This is an old thread, but I found it in a search, so I expect other people will as well. Counter to what an earlier poster insisted, potatoes ARE either determinate or indeterminate. Web sites like the Colorado State agriculture department use the term, and it is used exactly in the sense the original poster described. It is also very important for anyone growing potatoes in a barrel or box. You plant the seed potatoes in the bottom of the container, and then gradually add soil as the vine grows. This only makes sense if you're using an indeterminate variety, which will keep on sending out shoots off the vine to produce new potatoes. Determinate types only send out shoots that produce tubers off the original vine, just above the roots. So if you fill up a barrel with soil, and you used a determinate type, you'll only get potatoes in the bottom of the container, and all your effort was for no extra production. If you don't actually know, please don't be a know-it-all and pretend that you do. Web pages are forever, and you're passing off incorrect information to those who don't know better.

A good determinate paste tomato plant will set 20 - 50 lbs of ripe fruit within three days, all at once. This always seems to happen on Monday. Then...no more, might as well rip it out of the ground. A good indeterminate slicer or cherry tomato plant will set 20 - 50 lbs of ripe fruit within 2 - 5 months, a little here and a little there. Good for a couple nice tomatoes every week: a sandwich and a salad and a snack here and there. If you're overwhelmed, you're either planting too many determinates or too many maters. Giving the food you're overwhlemed with to the local food bank or your co-workers can help.

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.