2 tomato plant questions

There are big pots and big pots... I'm not talking five gallon cans. I did grow a goodly whatchacallit in a 24" terra cotta pot once.

I don't think I've ever grown a patio tomato knowingly.

If there is such a thing as The Lost Tribe of Amish, tell them I'm in New Mexico.

An English farmer never sells anything he can use.
While an AMish farmer never uses anything he can sell.

I thought of another reason why you might be growing big plants with lots of immature fruit. I don't think this would be a problem in So. CA, but if the plants are in a shady area and don't get enough sun then the fruit won't ripen. That's the reason I stopped trying to grow tomatoes here. Big, gorgeous, healthy plants with lots of green babies but I don't have enough sun to ripen the fruit.

I'll have to tell you, the BEST advice I got was when dj here explained about how to pinch off the suckers.

Also, I had no idea that you were supposed to take the seedlings, and once they got big enough to plant in the ground, and plant them in the dirt all the way up to the top leaves, so they will develop deep roots.

It was mind blowing I tell ya.

I'm guessing it is the variety of plant that was used.

Determinate varieties of tomatoes, also called "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that are bred to grow to a compact height, about 4 feet high. They stop growing when fruit sets on the bud, ripen all their crop at or near the same time (usually over a 2 week period), and then die.

Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost and can reach heights of up to 10 feet although 6 feet is considered the norm. They will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit at different times throughout the growing season.


I planted both types of plants in my Albuquerque, NM garden in March. One of the early varieties is already creating fruit and should be ripe in a week or so while all the other varieties, both determinate and indeterminate are still at the blooming stage.

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