The Heirloom Tomato is probably the most loved garden vegetable variety among gardeners worldwide. They come in all shapes and sizes along with a vast array of flavors and colors. Whether you want a tomato that is low in acid like the Ace 55 or if you'd rather have a variety exploding with flavor like the Cherokee purple you are sure to find one that fits your desire.
Along with their distinct flavor and shape tomato plants are also considered determinate or indeterminate.
Determinate Tomato plants are compact and quite bushy. They also are known for producing most of their fruit around the same time which means harvesting all plants in around 2 to 4 pickings. This is a great for home gardeners who want to can their tomatoes and need a large harvest all at one.
Now indeterminate are quite the opposite. For one they set fruit along the vine stem and continue to produce all season up until a frost kills them. They make excellent choices for small farms who want to market them or for someone who enjoys having an extended growing season of tomatoes for fresh salads or sandwiches. Some indeterminate tomato varieties which I call "viney" need some extra support. Bush varieties can be staked or caged and do best that way.