[Spr0ut]

I know a Determinate tomato plant will grow as a compact bush and an Indeterminate plant will keep growing like a long vine until killed by the first frost.

My question I suppose is - I know you don't prune Determinate (Bush) plants, but do you always prune an Indeterminate plant as a cordon; taking all side shoots off to leave the main stem only; and do you always head the plant back (cut the leading shoot off) once it has set say - six - flower clusters?

Basically - is an Indeterminate always trained as a Cordon?

New to this!

[mumofstig]

In the UK, 95% of the time  Especially if you're growing in a greenhouse! It makes more sense space-wise.

Sometimes I let a strong plant (always turns out to be a Rio Grande, funnily enough) grow another shoot from the bottom and grow it, up a cane, just as if it is an extra cordon plant.

In America & Canada they tend to let all their tomato plants do just what they want, and support them with cages.



edit to correct silly spelling 

[Headgardener22]

I usually select a few plants to grow multiple vines (up to three). I find that that way you get more fruit and if you choose early varieties (like Blooody Butcher, Nikolayev Yellow Cherry, or Stupice) there's enough time for the later setting fruit to ripen.

Interestingly, Mum, when I looked it up, Rio Grande is defined in most places as a Determinate variety and only grows to about 4ft high so maybe its trying hard to grow differently. 

[mumofstig]

There's a lot of confusion between Big Rio(bush) and Rio Grande, which Seeds of Italy said were indeterminate when I asked.

[Headgardener22]

There's a lot of confusion between Big Rio(bush) and Rio Grande, which Seeds of Italy said were indeterminate when I asked.

But Thompson & Morgan  (Vita Sementi) say its Determinate http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/tomato-seeds/tomato-pomodoro-rio-grande-vita-sementi-italian-seeds/gww0472TM .

But never mind if they're tomatoes you like and can grow, who cares.

[mumofstig]

It deffo doesn't ripen its fruit all at the same time and continues growing upwards after flower trusses.

I reckon that makes it indeterminate, but hey ho - all I know is it grows a lot of lovely huge plum tomatoes per plant.

It seems there are a lot of tomatoes that can't make up their mind and get called semi-determinate 

[Headgardener22]

Over the years, I've come to the conclusion that there are lots of tomatoes with the same name that are different and lots of tomatoes with different names that are the same. (Yesterday I found out that Matina and Tamina are the same variety - Tamina in Europe, Matina in the US). I've grown them both and whilst they are very similar, the crop comes at different times and significantly different weights.

I grew Rio Grande for the first time last year and it was the only variety that got Blossom End Rot. I ended up with just two tomatoes. I've given it a miss this year.

[mumofstig]

I grew Rio Grande for the first time last year and it was the only variety that got Blossom End Rot. I ended up with just two tomatoes. I've given it a miss this year.

That is strange - I stopped growing San Marzano, here, cos it was a martyr to BER whereas Rio Grande doesn't get it at all 

[JayG]

A description HERE of semi-determinate toms and how to get the best out of them.

(Doesn't explain why they're called semi-determinate rather than semi-indeterminate - seems potentially a bit indeterminate-ist to me!    )

[Headgardener22]

A description HERE of semi-determinate toms and how to get the best out of them.

(Doesn't explain why they're called semi-determinate rather than semi-indeterminate - seems potentially a bit indeterminate-ist to me!    )

I agree, life's to short to make it more complicated (its probably just too hard to say it).

However, if you look at the way that our American cousins grow Indeterminate varieties, they don't recommend growing them as "hard pruned cordons" but rather to allow them to grow into rampant plants in cages, collecting "bushels" of fruit many of which will be green so I don't know that their growing advice for semi-determinate varieties necessarily applies to the UK.

[Spr0ut]

Thanks for clearing that one up - all of my toms are indeterminate so I know what to do with them.