Indeterminate tomato plants are gifts that keep on giving. Do you love the idea of plucking a handful of plump tomatoes from your garden or patio every day this summer? If so, you should consider planting one of the many available indeterminate tomato varieties.
These tenacious tomato plants continue to grow and produce delicious fruits all season. There are many available varieties of indeterminate tomatoes to choose from, so we rounded up the most popular picks to help guide you on your search.
Our Top Picks
Best Cherry Tomato:
Super Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato
Best Roma/Plum:
Amish Paste Tomato
Best Beefsteak:
Big Beef Tomato
Best for Sauce:
Arkansas Traveller
Most Fun!!!
Get Stuffed Tomato
What are Indeterminate Tomatoes?
Indeterminate tomato plants are an excellent choice for any tomato lover. These vining varieties are often called pole tomatoes, and they will delight you with an entire season of fresh fruits. Indeterminate tomato varieties lack an upper growth limit. This is unlike determinate bush tomatoes, which stop growing after a big harvest. Indeterminate refers to this unconstrained growth habit, which is seen throughout nature in many plants and animals.
Since indeterminate plants keep growing, you can even keep them alive and flourishing for up to five years in the right conditions. Do you live in a warm area that never experiences frost? If so, you can plant your indeterminate tomatoes outside, and they will thrive all year. Otherwise, you can simply grow your indeterminate tomato variety in a container and bring it indoors for the winter. This way, you can continue harvesting your favorite tomato varieties with little effort on your part.
If you are ready to grow your first indeterminate tomato plant, the first step is picking out your seeds. There are so many indeterminate tomato varieties available that finding the best one can be challenging! If you already know what your favorite kind of tomato is, you will surely find a comparable indeterminate variety. Just look for seeds labeled pole tomatoes instead of bush tomatoes.
Cherry Indeterminate Tomato Varieties
Cherry tomatoes are the most popular tomatoes among many gardeners. The small, lightweight fruits are less likely to overwhelm those new to growing indeterminate tomato varieties. Even without the proper tomato pruning techniques, you are less likely to encounter an overburdened plant with broken branches.
Cherry tomatoes can’t be topped if you love snacking on fresh tomatoes. These sweet little treats are perfect right out of the garden. They also make an excellent addition to summertime salads. If you want to learn more about our favorite cherry tomato variety, check out our Santorini Tomato review.
Super Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato
The Super Sweet 100 cherry tomato plant is one of the most prolific producers available. This robust tomato variety offers hundreds of tiny, candy-sweet tomatoes over multiple harvests. You’ll love snacking on these little fruits right from the vine.
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Indigo Sun F1 Cherry Tomato
Indigo Sun tomatoes are beautiful, bright yellow fruits with deep indigo crowns. These grape-sized treats combine sweetness with a classic tomato flavor. They are tasty right off the vine, and they also make a stunning addition to salads.
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Chocolate Cherry Tomato
Chocolate Cherry tomatoes are sweet petite morsels that make the perfect summer snack. This indeterminate tomato variety produces abundant fruit all season long. The small, one-inch tomatoes are hardy and crack-resistant.
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Gardener’s Delight Cherry Tomato
These plump little fruits are sure to delight the gardener in you. The Gardener’s Delight cherry tomato plant produces continuous harvests, so you can pluck fresh tomatoes until the first frost.
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Roma and Plum Indeterminate Tomato Varieties
Roma tomatoes are also commonly called plum or paste tomatoes. These indeterminate tomato varieties are characterized by their oval shape and small size. They often contain less water and thicker skin, making them ideal for turning into paste.
Many Roma tomato varieties are determinate. Determinate growth habits lead to bountiful end-of-season harvests. This makes processing tomatoes into paste easier if you are cooking in bulk. Still, there are quite a few indeterminate Roma tomato varieties available.
Amish Paste Tomato
The Amish Paste Tomato is a versatile indeterminate tomato variety that is excellent for preserving. The rich tomato flavor holds up well to canning and makes delicious sauces and salsas.
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Indigo Rose Plum Tomato
Few tomato varieties are quite as stunning as the Indigo Rose. These compact, deep-purple orbs are sometimes known as Blue Tomatoes. The skin continues to darken in the sun, which allows the flesh to develop a rich, tart flavor.
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San Marzano Roma Pole Tomato
The San Marzano Roma tomato is by far the most popular tomato variety for making paste. These oval-shaped fruits have a rich tomato flavor and meaty flesh that won’t disappoint.
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Beefsteak Indeterminate Tomato Varieties
Do you like slices of big meaty tomatoes on your sandwiches? If so, the beefsteak tomato is the perfect choice for you. Beef steak tomatoes are the largest type of tomato. Most beef steaks are heirloom tomatoes which means they are openly pollinated and not hybrids. Their natural growth allows these large orbs to develop a complex, rich flavor.
If you want to grow beefsteak tomatoes in your garden, there are many indeterminate tomato varieties to choose from. Here are just a few of the most popular beefsteak tomato varieties you can grow in your garden this summer.
Big Beef Tomato
You can’t go wrong with a classic beefsteak variety. The Big Beef tomato plant is a reliable producer of large, consistently-sized fruits. These tomatoes are meaty and juicy and make an excellent addition to burgers and sandwiches.
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Henderson’s Pink Ponderosa
Do you like your tomatoes big? The extra-large Henderson’s Pink Tomato might be your dream variety! These plants produce massive fruits that can weigh over two pounds each.
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Brandywine Red and Yellow
Brandywine tomatoes are a classic variety enjoyed by gardeners for over a century. These plants come in two main types, red and yellow, and each has its own characteristic flavor.
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Wild Boar Solar Flare
The Wild Boar Solar Flare is a specialty beefsteak tomato variety carefully bred by master cultivator Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms. These plants produce exceptionally sweet fruits that are perfect for slicing.
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Pineapple Pole Tomato
Pineapple tomatoes add a beautiful pop of color to your garden. They are prized for more than just their looks, though! The golden-orange tomatoes are sweet and tangy and produce extra-large fruits.
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Chef’s Choice Pink Tomato
Chef’s Choice is the perfect name for this indeterminate beefsteak tomato variety. The jumbo fruits have a mild flavor and very few seeds, making them an ideal choice for canning, slicing, or cooking down to a smooth pasta sauce.
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Indeterminate Sauce Tomato Varieties
Sauce tomatoes are the iconic bright red round tomato varieties you often see in grocery stores. Many tomato gardeners prefer to grow determinate sauce tomatoes for the same reason as paste tomatoes. A larger harvest at the end of the season makes preserving sauces in bulk much simpler.
Just because sauce tomatoes tend to be determinate does not mean there aren’t indeterminate varieties available. Some of the most delicious sauce tomatoes can be grown from indeterminate tomato seeds. This is the best option if you want a steady supply of mouthwatering fruits.
Abe Lincoln Tomato
Choosing the best tomato for pasta sauce doesn’t need to be a challenge. The Abe Lincoln tomato is a superb indeterminate tomato variety for creating smooth, flavorful pasta sauces.
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Arkansas Traveler Tomato
If you want a hardy tomato plant that is sure to produce in any climate, then you should consider the Arkansas Traveler tomato. These hardy plants are known to perform well across the nation, from the cool coasts of the Pacific Northwest down through the hot and arid south.
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Other Indeterminate Tomato Varieties
Tomato cultivation is a complex and evolving field of agriculture. Every year clever gardeners create new, delicious heirloom tomato varieties. There are some very unique indeterminate tomato varieties that you might enjoy.
Get Stuffed Tomato
The Get Stuffed tomato is a unique cultivar with thick, firm skin reminiscent of bell peppers. This variety offers a unique way to enjoy tomatoes. You can hollow the fruits out and stuff them before tossing them in the oven or grill to get a delicious char.
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Austin’s Red Pear Tomato
While technically a type of cherry tomato, Austin’s Red Pear tomato is so unique that it deserves its own spot. The two-inch fruits are juicy and crisp, making them a great choice for snacking. Since these are heavier than traditional cherry tomatoes, you’ll need to ensure the plants are well-supported.
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Indeterminate Heirloom Tomato Collection
Are you still on the fence about which tomato variety is right for you? Well, you don’t have to choose just one! This Heirloom Tomato Collection from Botanical Interests offers seven different indeterminate tomato varieties, so you can try a bit of everything.
- Tomato Pole Beefsteak Organic
- Tomato Pole Black Krim Organic
- Tomato Pole Brandywine Red and Yellow
- Tomato Pole Cherokee Purple Organic
- Tomato Pole Cherry Red & Yellow Pear Organic
- Tomato Pole Golden Jubilee
- Tomato Pole San Marzano Organic
Choosing the Best Indeterminate Tomato Variety
With so many options to choose from, it can be challenging to find the perfect tomato plant. Fortunately, whether you want big juicy beefsteaks, sweet cherry tomatoes, or anything in between, one of the many indeterminate tomato varieties is sure to suit your needs.
Excited for more tomato content? Then visit our tomato page for growing tips, comprehensive guides, and tasty recipes!
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Max Loel is a seasoned writer with a unique life journey that spans across diverse landscapes.
Beyond the realm of words, Max has carved out a different kind of haven—a 15-acre homestead in the Midwest. This sanctum represents their testament to resilience and commitment to sustainable living.
With a penchant for storytelling that reflects personal growth and cultural exploration, Max brings a fresh perspective to the literary world, blending the experiences of a global wanderer with the grounded roots of a Midwest homesteader.