Smaller Plants for Small Gardens and

Containers, 5 to 15 gallons

 

Most heirloom tomato plants grow to 6 or 7 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  Here are a few which stay smaller.

 

Black Prince ($5.50) F/C    (E) (SM) 70 days. One of the most intensely 'tomatoey' flavored heirlooms, rich and juicy, a smaller plant, very prolific, easy to grow, it loads up in only 70 days with clusters of gorgeous 6-8 oz. deep, dark mahogany-red fruits the color of rubies at midnight.

 

 

 

 

   Bush Beefsteak ($5.50) 60 days. A wonderful, early, compact and prolific, short bushy plant that grows to only 3 feet while producing huge amounts of half pound red tomatoes in clusters of 3 to 5. A very popular variety in short season areas. Juicy and delicious. Early harvest, small manageable plant, big tomato flavor!

 

 

 

 

 

Florida 91  ($5.95) (H) 72 days. (D) (E)
 As seeds of SunMaster are no longer available I have chosen Florida 91 as the perfect alternate plant for extreme heat. This specialty tomato is a very heat tolerant hybrid variety which produces delicious, bright red, 10 ounce, rich, sweet full-flavored tomatoes in only 72 to 80 days. A small determinate plant, growing to 2 or 3 feet, this variety sets fruit easily during high heat, when days are up to 97º or more and night temperatures are 73º to 82º. Very disease resistant. Ideal for slicing onto sandwiches and salads, these sweet tomatoes ripen to be firm, solid, and resistant to cracking.

 

 

 

 

Gardener's Delight (Aka Sugar Lump)($5.50) F/C  (VE) (SM) (Ch)   65 days. You'll get an amazingly heavy production of precious sparkling-red 1" cherry tomatoes, which are loaded with sugary sweet tomato flavor. A special treat for tomato fans of all ages for eating right from the vine or in salads if they ever make it into the house. Gardener's Delight is also called 'Sugar Lump' for a very good reason. 

 

 

 

 

Green Grape ($5.50) 60 days. F/C (VE) (SM) These 1" by 1 ½" ripe fruits are yellow-green with an amber blush on the blossom end, and lovely translucent pale-green on the inside growing on a small yet very prolific plant. After tasting it again at TomatoFest this year I decided to include it on the list for 2008.  You will love it.

This compact plant was developed by Tom Wagner who crossed Yellow Pear with Evergreen. Its fruit has become wildly popular in restaurants and markets because of its unique and very elaborate flavor, a certain tanginess balanced with just the perfect touch of sweetness, stunning beauty and marvelous flavor--Green Grape really stands out as great choice for the discerning tomato maniac. 

 

 

 

 

  Japanese Black Trifele (TRY-feluh) AKA Black Truffle ($5.75)      (SM) 80 days. Japanese Black Trifele, which translates to truffle, is a big juicy 6 -10 ounce pear-shaped, deep purple-black tomato with pretty green shoulders. In Russia the Trifele varieties of tomatoes--of which there are several colors--are highly prized and command high prices. Growing on a short potato-leafed plant, it's the size and shape of a Bartlett pear and among the darkest hued and finest flavored of the black tomatoes.

The skin is smooth and crack resistant and production is huge. Flavor is deep, chocolaty, smoky and rich, just wonderful. Took their picture and ate 'em.

 

 

 

 

 

Legend ( $5.25)     (E)  (SM) 65 days. This very early variety from Dr. James Baggett of Oregon State University grows in abundance on short bushy semi-determinate plants.  The 14 to 16 ounce fruits are smooth and round and blemish free. Bright red with delicious sweet flavors that are perfectly balanced with a touch of acid, Legend produces in only 60 days from plant out.  Sets fruit easily in cooler climates and shows excellent resistance to late blight. A favorite for salads, sandwiches and canning.

 

 

 

 

 Lime Green Salad ($5.50) (VSM) (D)   (E)   52 days. This tomato has become one of my passions. I grew only one Lime Green Salad plant the first season and wish I'd grown 10.

This petite plant, about 18" to 20" tall--great for small containers like 2 to 5 gallons, or in your main garden, produces early abundant harvests of luscious tangy-sweet 3 to 4 oz. round lime-green tomatoes which literally burst with intricate, sweet refreshing citrusy flavors when you bite into them. The flesh inside is a gorgeous chartreuse, juicy...the flavor lingers. Unforgettable.  

 

 

 

Martino's Roma (D) ($5.50)  (P-S) (E) (SM) 75 days. This extremely prolific plant produces a huge yield--the fruit loads up in amazing quantities on a small 3 foot plant. Its yummy crop of  3" red pear-shaped Roma tomatoes that are great for cooking and sweet and luscious enough to enjoy fresh right out of your hand. Very meaty with few seeds, highly productive, marvelous for canning, and for your favorite tomato sauce recipe. The flavor intensifies exponentially during cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Baby Girl $5.50) (H)  (SM) (Ch)     (VE) 60 days. This vigorous little hybrid plant from Holland has long clusters of sweet, flavorful dark red 1 oz. cherry tomatoes, producing abundantly on small, compact yet indeterminate plants. Its easy-to-pick fruit is produced all season long. 

Sweet Baby Girl's long shelf-life, marvelous taste and disease resistance have made it a new favorite for fitting into smaller gardens and producing bountiful bunches of fruit right up until first frost in containers  and in the garden.

Kids of all ages love it. Right after shooting this photograph of some of the 150 tomatoes we picked on February 8th, my employees and I ate the fruits. Every single one.