Shorter more compact indeterminate plants

[b54red]

The following have been smaller than most indeterminates for me.

Indian Stripe
Carbon
Grubs Mystery Green
Berkeley Tie Dye Pink
Druzba
Pruden's Purple

I did not find JD's Special C Tex to be that small but more a medium size plant.

Bill

[schill93]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

Daniel Burson, Chapman, Cosm Volkov (sometimes), Mikhalych, Pierce's Pride, and Carbon have been compact for me.

PBTD is compact and pretty, and a smooth texture that needs just a little more flavor to put it over the hump.

SOTW can be a beast, albeit a very productive beast.

I concur on the JD's SCT.

Chopping can be a good thing.

There you go again. SOTW. That couldn't be Stump the World, could it?
And here I was thinking I finally learned the language.

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

You can make an indet grow like a det, by keeping all laterals and topping the main and event some of the aggressive laterals. The principle is that a given plant has limited resources and it cannot grow all the branches very tall.
But if you take this approach you will have to have ample spacing between the plants, probably 4 ft.

That's a good point Gardeneer. I wondered about that, and you just confirmed it.
That's kind of a bummer if you have limited space. It's times like this, I wish I lived on a farm (or back on my 2 1/2 acres in Florida)

I have quite a few of the one's you mentioned. Just didn't know their growing habits yet and what to put where. So this was very helpful.

[tash11]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

You can make an indet grow like a det, by keeping all laterals and topping the main and event some of the aggressive laterals. The principle is that a given plant has limited resources and it cannot grow all the branches very tall.
But if you take this approach you will have to have ample spacing between the plants, probably 4 ft.

I am about 5 1/2 feet tall, and I have only once had a plant taller then me. I don't prune really. The one that was taller was a black prince which I had tied up to the deck above. I find that black prince grows just one vine. Last year my stakes were all under 4'. I don't think you will have a problem with anything you want to grow as long as you don't support them over 5'.

[MissS]

Paul Robeson sounds like the perfect tomato for you. It has fabulous flavor. Some people say it is determinate while other say that it is indeterminate. Whichever your seeds turn out to be, the plants stay under four feet and grow some of the best dark tomatoes that I have ever eaten.

[dustdevil]

Topping is more geared toward making the existing tomatoes larger, especially toward the end of the growing season. It cuts back on making new blossoms and leaves and rechannels the strength to the fruit.

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by dustdevil

Topping is more geared toward making the existing tomatoes larger, especially toward the end of the growing season. It cuts back on making new blossoms and leaves and rechannels the strength to the fruit.

Presumably wouldn't this be about timing as well? Cause the reverse could be true, no? Before fruit sets, prune all the blossoms and suckers to keep forcing the energy in the indeterminate towards vertical growth, right? If you're topping when there's already existing fruit, I understand the point though.

[tash11]

Originally Posted by Scooty

Presumably wouldn't this be about timing as well? Cause the reverse could be true, no? Before fruit sets, prune all the blossoms and suckers to keep forcing the energy in the indeterminate towards vertical growth, right? If you're topping when there's already existing fruit, I understand the point though.

That is true. I accidentally topped my HJB early this year, right as it was setting it's first fruit (well, my daughter had more to do with it). Now it has four laterals in a near X with new fruit/flowers on each. It's in a pot that is too small so the plant has stayed really tiny. It looks like a mini peach tree