planning the summer season and choosing tomato varieties for planting in the garden or greenhouse. When choosing vegetables, you can find determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. Many vegetable growers begin to get confused when they see these definitions. However, if you study these types of tomatoes, you can greatly simplify the process of choosing the most suitable tomato varieties for planting.
Short description
It is quite difficult for beginners to understand what indeterminate and determinate varieties are. Therefore, it is recommended to read their brief description in detail.
Indeterminate variety
Indeterminate tomatoes differ from other types of tall bushes that grow over a long period of time. During its development, the height of the plant can reach one and a half meters. However, some indeterminate tomato varieties can grow up to six meters. One of the tallest and most famous species is the Octopus.
This plant has a developed root system and good branching. It also has excellent productivity both in vegetable gardens and in greenhouses. However, indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are most often grown for open ground, since it is quite difficult to grow such tall bushes in greenhouses.
Growing an indeterminate variety in greenhouses is very profitable, since in such conditions the growing season increases several times. Sometimes its duration increases to one and a half years. The most famous and widespread greenhouse species are "De Barao" and "Bull's heart».
When growing them, you will have to build special trellises for gartering tall bushes. They will also have to be periodically stepped on. If this is not done, then many extra branches will appear on the main stem, which will reduce the number of ovaries.
Formation is carried out in several ways. Most often they are formed into one stem, but during cultivation in greenhouses they can be formed into two.
Determinant
Every beginning gardener should know what a determinate variety means.
Determinate tomatoes are very short - their average height is about 60-70 cm.During growth, no more than five brushes are formed. In this case, the first one begins to appear after six full leaves have grown on the plant. This tomato grows until the fifth cluster appears, after which its growth stops completely. Such plants are in great demand, as they grow well in almost any conditions. However, determinate tomatoes grow best in areas where the climate is temperate.
In regions with low temperatures, the best varieties of tomatoes for greenhouses are popular. In some cases, they are planted in greenhouses and in the southern regions. Determinate varieties of tomatoes for greenhouses are not planted, as they are very compact. They are tied only if the plant grows up to 80 cm and there are a lot of fruits on it, due to which the bush can break.
Differences between varieties
Determinate and indeterminate varieties of tomatoes differ from most others in the duration of their fruiting. The latter do not ripen simultaneously, but at different periods. It is thanks to this that the harvest is harvested over several months. At the same time, from one tomato bush you can get 15 kg of fruit.
It is known that determinate tomato varieties bear fruit very early. All fruits ripen almost simultaneously, so the duration of fruiting is not very long. Even if all growing conditions are met, the yield does not exceed ten kilograms of fruit.
There is a list of signs by which these plants may differ already in the first days of their life:
- The difference can be noticed within 5-7 days after the first shoots appear. In this case, the plant is distinguished by its cotyledon. In determinate tomatoes it grows up to three centimeters, and in indeterminate tomatoes up to five.
- On mature bushes it is much easier to find the difference.To do this, just look at the location of the inflorescences. In determinate bushes it is located under the seventh or sixth leaf. The inflorescences of other tomatoes are located under the ninth leaf.
- Finding the differences becomes more difficult after brushes appear on the bushes. To distinguish the species standard tomatoes, you need to count how many leaves grow between the brushes. Determinate ones have less than three, while indeterminate ones have exactly three leaves.
You can also distinguish plants using shoots. If it does not end after the brush, then it is a determinate tomato.
Types of determinate tomatoes
To fully understand what determinate tomatoes are, you need to find out what types of such tomatoes exist. There are three main types, which have different distinctive features.
Semi-determinant
Quite often they are confused with indeterminate ones, since they have the same type of branching. This tomato is actively developing until the first ten clusters appear, after which growth begins to slow down. Ovaries in semi-determinate plants are formed every two leaves. In this case, the first one appears after the seventh leaf.
Determinant
This variety differs from the others in that their shoot completely stops growing after the appearance of the first six leaves. The growth of shoots ends with the appearance of flower clusters. They form under the sixth true leaf.
Superdeterminant
They belong to the early ripening varieties, laying their flower clusters every two leaves. After the formation of five leaves, a shoot begins to appear, at the end of which a peduncle forms.
Determinate varieties
Before growing, you should understand that there are a lot of such determinate tomatoes. There are better varieties that many gardeners grow.
Turbojet
This hybrid was bred just a few years ago. Vegetable growers quickly buy it up, so sometimes it is quite difficult to find it on sale.
Turbojet tomato is a super-determinate species. The height of an adult bush reaches 40 cm. It cannot be planted, since most of the fruits are formed on its stepsons. They are quite small - their weight is only 70 grams. However, you still need to tie up the bushes, since a lot of tomatoes form on the plant, which can break the bush.
Many people do not know when to plant turbojet seedlings. It needs to be planted in mid-March so that the ripe harvest can be harvested at the beginning of July. The main advantage is resistance to cold. This means that the determinate variety of tomatoes gives a good harvest in the middle zone. When grown in the southern regions, leaves should not be plucked from the bushes, as they protect the fruits from sunlight.
Alpha
The hybrid refers to varieties that begin to ripen very early. Alpha is excellent for planting in cold areas of the country. The main difference is that such tomatoes can be planted immediately in the ground without greenhouses. Literally 90 days after planting, the plants in open ground will begin to bear fruit. In regions with warmer climates, tomatoes ripen better.
It has straight stems covered with leaves that are very similar to potato leaves. The pinching of a determinate tomato is not carried out on the entire bush. It is recommended to remove stepsons only in the lower part.
The bush is covered with small red tomatoes weighing about 60 grams. You can get about seven kilograms of tomatoes from a bush.The fruits are often used for culinary purposes, for canning and making vegetable salads.
The determinate tomato variety is resistant to the most dangerous diseases. Its rapid ripening allows you to obtain a harvest before late blight and many other dangerous diseases occur.
For better yield, seeds are planted in a lighted area with fertile soil. When growing, you need to periodically hill up young bushes and loosen the soil.
Valentina
This determinate variety of tomatoes was created for open ground. Its bush is covered with a small number of leaves. This means that it can be grown in regions with cold climates. The height of the bushes does not exceed 60 cm, which allows you to completely abandon gartering and pinching.
During cultivation, a large number of fruits appear on the bushes, which in a mature state are colored red with an orange tint. Each tomato weighs about 85 grams. The yield is not very high, but not too low either. If 5-7 bushes grow on one square meter, then you can get 15 kg of harvest from them.
The main advantages of Valentina include:
- resistance to severe drought;
- ease of cultivation;
- transportability;
- disease resistance.
Explosion
It was created on the basis of a variety called White filling. It is characterized by cold resistance, productivity and ease of cultivation. Explosion can be planted in greenhouses and vegetable gardens. In this case, it is not even necessary to fertilize the tomato.
An adult bush can grow up to 60-70 cm. Within 100 days after planting, you can get the first harvest weighing more than 200 grams. When grown in greenhouses, this value may increase. The explosion is actively used to create salads and preserves.
Conclusion
Understanding what a determinate variety is is quite simple. To do this, it is enough to study its main characteristics and other distinctive features.
