Topic: Minature toms

[Jeannine]

Hi, I am still continuing the hunt for minature tomato plants, any info on varieties  and seed sources would be helpful.

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

OK...Totem...Dwarf..stocky, bush variety with crimson fruit
Tumbling Tom Red..Trailing tomato for small tubs and baskets..cherry-sized sweet, red fruit
Hundreds & Thousands...cascading plants for tubs and baskets...if in big enough container will make into large plant..micro-sized red fruit
Gartenperle.....red mini toms on small trailing plants..
Garden Pearl...bush, pink-red and sweet cherry-size fruit for tubs, growbags, or in soil...
Balconi Red & Yellow....bush variety for containers or baskets..small cherry-size, bright red/yellow fruit growing in clusters....

Any or them what you might be after...as for source..well ;)..you just let me know... ;D
There is only balconi red and yellow and totem that are really a small as plants..others I have grown in 1-2 litre pots and still got satisfactory crop...
I'll keep my eye on for something else.. ;)

[grannyjanny]

What have you got so far & what size do you call mini Jeannine? Minibel & Pixie spring to mind following Goodlifes list. Has Tatania got many?

[no-lottie]

Micro Tom - Worlds smallest tomato plant.  ;D

[redcoat]

I bought some Micro Tom plants at  car boot sale a couple of weeks ago.  When I got home and checked it on t'interweb it certainly looks small.


Ooooh, no-lottie, you beat me to it whilst I was typing.  Have you grown these before?  Can I save the seed do you think (I don't remember if it was F1)?

[goodlife]

Are you thinking of your growing under your grow system...?

[Jeannine]

Yes for under the sysyem so nothing taller than 24 inches and hopefukly smaller. and not ones for hanging baskets I don't think at the time.I have red robin, yellow canary, patio, micro tom,amateur pink,bonsai,budai torpe,champion bush,extreme bush,golden nugget,orange pixie,polar baby, red alert, silvery fir tree,small fry,  tatura dwarf,taxi,tiny tim,totem, I have more which are better for hanging baskets.

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

 ::) ::) ;D....just few then....what are you hunting for...I bet you have just about what there is in the tiny section...oh..I didn't see minibel mentioned ;)..that's dwarf and bush type... ;D

[goodlife]

Jeannine...maybe you should se this....

http://dwarftomatoproject.net/

[Jeannine]

I have been watching the project for some time actually but apart from general interest it wasn't much of a help as they are using some quite tall ones.

I was hoping to hear from folks who had grown the ones I have ..or others so I could compare sizes, yeilds taste etc.

I would like to get my hands on some Micro Gemma. I have found a source for Micro Tina..both are supposed not to be commercially available but I am hopeful.

I have three levels on my lights. Wanted to grow several types and keep each level appropriate for the height of the plant. I don't want them to suddenly outgrow the headspace.

XX Jeannine

[no-lottie]

The Dwarf Program isn't for small plants like what Jeannine wants, they are much more robust plants, some with big fruit. I grew two varieties in the Dwarf Project a few years ago.

Red Robin, Micro Tom, Tiny Tim and Totem are great choices. I'd look for one called Florida Petite, a dwarf plant 8" or 9" high, 1 1/4" diam red fruit - 40 days. I am growing them this coming season from seed I purchased from TGS in Florida.

[goodlife]

I find varieties like tumbling tom are so much rewarding from the space the require than bush form dwarf ones...you get double the amout of fruit per plant and they do not need that much more root space neither..and if grown in larger pot but in more shallow type (like for bulbs), they will not much taller neither.  By looking at my plants that I have in my baskets, the height is almost identical (couple inches) and to achieve the same spread I use one plant against 2 of the drawf ones..
The drawf/bush ones also grow more foliage..which is waste really..
As for flavour...now I confess...I've hardly eaten any.. :-[ I've always grown plants/baskets for others..and for sale..and for me to get seeds..maybe I should really start tasting..I do... ;)

[Rox]

OK...Totem...Dwarf..stocky, bush variety with crimson fruit
Tumbling Tom Red..Trailing tomato for small tubs and baskets..cherry-sized sweet, red fruit
Hundreds & Thousands...cascading plants for tubs and baskets...if in big enough container will make into large plant..micro-sized red fruit
Gartenperle.....red mini toms on small trailing plants..
Garden Pearl...bush, pink-red and sweet cherry-size fruit for tubs, growbags, or in soil...
Balconi Red & Yellow....bush variety for containers or baskets..small cherry-size, bright red/yellow fruit growing in clusters....

Any or them what you might be after...as for source..well ;)..you just let me know... ;D
There is only balconi red and yellow and totem that are really a small as plants..others I have grown in 1-2 litre pots and still got satisfactory crop...
I'll keep my eye on for something else.. ;)

Just to clarfiy as I have 15 yellow balcony plants I'm growing for the first time and extremely little space on my patio! What size pot (in cms.) would be ideal for each plant, without sacrificing the yield? How high and bushy do they get! many thanks for the advice in advance!

[goodlife]

Oh..your plants should grow about 8-10 inches..max..I should not expect any more..but it all depends as well about how much room you give them..if they are only just big enough pots not even that..maybe 5-6inches..
It is the watering that is biggest job..if you are growin in say 1 litre pot (13-15cm) you should do fine but you need to be really on the job with water...outdoors things can dry so quickly..
It is much easier to use larger pot/planter and put several in same one..
I would get 5 larger pots..around 30-40cm ones and put 3 in each..they will not take anymore room than having 15 smaller ones..those 15 you would be watering atleast once a day..larger ones..every other or so.. ;)
...or you could put 3 in 14" hanging basket... ;)

[Jeannine]

Balcony Red and Yellow will grow bigger than 8 inches and need 12 inch pots.

I agree with the tumbling toms, the yeild is good and the height is low but under lights they are too bushy and wide.

I am going with

Mohamed, Minibell,Chibikko,Floragold basket, Hahms Gelbe Topfltomate,Red Robin, Tiny Tim, Micro Tom, Micro Tina and Micro Gemma,(if I can get it)and  Yellow Canary, and Polyarnye

If I do a higher row, it will be Extreme Bush,Budai Torpe, Yaponsky Karlick and Patio

Three rows. 1st under a foot, 2nd up to 18 inches and 3rd up to 24 inches.if I do that one at all)

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

You have some going on there...when will you start those and are they going to be your winter job?
I was just thinking today while working.. ::) how differently tom plants under lights indoors will grow..like under your set up..as in GH and outdoors the light is 'all around'..under lights will the plants be more upright as a result  or would the lights allow the spreading growth as much..of course it depends how close others are too..
I've only worked with bedding plant under lights and that was in greenhouses as well so it is quite different 'ball game' as there is natural lights too..

[Jeannine]

I have always done one or two under ordinary lights in the winter with mixed results but always have got fruit.. but never had enough space to do many.

I will start them at different times I think depending on the maturity dates, As they will all be determinate types I don't want them all fruiting at the same time, although there are a couple that can give a second harvest.

It will be all under lights though as my windowsills face north.

The light is really all around as there is quite alot of light from 3 flourescent tubes under a hood. They are inside too so will have the vatural warmth from the room, heat is not a problem as the lights are not hot.

I think with the rugosa types it will work well, but we will see.

Just checked my records by the way and my Balcony Red and Yellows grew to almost  three feet  a few  years ago when I grew them,that was outside. I didn't like the bland flavour so never grew them again but I grew quite a few the first year I went to the Uk as I had very little room that first year and picked them for that reason.

XX Jeannine

[Jayb]

I知 interested in Hahms Glebe Topfltomate sounds very promising; I might well be tempted to  give it a try.

I致e not got much info I can share at the moment, but this summer  I知 growing a few miniatures and dwarfs, some of them are varieties you listed. My thinking is if they don稚 taste good with the summer sun they won稚 have much hope under lights. It will be interesting to see what does well,  eventual heights growth habits and crop size.

I知 pretty sure some will be too big but I知 hoping a comparison with the different varieties I知 growing alongside each other, will narrow it down for me. I知 also looking to see which different compact bush varieties can cope with being in a basket or hanging bag, as I知 looking at ways to use polytunnel space.   I知 growing the mini and some dwarf types in pots, also dwarfs and a few other candidates in hanging baskets.

Grow list includes  Ditmarsher,  Minibel, Red Robin, Tiny Tim, Vilma,  which are I think on the smaller side and then its all fun with Lucky Leprechaun, Yaponskiy Karlik, Golden Dwarf Champion, Victorian Dwarf, Pipo, Prima, Korlick, Balconystar, Silver Fir tree, Scoresby Dwarf, Scotia, Siletz, Taxi and possibly a few more.

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

Just checked my records by the way and my Balcony Red and Yellows grew to almost  three feet  a few  years ago

Gosh...Mine has never reach that size...I have used them for few years now for hanging baskets and they have never reached top the chains..
Hmm..I've just read the seed packet.. ::) it says one plant per 12 in basket..well normally I plant 3 into 14in..and they've been fine..maybe that they've been restricted has resulted them not growing that much..at the moment I have some in 12in baskets/one per basket. And they are so slow to fill it up..bush is in full bloom and the plant looks like a dot in the middle.. ::)..oh well..I just have to keep my eye on it and see how large will it grow..
I've grow my balcony ones from T&M seed and not from saved stock...??/

[Jeannine]

In a hanging basket they may not be the full size  especially if  planted two or three to a basket but as T&M say they need 1 to a 12 inch pot and in that they will grow to the correct size, they are not considered a mini plant. Personally I don't like them for hanging baskets I think they don't tumble enough. I would use Tumbler, Tumbling Tom , Whippersnaapper or the dehybridised version of Tumbler called Anmore Treasures .

XX Jeannine