Dwarf Tomato Plants
By Vanessa Richins
One of the biggest stumbling blocks that many aspiring gardeners face is the thought that they don’t have enough space to garden.
Containers help if you have a patio or balcony available.
What do you do, though, if you don’t have those?
The good news is that there are tomato plants available that are small enough to fit almost everywhere. There are a few varieties that I was able to find. I am now in love with these teeny tiny tomato plants.
The smallest available variety is called ‘Micro Tom”, a determinate hybrid that only grows 6-8″ tall. Yes, you read that right - a tomato plant that will fit on almost any countertop or place with 6 hours of sunlight. They still manage to produce lots of 1 oz cherry tomatoes after about 88 days. One place that you can buy seeds from is Totally Tomatoes.
There is also a similar yellow variety available, named ‘Micro-Gold’.
Another tiny heirloom variety is named ‘Red Robin’ and grows 8-12″ tall. These have cherry tomatoes that are especially sweet.
If you have a little more room than that, there is an heirloom variety called ‘Tiny Tim’ that grows 12-15″ tall.
An interesting project I came across is the Dwarf Tomato Project. These tomato enthusiasts are working together to develop new varieties of dwarf (around 2-4′ tall) tomato plants to make it easier for gardeners to find space in their yard.
Have you ever grown tiny tomato plants?
May 9th, 2009 at 9:24 am
This is great news, Vanessa! I’m growing one of my ‘Sungold’ cherry tomato plants in a container on my deck this year just to see what happens. I’m trying to grow more ornamental edibles among my purely ornamental deck plants, so I have tons of herbs as well as troughs of Swiss chard, curly parsley, heirloom kale, and decorative lettuces tucked in among the showier tender perennials. It would be great to add more tomatoes and let visitors pick their own snacks while they relax surrounded by luxuriant bloom and foliage. Go Dwarf Tomato Project!
May 9th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I have grown before and I am growing again this year a compact bush variety of Tomato called “Vilma”. Vilma is ideal for pots and patio containers. Seeds are sold by Thompson and Morgan. They grow 20-24 inches tall, require no supports, now pinching out or side-shooting. They are sweet and juicy and I recommend them for next year! Thompson and Morgan sells small patio sized variety of all types of veggies.
May 9th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Sorry for the spelling error that should read No pinching out or side-shooting.
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