Billy wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Thies wrote:

I don't have a good grasp of tomatoes.

My rough guess is that ancestral tomatoes were indeterminate and very
viney things. Bush variety then were cross bred for their stouter stems
and perhaps shorter internodes. I only have a Better Bush in the "Bush"
variety to check. What a stocky plant that is!

It looks to me that the first lateral branch is always just below the
first flower and that is the number 6 branch. I expected more variety
but that is the way it is with my Early Girl, Better Bush, Better Boy
and a couple of mystery heirlooms.

The Better Bush is listed as indeterminate, although most bush
tomatoes seem to be determinate. Is there a hard line between
determinate and indeterminate or are todays determinate tomatoes just at
the end of a long breeding line to have all their fruit near the same
time? Or was it more like a switch?

On another note, I'm thinking of just letting some of the tomato
varieties just vine out along the ground. What precautions should I take?

Jeff

Precautions against humidity from the ground and its attendant mold.
Additional care in hand watering. Precautions against insects that will
now have easier access to your vegetables.

Thanks.

Sounds like a good argument to stake.

Jeff