Determinate vs Indeterminate Plants

Here's a link that I found to some good information on what a determinate plant is vs an indeterminate one.  You see this designation most often with tomatoes.  In a nutshell a determinate plant will bear its yield all at once, and then it's pretty much done.  An indeterminate plant will grow and fruit right up until a frost kills it.  Because an indeterminate plant tends to continue growing, it usually needs more support, like cages or trellises, than a determinate one.
I tend to be an indeterminate lover, since I plant in large beds, and value a long, drawn out yield. We have a long growing season here in Texas, and indeterminate varieties allow us to harvest fruits for a very long time before frost comes our way.  In my New England days I planted tomatoes in large containers, and found determinate varieties to be more manageable for that scenario, both for the less rangy growth and the heavy yield in an area with a shorter growing season.  Determinates may also be preferred if you're a canner, since you'll want a large amount of yield to work with at one time.  There's also no reason why you can't choose both.  You'll end up with a large harvest of one kind all at once, while the indeterminates continue to perform for you until you or icy weather choose to end the long run.
Click through to the link for further details, and don't ever be shy to send us your questions!

Happy Gardening!

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/f/tomatotypefaq.htm