What's the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes?

Needing to pinch the laterals off your tomato plants? This only applies to indeterminate tomato plants. "Determinate" tomatoes are bush types of tomatoes that grow to a compact height. "Indeterminate" tomatoes tend to have longer stems and fruit along the stem, not just mostly at the end like determinate varities do. On a shorter variety of tomato it's best to leave the laterals and they should fruit all laterals