With regard to determinates "dying of old age," I've seen all the shoots on some determinate varieties terminate in flowers and I guess just atrophy or completely shut down and die a slow death that appeared to be the result of photosynthesis shutdown, or shutdown of nutrient delivery through the vascular tissue or something that might equate with "dying of old age" were it an animal rather than a plant. This happened in more than one year for example with Ditmarsher, Mozark, short stake plum/roma commercial type canners and a couple of determinate dwarf varieties I've grown, foliar diseases not withstanding. On the other hand, I've had determinates like Celebrity and Bradley continue to grow and produce new fruit, although rather less robustly, until a killing frost. With some varieties, like Ditmarsher (a tumbler variety) for one example, I've cut the vines off near the root crown, re-fertilized, and stimulated new aventitious shoots that grew into new plants when the season was long enough.

The statement in the FAQ is correct. It is a broad general statement about the differences between the two types and is well supported by documented research and decades of experience. FAQs by nature are broad general guides not meticulous discussions of all possible variables.. So taking statements out of context just to dispute it only contributes confusion, not information. It is nitpicking. Determinants, by their nature, set terminal buds on the ends of their branches. That means the branch terminates. It does not continue to grow much less produce. Once the plant sets its last terminal bud the plant begins to slowly die. Since most of the terminal buds will set fruit within a specific period of time they will all ripen within a similar specific period of time. What that time frame is has many variables but in general it ranges from 2-4 weeks. Whether they live until the "end of the season" all depends on how long your season is. Whether they develop a few new lateral branches later on that may or may not produce fruits depends on many different factors. But in general they don't. Are there exceptions that happen? Of course but exceptions do not make a general guideline "incorrect". Dave

Determinate varieties of tomatoes, also called "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that are bred to grow to a compact height (approx. 4 feet). They 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. They may require a limited amount of caging and/or staking for support, should NOT be pruned or "suckered" as it severely reduces the crop, and will perform relatively well in a container (minimum size of 5-6 gallon). Examples are: Rutgers, Roma, Celebrity (called a semi-determinate by some), and Marglobe. Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost and can reach heights of up to 10 feet although 6 feet is considered the norm. They will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the growing season. They require substantial caging and/or staking for support and pruning and the removal of suckers is practiced by many but is not mandatory. The need for it and advisability of doing it varies from region to region. Experiment and see which works best for you. Because of the need for substantial support and the size of the plants, indeterminate varieties are not usually recommended as container plants. Examples are: Big Boy, Beef Master, most "cherry" types, Early Girl, most heirloom varieties, etc. Get tips and advice about growing tomatoes on our Tomatoes forum.

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.