Friday, March 27, 2015

Dwarf Tomatoes

 Yes, there are tomato varieties that are called Dwarfs! A Dwarf tomato has certain characteristics just like determinate and indeterminate varieties have. Below is a list of the characteristics of a dwarf tomato that I got from the Dwarf Tomato Project's website http://www.dwarftomatoproject.net/


Dwarf Tomatoes
 

  • Plants vary in height from 60-140cm (2 to 4.5 feet) depending on which variety is selected.
  • Dark and dense crinkly (rugose) foliage, thick central stem.
  • Tomatoes of all sizes and shapes, including some large fruits around 500 grams (18 ounces)
  • A broad range of flavors - sweet, tangy, fruity, and even a hint of saltiness - something to please   everyone.
  • Fruit colors include green-when-ripe, bi-colors, stripes, blacks (purple & chocolate), pink, red, yellow, orange, white/ivory.
  • Easy to grow in pots, on balconies, or wherever space is limited.


  • Last year I grew a couple Dwarf varieties to give them a try. Most of my plants were grown in 5 gallon buckets and a couple I grew in the ground. I grew four varieties, which were Dwarf Mr. Snow, Sleeping Lady, Tasmanian Chocolate and Rainbow Dwarf. The plants in the 5 gallon buckets required minimal support, however the plants I had growing in the ground required caging because some grew taller than 4.5 feet. Some dwarf varieties stay compact and others can grow taller if allowed. I enjoyed growing the dwarf varieties so much I am growing many more this year. I started my Dwarf seeds the end of February along with my pepper seeds, because they take longer to grow compared to indeterminate and determinate varieties. Here is a picture of my Dwarf seedlings I currently have growing. There is one variety with lime green colored leaves, they are called chartreuse leaves. There are not many varieties with this gene.



    If you have limited gardening space or do container gardening these dwarf tomato varieties are great! Be warned that some of the dwarf varieties will grow taller, especially when grown in the ground. I will be growing most of my dwarf varieties in 5 gallon buckets this year. These are the Dwarf tomato varieties I will be growing this year...
    Sweet Adelaide
    Pit Viper
    Arctic Rose
    Utyonok
    Shadow Boxing
    Wild Fred
    Chocolate Lightning
    Sweet Adelaide
    Jackass Yellow
    Shamrock
    Uluru Ochre
    Patio Song
    Orange Pixie
    Coastal Pride Orange
    Rosella Crimson
    Rainbow Dwarf
    Sleeping Lady
    Dwarf Purple Heart
    Cherokee Tiger Striped Plum
    Cherokee Tiger Large Red


    7 comments:

    1. Interesting - I had never heard of dwarf tomatoes before. So I'm assuming a dwarf tomato would do better in a pot than a determinate tomato? They don't seem to be that much smaller than many determinates (esp. the 4.5' one) - would the root system make the difference?

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Margaret they grow perfectly fine in pots/buckets as long as the are watered regularly and fertilized occasionally. I don't think the root system is any smaller.

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    2. Hello,

      I am a fan of tomatoes.
      I have a collection of 1800 to 2300 tomatoes varieties.
      Since this season, I am interested by Dwarf varieties, I research them.

      Do you interested for an exchange ?

      Bye and a good season

      Sophie / Ptite Grenouille

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. I'm sorry Sophie I just saw this message. I haven't been on my blog for awhile. I have some Dwarf varieties I can trade if you are interested. Let me know.

        Delete
    3. How did the Rainbow Dwarf do? I've been looking at that this year. Was it indeterminate? How many days to harvest?

      ReplyDelete
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