Determinate vs. Indeterminate
 

You prefer to only grow determinate in your containers? Or do you grow for taste and production regardless of the height? Do you have an elaborated staking system because you must grow indeterminate?

This the first year I had left over plants and I decided to pot them up. Most years I kill the smaller plants if they do not fit in the ground. I prefer to grow indeterminates in the grow. Now the potted tomato plants are very large. Keeping them grow upwards is a struggle. Would it be better to row the bush types?

In years pasted I grow Celebrity. I did not care for the taste. The plants were not too productive to the end of the season. I saw other bush varieties. Are they worth growing to make it easier to maintain in containers?

There are a lot of great dwarf varieties, many from the tomatoville dwarf project. They will spoil you in regard to flavor.

I am growing both... started with Black Krim some years ago, and have grown all kinds of sizes.
Determinates / bush types are nice, but not necessarily easier - some varieties like to sprawl everywhere, while some indet varieties are quite 'tame' aka compact.

It seems though that some det varieties (especially cherry) are way more prolific than indet ones.. and not even tidier! All those branches take up lot of space (Koralik, Gold Nugget...)
Taste is an individual issue and something that is not decided by plant size...
You may want to try some micro dwarfs, they can be tasty as well as easier to handle. (Red Robin, Mohamed)

I've tried staking, and also wrapping a rope around the stem and securing it to a metal hook above (on my balcony, it's there for hanging clothes, but tomatoes are way more important!)
... That has worked well.
All in all ... I would not even want to try growing in the ground, too much hassle with possible diseases etc... Containers have their challenges, but also reward the gardener for his/her labor.

nh....I have been growing pretty seriously for 3 years (both raised beds and containers). I have learned a couple of things: 1. Container size is very important...related to specific variety. 2. My raised bed plants are generally a bit more vigorous 3. My 20 gallon "Brute" trash cans are perfect for indeterminates (My Cherokee Purples are awesome in them). 4. My dwarf project maters (New Big Dwarf, Tasmanian Chocolate, Dwarf Purple Heart, etc) do well in my 15 gallon nursery pots (they probably are like 7 liquid gallons).:yes:

I find determinates to be much more productive per plant size, so they are more suited for smaller containers. Also I find them more difficult to manage than indets, especially since I prune those to one stem.
A top taste determinate is Maskotka.

This is my 2nd yr. doing the grow bag system, last yr. was only determinate while this yr. only indeterminate and even though its early in this season the difference between the two for me says indeterminate tomatoes are a better fit! Not saying determinants will never be grown, just that I like the fact that I have the room for indeterminate, and enjoy having production all season long.

Lots of great ideas! Is there a company that sells the dwarf tomato seeds?

Jetstar, do you have your plants pinned down in anyway? I have already had to upright my pots 3 times with the indeterminates I planted.

How fun it was to see your plants in reuseable grocery bags. I might try them with white potatoes next year. Only this year did I see grow bags at Wormsway.

I have the plants inside a 12 X 12 dog run and all 4 plants have a large tomato cage that is tied to wire wall of the dog run.

I have two hybrid determinate bush in containers (Patio (lame plastic ~4 gallon container) and Better Bush (Sharing an 18 gallon Sterilite container with a serrano pepper)) that look great- the Patio has produced about 5 tasty 4-6oz tomatoes. The Patio had two branches, the main one got annihilated in a rain storm - the plant quickly grew two more main stems, and the surviving droopy stem produced 5 I have eaten. The droop grew about 8 more that I picked while green to pickle, and then I cut it away. The two remaining stems are bloom laden, with one tomato growing at the moment. My indeterminate hybrid Creole has given me about 24 2-4oz. tomatoes so far, with another 10 on the vine at the moment.

I have 3 Burpee Pink Brandywine I grew from seed - 2 of which are in 5 gallon construction buckets. Both have bloomed like mad - and finally I have a set fruit on one (excited). I have 3 Burpee Mortage Lifter plants I grew from seed also in 5 gallon buckets, which are blooming like mad - no fruit set, though. I am eagerly awaiting.

I have 2 Pink Berkeley Tie Dye in a Sterlite 18 gallon container - they are looking great, but are only about 1 foot tall. Similarly, I have a Sweet Carneros Pink that is about 18" in a Sterlite 18 gallon container - its container mate got smashed by a neighborhood cat.

So, after all that narrative, I have both determinate and indeterminate tomatoes in containers - I am hoping that I have tomatoes running out of my ears in about a month and a half.

I've done a mix of both, depending on what's available to me at minimum cost. I don't drive and I'm stuck with what's walking distance (or a bus ride) from me.

I did a 'Patio' determinate and an 'Italian Gold' last year. I paid $4.00 for the two seedlings and I got a nice amount of tomatoes, so I'd consider it worthwhile and do it again. This year, though, the same store was selling larger sized/more mature Patio for $5. I passed. For $5, I could buy the same quantity of nice farmers market toms for what I'd have gotten off that plant.

I did splurge and bought some "Red Robin" seeds on eBay for my hanging baskets, and I'll be saving the seed for next year. I was really happy with them.

I have an odd corner spot in my yard that pretty much demands a tall container because the sun doesn't get to the ground in early spring. I've done Brandywines there the last 2 years and the plant yields surprisingly well, considering.

The other two indeterminates I have in containers this year are Rutgers and Bush Beefsteak. They seem to be pretty slow and they don't get an optimum amount of light, but each plant has 6-8 good sized fruits so far. I don't know if I can improve on this or not.

I'm only on year three of my small-space frugal gardening experiment, so I'll keep on keepin' on.