'Maters for Containers
O.k. it is true that one can grow anything in a container...
But a few of the tomato varieties I offer are better suited by their determinate nature. Determinate means that they will grow to a certain (smaller plant) size and set a lot of fruit at one time, and yes they can flush again and again with proper care,
and more than a few prayers.
Below the list of varieties are a few special tips for trying potted tomatoes; Good Luck!
*** Minimum order is only 5 plants ***
all prices include s/h
New - DWARF Tomatoes
Compact sized plants, under five feet
most Indeterminate (they set fruit over a prolonged period)
This exciting new 'category' deserves it's own page
click above
We will not be shipping for 2018
'New' for 2017
'New' for 2017
Break of Day
Introduced in 1931, Compact / indet., regular leaf plants, somewhat droopy; 4-8 oz uniform red globes with very good acidic flavor and productivity.
Fruits are smooth, blemish-free and very juicy, with light-red interior in clusters of 4-6. Medium to high yield. Result of Marglobe x Marvana cross made in 1923. 60-70 days. From the awesome folfs at Victory Seeds.
Fruits are smooth, blemish-free and very juicy, with light-red interior in clusters of 4-6. Medium to high yield. Result of Marglobe x Marvana cross made in 1923. 60-70 days. From the awesome folfs at Victory Seeds.
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Komohana Grape - Very limited #
This oblong Thompson grape shaped tomato has its origins in Hawaii (by the name)???
It does well in the hot humid tropics, and it should do well in the south; reputed to be very productive. The determinate - small bush plant is said to get so loaded with fruit that it needs support. Fruits are small about ½ oz. 80-85 days.
It does well in the hot humid tropics, and it should do well in the south; reputed to be very productive. The determinate - small bush plant is said to get so loaded with fruit that it needs support. Fruits are small about ½ oz. 80-85 days.
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Lime Green Salad - back by customer demand!!!
Diminutive plants bloom with bouquet-type sprays followed by loads of small lime green tomatoes that ripen further to amber. 3 to 5 oz. fruit is chartreuse inside and full of juice and good, tangy flavor that is somewhat spicy. This is a wonderful variety for growing in containers since plants stay small yet provide a big harvest. If planting in the garden, put these in front as an attractive border. Very tasty and novel variety. Determinate. 58 days.
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Returning Favorites...
Cherry and small fruits:
'Angora' - Aka 'Velvet' Red - Cherry
Back again after a few years without - Too cool- Great for the Kid's Garden
This is a beautiful ornamental tomato is fuzzy like a peach, an interesting botanical oddity known at pubescence. Indeterminate, regular-leaf (well not too regular) plants with a fuzzy, blue-gray "fur" on the leaves. Plant yields an abundance of 1-inch, red, super-sweet cherry tomatoes that also have a slight silvery fuzz on them which causes the red to appear less than red. A spectacular novelty tomato. Rare tomato seeds. This is great selection for a patio garden.
This is a beautiful ornamental tomato is fuzzy like a peach, an interesting botanical oddity known at pubescence. Indeterminate, regular-leaf (well not too regular) plants with a fuzzy, blue-gray "fur" on the leaves. Plant yields an abundance of 1-inch, red, super-sweet cherry tomatoes that also have a slight silvery fuzz on them which causes the red to appear less than red. A spectacular novelty tomato. Rare tomato seeds. This is great selection for a patio garden.
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Brandysweet Plum
"Indeterminate, open-pollinated, compact, potato leaf, tomato variety that was an accidental cross between Brandywine and Sweet 100, yielding abundant crops of 2 oz., jade-pink, elongated cherry fruit with the rich, complex flavors of Brandywine combined with the pronounced sweetness of Sweet 100. I've been told that it is difficult for these cherry tomatoes to make it out of the garden and into the kitchen because of their superb taste. A great snackin' and salad tomato." from Tomatofest (c)
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Green Gage Yellow - LIMITED AVAILABILITY
One of our favorite cottage garden tomatoes. This Victorian classic was created in England in the 1870s and introduced into the US in 1876. The fruit is sweet just like a greengage plum and our careful selection is also the purest now available with pale yellow flesh and green seed mass. Exceptional flavor! Each fruit is roughly 1 ½ inches in diameter. Produces early, often 60 days after planting and will continue until frost. Ideal for small gardens; Easy to grow in tubs.from BC (c)
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Green Sausage
Sausage-shaped 4" fruits are defined by yellow stripes, revealing kiwi-like green flesh when sliced. Bushy plants produce 6 to 8 fruits per truss, and require only moderate staking for high yields. Very ornamental, but also flavorful enough to hold its own with the best of the paste tomatoes.
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Green Zebra - Semi- Det.
This is the most unusual variety you'll ever grow! Fully ripened fruits are bright green, with stripes of a still lighter green. Round, smallish, 2 to 4 oz. fruits have excellent, "real tomato" flavor. Plants are vigorous.
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Lava Flow - Limited run - just because some awesome things shouldn't be shared :)
Sold FAST in 2016 - Don't be left out in '17 !!!
WOW!!! best description I can give from my '15 trials -
"Seeds from Gary Cass on The Big Island of Hawaii. After growing this and tasting the fruit, we are excited to feature this new variety at TomatoFest. Named by Gary for the colors and striping that look like the lava that flows from Pu'u 'O 'o', the cinder/spatter cone in the eastern rift zone of the Kilauea volcano. Short indeterminate plants that produce 2", round, light orange tomatoes with subtle green and darker orange vertical striping. The inside flesh is a pastel blush of yellow and pink. The tomatoes are juicy and contain complex, intriguing, well-balanced, fruity flavors that invite you into your next bite with a smile on your face. This is a wonderful salad tomato or just for snacking."- & Pic from Tomatofest (C)
WOW!!! best description I can give from my '15 trials -
"Seeds from Gary Cass on The Big Island of Hawaii. After growing this and tasting the fruit, we are excited to feature this new variety at TomatoFest. Named by Gary for the colors and striping that look like the lava that flows from Pu'u 'O 'o', the cinder/spatter cone in the eastern rift zone of the Kilauea volcano. Short indeterminate plants that produce 2", round, light orange tomatoes with subtle green and darker orange vertical striping. The inside flesh is a pastel blush of yellow and pink. The tomatoes are juicy and contain complex, intriguing, well-balanced, fruity flavors that invite you into your next bite with a smile on your face. This is a wonderful salad tomato or just for snacking."- & Pic from Tomatofest (C)
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Minibel - see also 'Patio'
SOLD OUT in 2016 - 65 days. Determinate. Bite-sized fruits are sweet and flavorsome. Tiny ornamental plants reach only to about a foot in height and require no support. Covered in tasty little tomatoes. Excellent choice for containers, pots or hanging baskets; pretty enough for the patio or deck. So cute!
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Patio - DWARF - New for 2016 - see also 'Minibel'
This dwarf variety is one of America's most popular varieties ever for growing on patios, decks, courtyards, or wherever garden space is limited. Plants have attractive, deep green foliage and only become about 2 ft. tall, but produce large harvests of bright red, 3 to 4 oz. flavorful tomatoes. Outstanding for growing in containers -- one that measures at least 12 inches wide works best. Determinate. 70 days. Text from TGS (c)
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Principie Borgese -
Italian variety whose plum-shaped fruits are unusually meaty, with a very little juice and few seeds. A favorite for drying. Small, very prolific plants bear yield after yield.
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Rio Grande - back again from 2016!!!
"Det. plants. Regular leaf. Small to medium sized blemish-free red plums with very good flavor. Fruits keep on the counter for quite a long time. Great canner. Very productive." from Tatiana's
I have offered these before, and am glad to bring them back this year - great for pasting, canning and all around munching!
I have offered these before, and am glad to bring them back this year - great for pasting, canning and all around munching!
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Sweet Orange Roma - Compact
From Tomatofest (c). 75 days. When I had the opportunity to attend the event many years ago this was THE variety that stole the show for me. An prolific producer of large, 1 1/2 x 3-inch, very pretty orange, meaty and great tasting Roma tomatoes. Late producing variety even as weather gets cool.
Smallish plants with the classic thin, wispy foliage of most paste types.
Smallish plants with the classic thin, wispy foliage of most paste types.
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Larger Fruit 6oz. +
Celebrity Hy. - Semi-Deter.
From TGS; 70 days. 1984 ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS WINNER and a Texas favorite ever sense. Absolutely incredible set of exceptionally flavorful, firm 8 to 12 oz. fruit on strong vines with good cover and outstanding disease resistance. Large clusters of consistently large, beautiful tomatoes.
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San Marzano Paste -
A little later than Roma, with superb flavor in slightly rectangular-shaped fruits, 3-1/2" x 1-1/2", that are bright red and hang in large clusters. Holds well on the vine and in storage. Extra-high solid content is perfect for canning.
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Tips for Growing Tomatoes in Containers
- Use a LARGE pot, think ‘Whiskey Barrel’ ; Bigger pots can hold two plants. A five gallon bucket may work for true miniature types, but if you miss two days of watering, they’re dead.
- Don’t be cheap with your potting soil. As important as the size of the pot, soil quality will ultimately be the key to your success. Consult your local nursery- ask for 'THE BEST' potting soil they recommend ; do not put ‘Topsoil’ into a container, it will turn in to a brick.
- Consider adding extra earthworm castings, good potting soils will have compost and should have rock powders already added. Go to the ‘Tips’ page
- Situate your pot where it will receive at least 8 hours of sunlight. No sun, no fruit!
- Pots get hot, when they get to hot it can kill the roots on that side of the pot. When it gets hotter this spring try this; On the southwest side of your pot –where the sun is the hottest- put something to cast shade on the pot itself; maybe a smaller pot with peppers, herbs, or purslane? Setting one pot inside of another also works very well.
- Set your transplants deeper into the potting soil, as you would in a garden.
- Choose your support; Tomatoes are vines – Ind. Varieties will need at least 6’ of support such as bamboo poles formed into a tepee shape. Determinate varieties, although much shorter will benefit from support as well as the weight of the fruits increase, least to keep from being blown over on windy days. Even the "dwarf" varieties will become top-heavy with fruits and will need support.
Best of the best: Texas Tomato Cages
- Water daily at first to establish them, thereafter only as needed. Most folks over water plants in the ground; the rule is you can’t put too much water on a plant, but you can water too often. In containers most folks won't use enough water, when they water. Face it, a watering can isn't enough for a whiskey barrel sized pot with a 6' tall, bushy 'mater... Give enough water, slowly, until it comes out the bottom of the pot, then do it again. To check if water is needed, stick your finger in the soil, when it is dry two inches deep you may water. This will become a daily chore as your plants grow and temperatures rise!
Consult my "How do I water?" page
- Mulch your plants. Mulch is insulation for your soil, reducing evaporation. You don’t need much, a two inch layer is very helpful with reducing lack-of-water stress.
- FEED YOUR PLANTS. This is the one step where most well-meaning folks fail. Plants in pots can’t hunt for their food like those in the ground can. YOU must bring the cheeseburger to the plant!!! Please choose a natural fertilizer; there are several good brands on the market available from your local nursery – Home depot and Lowe’s are not nurseries – Dry, or granular types are usually applied monthly while the liquid types will need to be used more frequently. If using a liquid based plant food please remember that this doesn’t substitute for water. NEVER feed a dry plant; apply water if necessary, wait at least an hour or two if not a day and then feed.
- Support your plants as they grow by lightly tying them to their support structures using a stretchable material; consult your nursery professional for what they recommend.
- Tomatoes, like peppers are wind pollinated; they do not rely on bees or other insects. Once flowers start to appear, lightly shaking your plants every morning to ‘wake them up’ will usually do the trick.
- Pick your fruit as they ripen. Fruits left on for too long will slow future production. If your plants produce too much, most of your neighbors would be happy to accept your excess fortune.
