Finally have 1 ripening tomato out of 100. Tips for next year – don’t plant so many so close to each other. Wrap them around the stick as they grow and not after.
Sungold can reach 14 feet. You’re gonna need a bigger stake.
trickmirrorball
I’ve let them grow to 25 feet in southern California. It’s a vine so can go on a long time but then you’ve got to go 20 feet to get fruit.
BarnabasThruster
The indeterminates keep on growing until they’re stopped by disease or frost. They can easily get 9ft tall in a season where I live, zone 6b.
carboncopy95437
I love your tangled mix of old tool handles, strings etc. Such a beautiful menagerie of plants.
Pretty-Panic2398
I consider tomato plant weeds. Easily 15′ by end of growing season.
HeavyNeedleworker707
One year I planted yellow pear tomatoes in a narrow bed between my driveway and my house that grew easily 12 tall – I had to run strings up the side of my house to tie them. The kids would just stand in the driveway and eat them. Eventually we left a ladder leaning against the house.
Mac_Aravan
Don’t use stick, build a structure where you hang strings (usually upcycled lycra), then wrap-up the string around as they grow.
Grayme4
Well the tallest ever was 65 feet… so yes they do stop but you have a way to go!
DeanTheMean
My cherry 100s are 10 feet right now and still growing! I’m in 6b, northern Mass
Welder_Decent
This thread explains so much. Like why every year around this time I have to start tethering my cages down and keep buying bigger cages that still aren’t enough.
Off to buy cattle fencing
cibernox
Personally I’ve seen tomato plants 12 feet tall and they can get even bigger. They eventually die, but usually by cold or diseases, not of age.
in_da_tr33z
Indeterminate tomatoes: can’t stop. Won’t stop.
Hungry_Society994
you really trim yours, i should trim mine better lol
MentalChocolates
My sweet millions are only about 5.5 feet but bushy as hell and fruiting like crazy.
Quirky_Box4371
Let some suckers grow, slows them down considerably. I just stopped cutting suckers on my 7′ plus, let’er rip now.
esobofh
My record is 23′ – in production warehouses they keep them going for a long, long time, laying them down horizontally with only the growing ends vertical.
allstulty
mine are exactly like this but they are little plum ones. they’re being grown on a roofed balcony so soon they’re gonna run out of space 😭
kutmulc
Indeterminate means they grow to an indetermined size. Meaning, the size is not determined.
vitamin_r
Hey look San Marzanos with no blossom end rot. How nice that must be. I have like two out of 30 that don’t have it.
I recently purchased a calcium plant supplement so I’m introducing that and watering a little less and removed the rotted fruit.
But I’ve already lost so many it’s really taken the wind out of my sails this year. Even with my other varieties thriving, the one I wanted to succeed most failed.
I am kind of a perfectionist so I should be more forgiving but I just feel like I invested all this garden time and failed.
Risenbeforedawn
Make sure you cut the head off the leader 30 days before the fall frost. This stops new tomatoes and allows what’s on the vine to ripen. I just learned that tho so someone let me know if I’m wrong haha
HandyForestRider
Well, even if they’re closer together than you want, you’re doing everything else right! Looks like you did really nice pruning, which helps for plants in close proximity. The indeterminates will keep going until the first frost, or until you prune the main stem and all axial growth (suckers).
33 Comments
Enjoy this time of year. Disease are coming.
Don’t complain
https://preview.redd.it/udp4udv7aoef1.jpeg?width=2378&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cbbd9c37a20532dbeac69d456f18bb10211b8d14
This is the other plants. Bamboo is 220cm or 7 feet 2 inches and the tops are over them
Here’s my beefsteak
https://preview.redd.it/uejq9yyvaoef1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=321e62f4fd120bb3eac9df03104a5bdc7d361d93
Sungold can reach 14 feet. You’re gonna need a bigger stake.
I’ve let them grow to 25 feet in southern California. It’s a vine so can go on a long time but then you’ve got to go 20 feet to get fruit.
The indeterminates keep on growing until they’re stopped by disease or frost. They can easily get 9ft tall in a season where I live, zone 6b.
I love your tangled mix of old tool handles, strings etc. Such a beautiful menagerie of plants.
I consider tomato plant weeds. Easily 15′ by end of growing season.
One year I planted yellow pear tomatoes in a narrow bed between my driveway and my house that grew easily 12 tall – I had to run strings up the side of my house to tie them. The kids would just stand in the driveway and eat them. Eventually we left a ladder leaning against the house.
Don’t use stick, build a structure where you hang strings (usually upcycled lycra), then wrap-up the string around as they grow.
Well the tallest ever was 65 feet… so yes they do stop but you have a way to go!
My cherry 100s are 10 feet right now and still growing! I’m in 6b, northern Mass
This thread explains so much. Like why every year around this time I have to start tethering my cages down and keep buying bigger cages that still aren’t enough.
Off to buy cattle fencing
Personally I’ve seen tomato plants 12 feet tall and they can get even bigger. They eventually die, but usually by cold or diseases, not of age.
Indeterminate tomatoes: can’t stop. Won’t stop.
you really trim yours, i should trim mine better lol
My sweet millions are only about 5.5 feet but bushy as hell and fruiting like crazy.
Let some suckers grow, slows them down considerably. I just stopped cutting suckers on my 7′ plus, let’er rip now.
My record is 23′ – in production warehouses they keep them going for a long, long time, laying them down horizontally with only the growing ends vertical.
mine are exactly like this but they are little plum ones. they’re being grown on a roofed balcony so soon they’re gonna run out of space 😭
Indeterminate means they grow to an indetermined size. Meaning, the size is not determined.
Hey look San Marzanos with no blossom end rot. How nice that must be. I have like two out of 30 that don’t have it.
I recently purchased a calcium plant supplement so I’m introducing that and watering a little less and removed the rotted fruit.
But I’ve already lost so many it’s really taken the wind out of my sails this year. Even with my other varieties thriving, the one I wanted to succeed most failed.
I am kind of a perfectionist so I should be more forgiving but I just feel like I invested all this garden time and failed.
Make sure you cut the head off the leader 30 days before the fall frost. This stops new tomatoes and allows what’s on the vine to ripen. I just learned that tho so someone let me know if I’m wrong haha
Well, even if they’re closer together than you want, you’re doing everything else right! Looks like you did really nice pruning, which helps for plants in close proximity. The indeterminates will keep going until the first frost, or until you prune the main stem and all axial growth (suckers).
Edit: P.S. Charles Wilber grew tomatoes over 20′ tall. See [https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/comments/1gflpmv/anyone_ever_try_building_cages_like_charles_wilber/](https://www.reddit.com/r/tomatoes/comments/1gflpmv/anyone_ever_try_building_cages_like_charles_wilber/)
Meanwhile I had 5 plants and one tomato that the birds go to before I did
Indeterminate die when it freezes or when they get sick
Where does everyone get the tall sticks? I can’t find them anywhere..
If you’re in a zone, we don’t have time to let them grow like that. Talk to plan. Also, it stopped growing.
Ment top it
No
That’s what I say every year and then break my vow when I start seeds for the next season.
https://preview.redd.it/vi5r6u4arpef1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59ffd2fd25834fc8cd775f992464d704f57dc107
Bodacious 32lb from 5 plants so far