Vine tomatoes, also known as indeterminate tomatoes, are a variety of tomato that grows in the form of long vines. Unlike bush tomatoes, which stop growing once fruit has set, vine tomatoes continue to produce fruit throughout the growing season. This makes vine tomatoes a popular choice for home gardeners who want a continuous harvest.
What are the characteristics of vine tomatoes?
There are several key characteristics that distinguish vine tomatoes from other tomato varieties:
- Indeterminate growth: As mentioned above, vine tomatoes continue to grow, flower, and produce fruit all season long. They do not have a predetermined number of fruiting stems like bush tomatoes.
- Vining growth habit: Vine tomato plants grow long, trailing vines that can reach lengths of 10 feet or more if not staked or caged. The vines will continue to elongate throughout the season.
- Continuous fruit set: Flowers and fruit develop continuously along the vines over the course of the season, allowing for ongoing harvests.
- Usually large fruit: Many vine tomato varieties produce large, beefsteak-type fruit that can weigh 0.5 lb or more.
- Require staking/caging: Due to their vining growth habit, vine tomatoes require trellising, staking, or caging to support their growth and keep fruits off the ground.
- Determinate varieties exist: While indeterminate growth is a key trait of vine types, some determinate tomato varieties may still exhibit a vine-like growth pattern.
What are some common vine tomato varieties?
There are many popular vine tomato cultivars. Some common varieties include:
- Brandywine: An heirloom beefsteak type with deep red, flavorful fruits averaging 1 lb. Requires a long growing season.
- Cherokee Purple: An heirloom with dusky pink-purple, slightly oblate fruits with excellent flavor.
- Black Krim: A Russian heirloom with dark reddish-black skin and flesh. The flavor is very rich.
- Mortgage Lifter: A very large, meaty pink beefsteak hybrid that can weigh over 2 lbs.
- Sweet 100: A very prolific cherry tomato variety that produces hundreds of sweet, bite-sized fruits.
- Sungold: Very popular golden orange cherry tomato with super sweet flavor.
- San Marzano: An Italian plum-type known for meaty flesh and few seeds, ideal for sauce and paste.
There are also many hybrid varieties from breeders like Burpee, Territorial Seed Company, and Totally Tomatoes that exhibit a vining indeterminate growth habit.
Why are vine tomatoes vining and indeterminate?
The vining growth habit of vine tomatoes is ultimately controlled by genetics. When tomato breeders select for the indeterminate continuous growth trait, the plants naturally develop long vines along which flowers and fruit form.
Wild tomato relatives in places like Peru and the Galapagos Islands often display a vining or sprawling growth pattern, likely an evolutionary adaptation to compete for sunlight in their native environments. This genetic background contributes to the development of long vines in cultivated indeterminate tomatoes.
The exact genes and pathways that control indeterminate growth vs. determinate growth are complex and still being investigated. But it seems that certain genetic regulators essentially allow the main shoot tip of vines to maintain vegetative growth rather than forming flowers and fruit which leads to determinate growth.
How are vine tomatoes grown?
Growing productive vine tomato plants requires providing proper physical support for the long vines, consistent soil moisture and nutrients, and optimized sunlight conditions. Here are some key tips for growing vine tomatoes successfully:
- Staking/caging – Install tall stakes at least 6 feet high and tie vines to them as they grow. Or use cages to contain vines. This keeps fruits off the ground and prevents breakage.
- Pruning – Allow 1-2 main stems to grow vertically on each plant, pruning off lateral shoots for simplicity. Remove lower leaves to improve air circulation.
- Watering – Provide consistent moisture, about 1-2 inches per week. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to target roots and reduce foliar diseases.
- Fertilizing – Vines have a high nutrient demand. Use compost and organic tomato fertilizer before planting and supplement with liquid feeding during growth.
- Sunlight – Ensure plants receive at least 6-8 hours of direct sun for optimal fruit yields.
- Rotation – Don’t plant vines in the same spot as last year to reduce disease and pest pressure.
With good care and cultural practices, vine tomatoes will reward you with harvests from midsummer until first frost.
What are the pros and cons of vine tomatoes?
Here are some of the key upsides and downsides associated with growing vine tomato varieties:
Pros:
- Provide continuous harvests through the season.
- Fruit stays fresher on the vine vs. determinate varieties.
- Can obtain very high yields in favorable conditions.
- Many varieties have excellent flavor.
- Less prone to disease since fruit isn’t touching soil.
Cons:
- Require more space, staking materials, and pruning.
- Can become excessively large and unruly if unmanaged.
- Fruit may crack more easily after rain due to ongoing growth.
- Not ideal for container growing or short seasons.
- Less convenient for canning or preserving large batches of fruit simultaneously.
When should you harvest vine tomatoes?
Timing your vine tomato harvests properly ensures the best flavor and texture. Here are some guidelines for harvesting vines at their peak:
- Allow fruits to fully ripen on the vine before picking them. Watch for them to develop full color with a slight softness.
- Pick tomatoes when the weather is dry to reduce cracking and fruit rot.
- Harvest early in the day when tomatoes are coolest and most firm.
- Use scissors or gently twist fruits when harvesting to avoid damaging delicate vines.
- Handle fruits gently to prevent bruising – don’t toss them into buckets!
- Enjoy vine-ripened tomatoes immediately for the best quality and flavor.
- Let unripe green fruits continue developing more on the vine before picking.
Proper curing also helps maximize shelf life for fresh eating or preserving. Let harvested tomatoes sit stem-side up at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 1-2 weeks to allow flavor compounds to develop.
How are vine tomatoes pollinated?
Like most tomato varieties, vine tomato plants are self-pollinating. The flowers contain both male and female reproductive parts and normally do not require pollinators to set fruit successfully.
However, vibrations from wind or bumblebees visiting the flowers can help release pollen and improve fruit set. And pollinator visits may increase yields by 15-20% even though tomatoes are capable of self-pollination.
During prolonged cool or rainy weather, pollination may be reduced. You can gently shake vines or use an electric toothbrush to vibrate flowers and help release pollen when those conditions occur.
Are vine tomatoes determinate or indeterminate?
By definition, vine tomatoes are indeterminate varieties. This means they will continue growing, flowering, and setting new fruit until killed by frost or disease. As discussed earlier, indeterminate growth is a key genetic trait of vine-type tomatoes.
Determinate tomatoes, on the other hand, are compact and bushy rather than vining. They flower, set fruit, and then cease vegetative growth after the terminal bud forms. This concentrates fruit production over a shorter period.
While most true vine types are indeterminate, there are some exceptions. Certain compact determinate varieties may still display a vine-like growth pattern. So the vines vs. bush classification is not always an exact indicator of a variety’s growth habit.
What diseases affect vine tomatoes?
Vine tomatoes are susceptible to many of the same diseases as other tomato types when conditions favor disease development. Some common tomato diseases to watch for include:
- Early blight – Fungal disease causing leaf spots and defoliation starting on lower leaves.
- Late blight – Very destructive fungal disease causing leaf spots, stem cankers, and fruit rot.
- Septoria leaf spot – Fungal disease causing circular leaf spots.
- Bacterial spot – Bacterial disease leading to small, brown, greasy spots on leaves and fruits.
- Blossom end rot – Physiological disorder causing black leathery decay on fruit bottoms.
- Fusarium and Verticillium wilts – Fungal vascular diseases resulting in extensive wilt.
- Tomato mosaic virus – Viral disease causing mottling, mosaic, and distortion of leaves and fruits.
Practicing crop rotation, staking plants off the ground, watering at soil level, and pest management will help minimize disease issues on vine tomatoes.
How do you store and preserve vine tomatoes?
Vine-ripened tomatoes typically do not store quite as long as determinate varieties harvested all at once. But here are some tips for preserving your vine tomato harvest:
- Store freshly picked fruits at 45-55°F if possible to extend shelf life 1-2 weeks.
- Let tomatoes ripen on the counter then refrigerate to slow further ripening.
- Freeze excess fruits whole, sliced, diced, or as sauce or juice.
- Can or pickle fruits to enjoy all year. Tomatoes require acidification for safe water bath canning.
- Dehydrate slices in a food dehydrator and store in airtight containers.
- Roast tomatoes with garlic and olive oil to concentrate flavors.
- Consider wine-making if you have a very large harvest.
Enjoy vine tomatoes fresh as much as possible, within a week of picking for best quality.
Can you grow vine tomatoes in containers?
It is possible to grow vine tomatoes in containers, but it can be challenging. Here are some tips:
- Use at least a 25-gallon container, preferably larger.
- Use a tall, narrow container to accommodate roots or a 5+ gallon bucket.
- Use a cage or sturdy stake for support – vines can’t sprawl.
- Prune aggressively, removing suckers and excess foliage.
- Provide ample water and nutrition in the potting mix.
- Move containerized vines to the sunniest spots.
Even with good care, yields will be lower than in the ground. Better to grow bush determinate varieties in containers and use vine types in garden beds.
Conclusion
In summary, vine tomatoes are indeterminate varieties that produce long vines and continue to bear fruit all growing season. They require more space and support than bush types but produce excellent ongoing harvests. Vine tomatoes include many popular heirloom and modern hybrids that thrive with proper care and cultivation.