Tomatoes in the desert

Well, we're nearing the end of spring planting season here in Phoenix. Working at the plant nursery, I've learned a lot about desert gardening. I now have a stack of books next to my bed that I plan on reading soon, including Extreme Gardening by David Owens (the Garden Guy)

I've known for some time now that tomato plants are crazy with their hybridizations and wonky genetics, but I learned another set of tomato facts a couple days ago. The plants are classified as either "determinate" or "indeterminate."

Determinate plants produce all of their fruit at once. They tend to be the breeds that we use for making big batches of stuff, like sauces or salsas or that are used for canning. Since they produce everything at once, they grow more compact plants and are a little more shrub-like than the others

Indeterminate plants fruit out over a period of time. They're good for use as slicing tomatoes and salads. Since they produce more slowly than determinate plants, they tend to be more vine-y and require more support. They also tax the soil a bit less. since they use the nutrients more slowly.

And that, class, concludes today's lesson. :)