Size of plant?

[Black Krim]

Being new to tomaters and read several catalogs with descriptions, it is clear the natural habit of all the tomato varieties range from tiny to huge Bush to long long vines.

Is there a single resource that lists this info. Most seed pkg are vague at best......a few exceptions of course.

Purpose is to determine space and amount of pruning which is not my favorite activity. Well it is but I do need to get other chores done too .

[Black Krim]

Wow.....26 views but no suggestions.....will continue checking each of the sources/ vendors in sticky .....

[jmsieglaff]

A single place?

The one thing that comes to mind is:
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Main_Page

Type in a variety and you should get good info about det/indet and often if it is a more compact indet.

[jmsieglaff]

This has plant height, but like anything I'm guessing YMMV:
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/tomato-varieties/

[AlittleSalt]

Black Krim,

I don't know of one site that can do that. There are plants that are smaller. IE Lime Green Salad and Pinky Blast can be planted 18 inches apart. Dwarf doesn't necessarily mean it's a small plant.

It also depends on how you prune the plant.

Here in Texas, I think the word, "Indeterminate" means it will most likely grow a huge plant.

[Gardeneer]

There is no fixed numbers on plant height. For example they say "... it get 5 to 8 ft tall ..". It is like the weather forecast : "... there is a 40% chance of rain..." . Haha. what does that mean ? Will it rain or what ?
Same story about tomato plat size. There is a big difference between 5 ft and 8ft.
You want your plant short ? Top it early on and let it grow bushy with multiple stems, suckers and all.
JMO

[Sydney Grower]

yes, we all grow in different ways which affect plant heights significantly on indeterminate plants. I single stem my plants on hanging strings and lower them as they reach my 8 foot top bar. By the end of the season the individual plant can be 10-15 feet tall/long. Others who grow multiple stems get more width and plants could be 3-4 feet wide but only 4 feet tall (maybe less).

I would guess that with indeterminate plants, the method of growing is going to affect plant height much more than the variety. However I will happily defer to those around here who have more experience than me on this issue

[Ricky Shaw]

I'm with Sydney, if it's an indeterminate, you can force it vertical. I'm interested in how much is possible with some of the Russian varieties with strong determinate tendencies. Malachite Box had a tendency to bush for me and this year I'm taking it to one-stem.

Anyone grow Malachite Box, Moskovic, Paul Robeson, or similar Russian's, to one-stem or two-stem and can share their observations?

[KarenO]

Choices regarding method of pruning are a factor but the main limiting factor to the size and growth of tomatoes grown outdoors is disease and temperature. An indeterminate plant will keep growing indefinitely until stopped by disease pressures or frost or in the case of desert and tropical climates, excessive heat.
You could find out the average size of determinate tomatoes but for indeterminates growth habit is usually described as large, vigourous, small, wispy etc rather than in terms of height. Somebody in Florida might be able to grow variety to 10 feet where 5-6 feet would be the norm for the same variety in a shorter season simply for lack of time before frost.

KarenO

[Gerardo]

Expect to prune a lot, expect them to be larger than you thought.

[Cole_Robbie]

You're not going to know how big a plant will get until you try that variety. It's a function of soil and climate. Fruit size is similar. In very rich soil, both the plant and the fruit will be larger.

[Ricky Shaw]

A push and pull of so many factors it's a singular experience, especially considering many varieties react differently in-ground vs container.

And it's beyond even supplying sufficiently more nutrients in a contained root system to make up for less root mass. Some plants do better and produce more with a spreading root system in-ground. My feelings.

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

A single place?

The one thing that comes to mind is:
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Main_Page

Type in a variety and you should get good info about det/indet and often if it is a more compact indet.

THANK YOU

Spent more than a few minutes on this site. (OMG soooooo many tomatos!!!!) AND DEFINITELY helpful.

Looked thru a number of pages to see how plants are described; definitely more detail than the back of the typical seed packs!!



I is my shorthand for Indeterminant; and D is for determinant. So here is my summary of descriptions--

Descriptions of Indeterminants

I like black, black krim, black cherry

I vigorous likebrandywine cherry, Britian's Breakfast, Burgess Lemon

I very vigorous like Blue Angel, Cerise Orange

I very vigorous and spindly like Bolivianische Obsttomatic

I tall vigorous

I vigorous bushy like Calabacito Rojo ( need to try this one!)

I large like Brandywine

relatively compact I gave 4-5 foot height and another listing is Brown cherry, Black Hawk, Bychiy

I tall or tall I

I very rampant vines

I sprawling

I dwarf like Big Green Dwarf

I spreading like Bianca

I compact like Bing Cherry, Black Giant, Pink Berkley Tie-Dye

I compact and bushy like Cher nomor



Descriptions for Determinants

D vigorous bushy like Campbell 19

D bushy compact lists at 4 feet like Canadian Dwarf

D dwarf compact

compact semi-D like Budenovka, Pink

semi-D like Branscomb's Orange

D compact like Blue Fruit, Carree, and Bonte Tigret listed at 18"

D compact sprawling maybe a typo on my part

Large D



I do understand, or I think I do, lol, that Determinants are types which stop putting out flowers and the height of the plant ceases growing. ANd the Indeterminants are when the plants keeps growing height wise and keeps putting out flowers. HOWEVER, apparently these rules are made to be broken!!! or so it seems.


Then to muddy sizes further, I'm betting some indeterminants are smaller than some determinants.

dwarf---bet it is a gene that acts on the plant whether I or D, which is why both can have this.

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

This has plant height, but like anything I'm guessing YMMV:
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/tomato-varieties/

Thank you. Combined with the above site, this will help tremendously!

Looked up a few varieties that I have grown, to get a feel for the data here.

Beam's Yellow Pear at 7 feet. My YP fit that, as it fell over the sides of the 5 foot cage.

Fourth of July listed at 5 feet, mine in poor soil were 4 feet at best. Would grow them again.

Red Pear, like the Astin's Red Pear, at 6 feet is an understatement in my good garden--vine jumped to next plant and kept on going!!! ( Of course the soil is WELL amended with manure.)

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Black Krim,

I don't know of one site that can do that. There are plants that are smaller. IE Lime Green Salad and Pinky Blast can be planted 18 inches apart. Dwarf doesn't necessarily mean it's a small plant.

It also depends on how you prune the plant.

Here in Texas, I think the word, "Indeterminate" means it will most likely grow a huge plant.

ROFL Texas has a reputation to maintain after all!!