My tomato labels have been wiped off - how to tell if cordon or bush variety?

[Samuel1988]

Evening all,

The labels for my tomatoes have been wiped off so I am unsure as to which type they are (I sowed both bush and cordon).

I know if you pinch out the suckers for the bush varieties I will get no fruit so I'm thinking of maybe removing 50% as a safe bet?

This time I am going to use a permanent marker!

Samuel

[greenishfing]

I don't know the answer to your question but I find pencil is the best thing on labels as the sun can bleach permanent marker off.

[Scarlet]

Ah, we've just had a thread with a similar question. Bush tomatoes have a much thicker stem. Most of my toms were grown at the same time and the difference in height as well as stem thickness is very noticeable early on too.
Post some pics and we can all have a guess!

[Samuel1988]

How can you tell if they are just not a runt plant?

Will post some pictures when I can take them

[Nicos]

How many varieties did you sow?what are the varieties?..... I suppose you could try and put them into groups by appearance ?
Some varieties have slightly smaller or hairier or darker leaves.
Then the task of working out which is bush or cordon can begin...or have you still got them in separate trays?
Sorry can't help you further...if all else fails I too would go with your Plan A !

[Samuel1988]

Here are some picks

I have sown a few varieties, I bought some cherry types from the garden centre just in case I did not get a good crop from the others due to poor management

They were sown at different times so I am not sure of plant size being a good indicator?

Samuel

[ancee]

Same problem here I thought I'd do what that Sikh man did in the article that's been on here. I'm just going to leave them and see what happens!

[Scarlet]

Well, if they were mine... I would say pic 1&3 are bush varieties. They are really stocky looking plants with a very thick stem, even at the top. Pic 2 (in the middle) a cordon, spindly top stem with longer sections between its leaf joints.
BUT that's my guess....

[Potstubsdustbins]

If you are really struggling let them all bush at least you will get some fruit.

[esbo]

Seems to me there is no clear dividing line ie there are a lot fo different varieties in between a put determinate and a pure indeterminate.

I seem to have got my labels mixed up too some do not look like what they should look like.

When the tomatoes start appearing you should have a better idea, I can clearly see some plum shaped ones which are going to a bush. I also find Alicante are clearly not bush, but there are some kind of inbetween, such as moneymaker I think.