[mumofstig]

This year in my small polytunnel I've grown Incas a bush plum tomato. The trouble is they have gone crazy, lolling about all over the place and incredibly difficult to support, there are canes everywhere

Whereas the Purple Ukraine are behaving themselves as cordons usually do 

The only bush toms that I'd grown before were Red Alert and these were smaller and easily controllable. I think I'll only grow cordons in future unless anyone can recommend a well behaved bush plum.
Which ones do you grow?

[penance]

I'm growing Inca aswell this year but outside.
Plenty of fruit appearing on them but the plants are fairly well controlled at the moment.

I guess they haven't gone mad like yours as they are outside and cooler.

[fatcat1955]

San Marzano, but it needs a long growing season. It is reputedly the best flavoured of the plums.

[BenefitofHindsight]

Unless you go for the smaller 'hanging basket type' bush varieties, they do tend to be quite thuggish in my experience, and generally require some degree of support. 

But I think it's worth a try as you can get an amazing yield from bush tomatoes IF you can keep them disease free for long enough.  I've tried a different variety each year and struggled to find one which will either ripen fully by the end of the season or survive without being hit by blight.  Roma's been the most successful one for me to date. 

Trying Principe Borghese this year - but not too hopefully that I'll get that true Italian sun-dried effect directly off the vine given our weather!

[Trillium]

Romas are reasonably behaved provided you pinch out suckers as you would for indeterminates. They usually crop very well if weather behaves as well.

[KT]

Romas are reasonably behaved provided you pinch out suckers as you would for indeterminates. They usually crop very well if weather behaves as well.

Ooh you pinch out romas?? i was wondering .... *quickly runs off*

[Trillium]

Even though romas are a bush variety, I do pinch out suckers. If I don't, they're everywhere like triffids and I can't get at the fruit.

[andy135]

I'm going onto my plot in the morning to prepare the ground for 3 x F1 Inca's and a couple of courgettes. It's the first time growing a bush variety for me. Be nice to compare the results with my greenhouse toms for flavour. 

[penance]

I've grown San Marzano for the past 4 years and had mediocre results but love them for pasata.
Only discovered this year that they are a bush, had been treating as cordon previously

[mumofstig]

a bush !!..............according to Seeds of Italy (Francchi Italian Seeds  ) they are indeterminate (cordon) so that's how I usually grow them.
http://www.seedsofitaly.com/product/26 It's only San Marzano nano (nano means dwarf)which is a bush.
The Incas seeds came with one of John's books, that's why I'm trying them this year instead of SM

[penance]

Im sure i read somewhere in the dark depths of winter that SM was a bush, but yep it is cordon.
I am easily confused 

I have 5 in the GH border all currently being treated as bush type, they are doing well and have plenty of fruit setting. I may leave some as bush and trim the others, see what results i get.

[Trillium]

SMs are grown here as bush types as well. We don't do cordons over here.

[mumofstig]

so do you just let all varieties do what they fancy Trillium? Doesn't that make some of them a bit unrully........I'm thinking of the ones that grow tall, if you allowed side shoots to grow as well wouldn't they just fall over with the weight

[Trillium]

We do pinch out side shoots, sometimes, but all types are usually staked and people simply choose whether they want tall growing ones or short ones. Some folk can't be bothered staking bush types and you'll often see Romas and SMs sprawled all over the ground - remember that we don't get the rainfall the UK does so this isn't much of a problem for us. Those wanting lots of fruit will simply add extra stakes to side shoots and allow lots of space between plants. I've yet to see a trained cordon here, not in veg nor fruit. One thing we all do is snap off all lower branches for better air circulation and to discourage mice which love toms. (they can't hide in foliage)

[penance]

Quick update, carried on treating the san marzano as a bush and had a much better crop than previous years.