A visit to a supermarket will confirm the great variation in the types of tomato, which include:

• standard tomatoes - the common, red, round tomato
• cherry - smaller, round, sweet & bite-size
• plum - small, plum shape tomato often strongly flavoured
• beef - large tomatoes, more common on the Continent
• novelty - various colours & shapes

Tomato plants have several different habits:

Cordon or vine type

• grow on a single stem
• require support
• grow several meters if not stopped
• have a longer growing season
• produce a regular supply of tomatoes
• offer a larger range of colour, shape & size

Bush Type

1. tall bush - 30-75cm high
2. creeping bush, less than 25cm high, ideal for hanging baskets

Bush types:

• do not require supporting, trimming or stopping
• have a shorter season
• tend to produce a glut
• need straw or plastic sheets laid round the plants as many fruits are at ground level

• A greenhouse insures a constant supply of tomatoes regardless of the weather. The greenhouse varieties are the cordon or vine type grown on a single stem
• Outdoor tomatoes are grown in mild areas sheltered from cold winds. Bush varieties & some cordon varieties are suitable for outside production. There are some dual purpose cordon varieties, which will grow in the greenhouse or outside, such as Ailsa Craig, Alicante, Gardeners Delight & Moneymaker.