Gardening
Fruit
By
Barbara Gillette
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Barbara Gillette
Barbara Gillette is a Master Gardener, herbalist, beekeeper, and journalist. She has 30 years of experience propagating and growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals.
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Published on 05/19/23
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When it comes to tomato varieties to grow in your garden, the choices can be overwhelming. More than 10,000 exist and new hybrids are constantly being created. One of the easiest ways to start narrowing it down is to decide whether to grow tomatoes that are determinate or indeterminate. After that, you can choose which of the many indeterminate or determinate tomato varieties you want to grow.
What Is a Determinate Tomato?
Determinate tomatoes set lots of fruit at the same time which translates to one big harvest, often ready to pick sooner than indeterminate types. Depending on the length of your gardening season some varieties may set two or more smaller flushes of fruit after the first harvest and a few continue to grow even up until first frost.
Determinate tomatoes are superior for cooking and preserving. Many have fewer seeds and thick, rich pulp. Less water content is a plus if you plan to cook them down for sauces or storing. One large harvest is efficient and allows you to work with the freshest, best quality produce.
You can find determinate cultivars in all sizes, colors, and flavor profiles. They're great choices for patio pots, raised garden beds and even hanging baskets. While some growers maintain they aren't as flavorful as indeterminate types, keep in mind you can grow a great tasting tomato in your home garden no matter what type it is.
Here are 20 determinate tomatoes with outstanding features that are worth growing in the home garden.
Warning
Tomato plants are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.
01 of 20
Roma
Plum tomatoes are often lumped together and called 'Roma', but this is actually the official name of the best-known plum tomato. Roma produces heavy yields of medium, rich red, meaty fruit and is a longstanding favorite for home canning.
- Best: Sauces, pastes, ketchup
- Type: Medium plum, paste
- Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, fruit 2 to 3 ounces
- Harvest: 75 days
- Flavor: Mild, balanced
02 of 20
Rutgers
Rutgers is old time favorite, popular with gardeners since its introduction in 1934. Bright red fruits with heavy walls and great disease resistance ripen evenly, inside and out, adding up to an easy-care cultivar that is equally delicious fresh, cooked or preserved. Rutgers produces until frost and needs staking.
- Best: Heirloom
- Type: Medium slicer, sauce, canning
- Size: 6 feet tall or more, fruit 7 ounces
- Harvest: 75 days
- Flavor: Rich, full bodied
03 of 20
Carolina Gold Hybrid
Carolina Gold is a superior choice for anyone who favors the milder flavor of a yellow tomato. It yields extra large, crack resistant fruits with firm, meaty flesh and few seeds. Medium tall plants require staking.
- Best: Golden yellow
- Type: Extra large slicer
- Size: 4 feet tall, fruit 10 ounces
- Harvest: 70 days
- Flavor: Mild, sweet, low acid
04 of 20
Bush Early Girl Hybrid
This is the compact determinate sister of the popular, indeterminate Early Girl tomato. Ideal for container gardening, Bush Early Girl delivers big harvests of meaty fruits and is a good choice for growers with short seasons.
- Best: Short growing season
- Type: Medium slicer. sauce, canning
- Size: 18 inches tall, fruit 6 to 7 ounces
- Harvest: 54 days
- Flavor: Slightly acidic
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05 of 20
Dixie Red Hybrid
Dixie Red hybrid was developed for southern gardeners looking for a large, determinate slicing tomato with great flavor. A high yielding, juicy variety, Dixie Red works equally well in a salad or on a sandwich. Staking is recommended for this disease-resistant variety.
- Best: Southern gardens
- Type: Large slicer
- Size: 4 to 5 feet tall, fruit 10 to 12 ounces
- Harvest: 80 to 90 days
- Flavor: Juicy, sweet
The 9 Best Tomato Cages of 2024
06 of 20
Bush Beefsteak
Solid flesh, rich red color, and vigorous, compact growth make Bush Beefsteak ideal for gardeners who want to grow big tomatoes in raised beds or patio pots. Clusters of 8 to 12 ounce fruits are ready to harvest just 62 day after transplanting.
- Best: Patio beefsteak
- Type: Beefsteak slicer
- Size: 3 feet tall, fruits 8 to 12 ounces
- Harvest: 62 days
- Flavor: Mild, sweet
07 of 20
Marglobe Improved VF
No matter where you live, you can grow Marglobe tomatoes in your garden. A timeless favorite, this tomato adapts to soil and weather conditions and is equally delicious eaten fresh or canned. Fruits are uniform in size and thick walled for easy handling. Sprawling vines need staking.
- Best: Adaptable
- Type: Medium slicer, sauce, canning
- Size: 4 to 6 feet tall, fruit 5 to 8 ounces
- Harvest: 72 days
- Flavor: Very sweet
08 of 20
Health Kick Hybrid
A high level of the antioxidant lycopene gives Health Kick the brightest red color. These small plum tomatoes are perfect for salads, snacking, and straight off the vine. This one is easy to grow with strong disease resistance.
- Best: Antioxidant
- Type: Small, salad, snack
- Size: Up to 4 feet tall, fruit 4 ounces
- Harvest: 72 days
- Flavor: Sweet, tangy
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09 of 20
Mountain Delight
Delight is part of the 'Mountain' series developed by the University of North Carolina for high elevation gardens. This hybrid features high yields with good disease resistance and large fruits loaded with tomato flavor. Staking is recommended.
- Best: High elevation gardens
- Type: Large slicer, sauce, canning
- Size: 3 to 5 feet tall, fruits10 ounces
- Harvest: 70 days
- Flavor: Full bodied
10 of 20
Campbell's 33
Campbell's 33 is an heirloom variety developed by the soup company to reliably produce a tasty tomato in less than ideal growing conditions. Bright red fruits with green shoulders are crack and disease resistant. This tomato can be eaten fresh or canned but is most famous for making soup.
- Best: Tomato soup
- Type: Medium slicer, soup, sauce
- Size: 3 feet tall, fruit 7 ounces
- Harvest: 69 days
- Flavor: Sweet with a touch of acidity
11 of 20
Tasmanian Chocolate
Big, mahogany red fruits against a background of wrinkled foliage make Tasmanian chocolate tomatoes as lovely to look at as it is to eat. This unique dwarf cultivar yields big beefsteak tomatoes and is a standout in your edible patio garden.
- Best: Unique appearance
- Type: Beefsteak, slicer
- Size: 2 to 3 feet tall, fruit 8 to 12 ounces
- Harvest: 70 days
- Flavor: Robust, balanced
12 of 20
Subarctic Plenty
Small but mighty, Subarctic Plenty was developed specifically for climates with cooler summers. This variety produces tremendous yields of bite-sized, slightly flattened cherry type tomatoes ready to harvest when other types are just setting fruit.
- Best: Cool summers
- Type: Small cherry, salad, snack
- Size: 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall, fruit 2 to 2 1/2 ounces
- Harvest: 45 to 50 days
- Flavor: Tart
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13 of 20
Homestead
Developed by the University of Florida in 1954, this heirloom variety was created to withstand high temperatures and continues to set fruit in hot summers. Homestead yields smooth, red, meaty tomatoes and requires staking.
- Best: Hot summers
- Type: Large slicer, sauce, canning
- Size: 4 to 6 feet tall, fruit 8 ounces
- Harvest: 80 days
- Flavor: Robust
14 of 20
Patio Plum
Grow dwarf hybrid Patio Plum in a pot and move it indoors to enjoy homegrown tomatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Orangish red fruits ripen to full red in clusters of three to five tomatoes on stocky, compact plants that don't need staking or pruning.
- Best: Extended harvest
- Type: Medium grape, salad, snacks
- Size: 18 to 24 inches tall, fruit 3 to 4 ounces
- Harvest: 60 days
- Flavor: Well balanced
15 of 20
Oregon Spring
Oregon Spring produces meaty tomatoes with few to no seeds which makes it a top choice for ketchup and sauces. High yields of medium size fruits provide home canners an abundance of fresh flavor to work with.
- Best: Few to no seeds
- Type: Medium slicer, sauce, canning
- Size: 2 to 3 feet tall, fruit 4 to 5 ounces
- Harvest: 65 days
- Flavor: Tart, full bodied
16 of 20
Gold Nugget
The thinnest skin gives this tiny tomato the tenderest texture, Full of sweet juicy flavor, Gold Nugget has few to no seeds, sets fruit early even in cool climates, and outperforms many other cherry tomato varieties.
- Best: Yellow cherry
- Type: Tiny cherry, salad, snack
- Size: 2 feet tall, fruit 1 ounce
- Harvest: 55 days
- Flavor: Mild, sweet
Continue to 17 of 20 below
17 of 20
Micro-Tom
If you crave home grown tomato taste all year long, consider growing Micro-Tom. At just 6 to 8 inches tall, this is one of the smallest tomato plants with tiny, deep red, bite-size fruits to match. Grow Micro-Tom in pots on a sunny windowsill for fresh tomato flavor at your fingertips.
- Best: Houseplant
- Type: Tiny cherry, salad, snack, garnish
- Size: 6 to 8 inches tall, fruit 1 ounce
- Harvest: 50 to 60 days
- Flavor: Sharp, bold, fruity
18 of 20
Zebra Cherry
If you eat with your eyes first, Zebra Cherry is sure to whet your appetite. Just a tad larger than other cherry-types, these burgundy red and green striped fruits stand out on the vine, the appetizer tray, and in salads. Compact plants work well in hanging baskets.
- Best: Trendy
- Type: Medium cherry, salad, snack, garnish
- Size: 15 inches tall, fruit 3 to 4 ounces
- Harvest: 70 days
- Flavor: Complex, tangy
19 of 20
Black Sea Man
Russian heirloom Black Sea Man is a rare determinate variety with the unique dark color found almost exclusively in indeterminate cultivars. Brown black skin with pink shoulders, along with excellent flavor make this tomato one to enjoy fresh that everyone will talk about. Staking is recommended.
- Best: Unusual color
- Type: Large slicer
- Size: 4 to 6 feet tall, fruit 8 ounces
- Harvest: 75 days
- Flavor: Robust, tangy
20 of 20
Tumbler Hybrid
Developed specifically for hanging baskets, Tumbler hybrid is a bushy tomato plant with flexible stems that givie it a graceful trailing growth habit. Look for an early harvest of up to 6 pounds of small, bright red tomatoes.
- Best: Hanging baskets
- Type: Small cherry, salad, snack
- Size: 12 to 18 inches tall, fruit 1 to 1 1/2 ounces
- Harvest: 45 days
- Flavor: Sweet
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FAQ
What is the best producing determinate tomato?
Grape and cherry determinate varieties always produce an abundance of fruit. Multi-use tomatoes for fresh eating or canning include Roma, Rutgers, Marglobe, and Oregon Spring. All are easy to grow with disease resistance and dependable yields.
What are the easiest determinate tomatoes to grow?
Two of the easiest determinate tomatoes to grow are Marglobe and Campbell's 33, as they adapt to less than perfect conditions and produce medium size tomatoes good for eating fresh, cooking, and preserving. Other types work best in hot temperatures, cool summers or short growing seasons. Look for plants with good disease resistance indicated by letters like VF after the name. The letters indicate resistance to specific tomato diseases.
How can you tell if a tomato plant is determinate or indeterminate?
Once a determinate plant sets fruit, that stem stops growing which reduces or eliminates the need for pruning and staking with many varieties. Indeterminate vines continue to grow and set fruit from the sides of the stem.
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