There are lots of indeterminate tomatoes to choose from – so I put together a list of 22 good choices for your garden. There is also a link below to a printable PDF with the list of indeterminate tomatoes in this article.
So, what tomatoes are indeterminate? Some good indeterminate tomato varieties include Sungold (cherry), Red Grape (grape), San Marzano (paste), Early Girl (beefsteak), and heirlooms like Brandywine, Black Krim, and Cherokee Purple. Here is my full list of 22 indeterminate tomato varieties:
- Sungold (cherry)
- Sweet 100 (cherry)
- Yellow Pear (cherry)
- Black Cherry (cherry)
- White Cherry (cherry)
- Red Grape (grape)
- Juliet (grape)
- Santorange (grape)
- Five Star Grape (grape)
- Golden Sweet (grape)
- Amish Paste (paste)
- San Marzano (paste)
- Chef’s Choice Orange (beefsteak)
- Big Beef (beefsteak)
- Big Boy (beefsteak)
- Early Girl (beefsteak)
- Rose Organic (heirloom)
- Japanese Black Trifele (heirloom)
- Brandywine (heirloom)
- Black Krim (heirloom)
- Cherokee Purple (heirloom)
- Green Zebra (hybrid)
There are many more indeterminate tomato varieties than what I have listed here. Still, this is a good start if you want some options for indeterminate tomatoes in this year’s garden.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at different types of indeterminate tomatoes. We’ll also explain a little more about determinate, indeterminate, and semi-determianate tomatoes.
Let’s get started.
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What Tomatoes Are Indeterminate? (List Of 22 Indeterminate Tomatoes)
Below, I have included a table with 22 indeterminate tomato varieties, arranged in order of increasing size (approximate). You can also download the table of indeterminate tomato varieties as a free PDF here.
Note: for more information on the size of various tomatoes, check out my article on how much tomatoes weigh.
| Variety | Type | Fruit Size |
|---|---|---|
| Sungold | cherry | tiny |
| Sweet 100 | cherry | tiny |
| Yellow Pear | cherry | tiny |
| Black Cherry | cherry | tiny |
| White Cherry | cherry | tiny |
| Red Grape | grape | small |
| Juliet | grape | small |
| Santorange | grape | small |
| Five Star Grape | grape | small |
| Golden Sweet | grape | small |
| Amish Paste | paste | medium |
| San Marzano | paste | medium |
| Green Zebra | hybrid | medium |
| Chef’s Choice Orange | beefsteak | large |
| Big Beef | beefsteak | large |
| Big Boy | beefsteak | large |
| Early Girl | beefsteak | large |
| Rose Organic | heirloom | large |
| Japanese Black Trifele | heirloom | large |
| Brandywine | heirloom | large |
| Black Krim | heirloom | large |
| Cherokee Purple | heirloom | large |
tomato varieties as a PDF here.
Are Roma Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Roma tomatoes, or plum tomatoes, can be either indeterminate or determinate.
Some Roma tomatoes are indeterminate. For example, the Organic Granadero Tomato from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is an indeterminate Roma tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are red, and they weigh 4 to 5 ounces.
Other Roma tomatoes are determinate. For example, the Plum Regal Tomato from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a determinate Roma tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are tall and red, and they weigh 4 ounces each
Are Beefsteak Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Beefsteak tomatoes, or slicer tomatoes, can be either determinate or indeterminate.
Some beefsteak tomatoes are indeterminate. For example, the Big Beef Tomato from Johnny’s Selected seeds is an indeterminate Beefsteak variety.
The fruits on this plant are red, and they weigh 10 to 12 ounces.
Other beefsteak tomatoes are determinate. For example, the Bush Beefsteak Tomato from TomatoFest is a determinate beefsteak tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are red, and they weigh 8 to 10 ounces.
Are San Marzano Tomatoes Indeterminate?
San Marzano tomatoes, or paste tomatoes, can be either indeterminate or determinate.
Image courtesy of user:
Jim Lukach via:
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_marzano_tomatoes_
(14783289427).jpg
Some San Marzano tomatoes are indeterminate. For example, the Organic San Marzano II from Johnny’s Selected seeds is an indeterminate San Marzano variety.
The fruits on this plant are red, and they weigh 4 to 6 ounces.
Other San Marzano tomatoes are semi-determinate. For example, the Organic Heirloom San Marzano from TomatoFest is a determinate San Marzano tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are red and slim at 2-3 inches long.
Are Cherry Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Cherry tomatoes, one of the smallest types, can be either indeterminate or determinate.
Some cherry tomatoes are indeterminate. For example, the Sun Gold Tomato from Johnny’s Selected seeds is an indeterminate cherry tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are bright orange and weigh 15 to 20 grams.
Other cherry tomatoes are determinate. For example, the Gold Nugget Organic Tomato from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a determinate cherry tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are deep yellow and weigh 15 to 20 grams.
Are Heirloom Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Heirloom tomatoes, which are non-hybrids, can be either indeterminate or determinate.
Some heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate. For example, the Rose Organic Tomato from Johnny’s Selected seeds is an indeterminate heirloom variety.
The fruits on this plant are deep pink, and they weigh 10 ounces or more to rival Brandywine tomatoes!
Other heirloom tomatoes are determinate. For example, the Glacier Organic Tomato from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a determinate heirloom tomato variety.
The fruits on this plant are red and round and weigh 1 to 2 ounces.
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Are Alicante Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Alicante tomatoes are indeterminate. You can find Organic Alicante Tomatoes at TomatoFest.
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Cultivar_Alicante.jpg
The fruits on this plant are small, red, and round, about the size of golf balls.
Are Sweet Million Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Sweet Million tomatoes are indeterminate. You can find Sweet Million Hybrid Tomato Seeds at Park Seed.
daryl_mitchell via:
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cherry_Tomatoes_
(11488507525).jpg
The fruits on this plant are small, red, and round, about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.
Are Early Girl Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Early Girl tomatoes are indeterminate. You can find Early Girl Tomatoes at Bonnie Plants.
The fruits on this plant are red and weigh 6 to 8 ounces.
Are Celebrity Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Celebrity tomatoes are semi-determinate. This means they grow to a fixed height (like determinate tomatoes), but keep producing fruit until frost kills them (like indeterminate tomatoes).
Image from: https://commons.
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Celebrity-fruit.jpg
You can find Celebrity Tomatoes at Bonnie Plants.
The fruits on this plant are red and weigh 7 to 8 ounces.
Are Moneymaker Tomatoes Indeterminate?
Moneymaker tomatoes are indeterminate. You can find Moneymaker Tomatoes at Urban Farmer Seed.
The fruits on this plant are red and weigh 4 to 6 ounces.
How To Tell Determinate From Indeterminate Tomatoes (Determinate vs Indeterminate Tomatoes)
There are two basic types of tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate. The main differences are how tall they grow and the time frames for producing fruit.
I have included a table below to compare determinate and indeterminate tomatoes head-to-head. There is more detailed information about each type after the table.
| Trait | Determinate | Indeterminate |
|---|---|---|
| Mature Height | 3 to 5 feet or less | 6 feet or more |
| Growth Habit | bush | vine |
| Flowers in Cluster | terminal cluster at top | many flowers |
| Fruit Time | short window | produces until frost |
| Support | cage or short stake | cage, tall stake, or trellis |
indeterminate tomato varieties.
Here are the easiest ways to tell if tomatoes are determinate or indeterminate:
- Height: if the plant is only 3 to 5 feet tall at maturity, it is most likely determinate.
- Plant Appearance: if the plant looks more like a bush, it is most likely determinate.
- Flower Clusters: if there is a terminal flower cluster (at the top of the plant when it stops growing), it is determinate.
- Fruit Production Window: if you cannot tell from the height, appearance, or flowers of the plant, pay attention to the fruit production window. If the plant produces a crop of tomatoes for one brief window, it is most likely determinate.
Determinate Tomatoes
Determinate tomato varieties tend to grow like a bush: thick and dense, but short. According to the University of New Hampshire Extension, determinate tomato plants set a terminal bud at around 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and then stop growing.
Determinate tomato plants tend to start producing fruit earlier than indeterminate tomato plants. However, determinate tomato plants produce fruit during a shorter time frame than indeterminate tomato plants.
Determinate tomato varieties do not need support. However, if you don’t want them to crawl along the ground, tomato cages work well to support them.
You can learn more about tomato cages (and why to use them) in my article here.
Indeterminate Tomatoes
Indeterminate tomato varieties tend to grow like a vine: long and thin. According to the University of Georgia Extension, indeterminate tomato plants continue to produce fruit slowly throughout the growing season, until frost ends the season.
Indeterminate tomato plants start to set flowers and produce fruit later in the growing season than determinate tomato varieties. However, they can produce fruit more than once, up until they succumb to frost or disease.
The suckers (side shoots) of indeterminate tomato varieties are sometimes pruned to keep them neat and disease-free.
Indeterminate tomato plants can easily grow to a height of 7 feet (2.1 meters) or taller. However, they will need support to reach this height.
Without support, indeterminate tomatoes will fall over and creep along the ground, or their main vine will break.
You can use a trellis to support indeterminate tomato plants, but tall stakes are also an option. You can learn more about how to support tomato plants in my article here.
Semi-Determinate Tomatoes
Semi-determinate tomato varieties share some characteristics of both determinate and indeterminate varieties. Some semi-determinate tomato varieties can produce fruit until frost ends the seaso, just like indeterminate tomato varieties.
Rob Duval via:
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.
wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Celebrity-unripe.jpg
Celebrity is one semi-determinate variety you can try. Another semi-determinate tomato variety is Crimson Sprinter, which produces 5 to 7 ounce red fruit (available from High Mowing Organic Seeds).
Conclusion
Now you have a solid list of indeterminate tomato varieties for reference – it should help you to get started with this year’s garden. You also know the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes (and also what semi-determinate tomatoes are).
You can also find a list of determinate tomato varieties in my article here.
You can learn more about how much different types of tomatoes weigh in my article here.
I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information.
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