#TT - Determinate v. Indeterminate

It’s Term Tuesday! Each Tuesday we take a garden term thrown around by avid gardeners and break it down so that it is easily understood by those just beginning their gardening journey.

Some of us don’t want to be fancy. Some of us just want to grow some ish (my shameless @ronfinleyhq plug. (Mmm Mmm Mmm, that man 🥰).

Today’s terms are DETERMINATE and INDETERMINATE.

You’ll often see this term in regard to tomatoes, however, the terms are a botanical classification to signify the growth patterns of plants.

The classification should signal to gardeners, three things:

1. To prune or not to prune?
2. To trellis or not to trellis?
3. To succession plant or to not succession plant?

DETERMINATE growth patterns are those that will typically be a bush variety and will grow lower to the ground, requiring less support. The growing time and harvest are pre-determined through the genetic makeup of the plant. Put simply - you’ll get a whole lot of fruit at one time. These varieties typically make good for preservation and canning.

INDETERMINATE growth patterns are the opposite. These varieties will keep on growing if you let them. They have no determined growing time and harvest. These plants are those that keep on giving and provide steady harvests through the growing season. Because they are ever-growing, they require strategic pruning and support to keep them going - but they are well worth it.

I suggest you grow one of each and don’t be scared by pruning and trellising. It’s super easy.

Well, that’s it. I hope this was helpful for you all. See you again next week for another garden term explained.