Know before you grow

Four terms good to know before you grow tomatoes are “determinate, indeterminate, heirloom and hybrid” to ensure you get what you want.

1. Determinate, also known as plum or bush tomatoes, are compact and useful for small spaces or short-season gardens. Bush tomatoes are bred to stop growing around 3-4 feet tall. All the fruit usually ripens within a two-week period making this a good choice for canning or preserving. Additionally, Roma tomatoes, also in this category, are used for making paste, sauce and drying because they are meaty and usually seedless.

2. Indeterminate, or vining tomatoes, grow until the first hard frost and can be over 10 feet tall depending on the variety grown. Vine tomatoes produce fruit all season long and are good for salads, slicing, snacking or canning.

3. Heirloom, or heritage tomatoes, are grown from seeds that have been saved and passed down through generations for centuries. Many people believe heirloom tomatoes have superior flavor and are preferred for fresh uses such as slicing and salads. The seeds can be collected and planted the following year for the same variety of tomato.

4. Hybrid tomatoes are grown, seeded and pollinated, under controlled conditions to ensure the tomato plants have certain characteristics such as color, shape, size or disease resistance. Plants grown from hybrid tomato seeds will not produce the same type of tomato. Tomatoes prefer at least 6 hours of sun daily; warm temperatures (70-80F degrees); and well-drained, medium-rich, moist soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5.

Everyone is invited to the Red Dirt Master Gardener meetings at noon the second Tuesday of every month at the county extension office behind the library.

Please call 307-864-3421 for information about the Master Gardener organization, volunteers for a beautiful and healthy community.