11 Dwarf Tomato Varieties You Can Grow Anywhere
Tomatoes embody the signature flavor of summer and are versatile in the kitchen. With dwarf varieties, they’re versatile in the edible landscape, too. From hanging baskets and pots to raised beds and small spaces, compact selections are a fit. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe outlines top-performing dwarf tomatoes to tuck in anywhere without compromising yield or flavor.
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There are several advantages to incorporating dwarf tomato varieties into our edible landscapes this season. They fit a variety of garden scales, from a single container to a small raised bed or in-ground planting area. They won’t sprawl, ramble, or become leggy. Compact varieties can also produce earlier than full-sized specimens, bred to bear in profusion and often with good disease resistance.
Whether you choose a classic slicer, a tasty roma, or cherry tomatoes to gather by the handful, there’s a dwarf tomato variety ready to grow in a sunny spot, however small or large it may be. On the road for the summer in the camper? No problem – these compact growers are even portable.
Choosing the Right Vines
Depending on the space available, it helps to know if a tomato is determinate or indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes grow well in small spaces and containers. They have a set growth rate and bear fruit in a single flush. The bounty is ready to harvest all at once (or nearly so).
Indeterminate types continue to grow and produce all season long. These suit a variety of spaces, too, but usually benefit from staking, caging, or trellising. Depending on the variety, they can sprawl and eat up growing space. For our purposes, determinate types are most often the dwarf tomato varieties that grow anywhere.
‘Glacier’
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common name ‘Glacier’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Glacier’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 30” |
‘Glacier’ is an early-bearing dwarf tomato variety with one of the sweetest flavors among the early group. Its two-inch, bright golden-red fruits emerge extra early and recur throughout the season. ‘Glacier’ is a Swedish variety that withstands cool spring temperatures better than other selections.
‘Glacier’ is a semi-indeterminate type, so it yields an initial crop with successional fruits through late in the season. Vines are two to three feet long, and they benefit from support to grow upright, but need little additional maintenance.
Sow ‘Glacier’ after the final frost and as soil temperatures warm, though the chill-tolerant selection may withstand a light frost. About eight weeks after transplanting, they’ll set fruit quickly.
‘Patio Choice Yellow’
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common name ‘Patio Choice Yellow’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Patio Choice Yellow’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 15-18” |
‘Patio Choice Yellow’ is a top dwarf tomato variety for its ability to fill a pot or small space with loads of bright yellow globes. The ‘Patio’ series has compact branches with bountiful cherry tomatoes that measure one and a half inches – perfectly poppable right off the stem.
‘Patio Choice Yellow’ is an All-America Selections award winner for its productive yields, compact habit, and easy care. It’s also disease-resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and wilt.
The determinate variety bears 100 small tomatoes over the same harvest time. Enjoy them fresh, in canning, and in sauces.
‘Beefy Purple’
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common name ‘Beefy Purple’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Beefy Purple’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 3’ |
‘Beefy Purple’ yields hefty fruits on determinate, compact forms for versatile siting. The ornamental fruits are dusky mahogany with green stripes and purple interiors. Their rich, sweet, smoky flavor has a balanced acidity, making them as tasty as they are showy.
The firm, meaty fruits reach 12 to 14 ounces and have a good shelf life. ‘Beefy Purple’ matures in 75 days. Wait until soil and air temperatures warm before transplanting, or direct sow the seeds after the final frost and as soils warm above 60°F (16°C).
‘Supremo’
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common name ‘Supremo’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Supremo’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 36” |
‘Supremo’ is a bush hybrid with extra-large romas that reach over three inches long and two inches wide. The early producers are ideal for enjoying fresh, in sauces, and in canning recipes. Thick walls make for a long-lasting shelf life.
‘Supremo’ is a determinate and reliable producer with uniform fruits. It has high disease resistance and heat tolerance, setting fruit well in hot temperatures.
With a spread of 18 inches, the dwarf but productive plants are ideal for growing in small spaces across summer climates. The romas develop and ripen at the same time; stagger the planting times of individual plants to extend the harvest period.
‘Cream Sausage’
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common name ‘Cream Sausage’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cream Sausage’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 3’ |
‘Cream Sausage’ mixes up the color complement in the edible landscape and on the plate. The pale yellow tomatoes are delightful fresh off the vine, in colorful salsas, and simmered in sauces and pastes. They mature at three inches long, when the little ivory yellow “sausages” are meaty and balanced with a smooth, rich flavor.
‘Cream Sausage’ is a high-yielding dwarf tomato variety with compact vines and small, plum-sized fruits that ripen over a two-week period. The determinate bush variety doesn’t need staking or caging.
‘Better Bush’
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common name ‘Better Bush’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Better Bush’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 4’ |
‘Better Bush’ improved hybrid is a classic slicing tomato on a shorter, sturdier form with robust fruiting. ‘Better Bush’ is indeterminate, but vines reach only four feet tall with short nodes for dense yields. Their bushy habit makes them a fit as a semi-dwarf selection. While stems are strong and upright, they benefit from staking or caging.
‘Better Bush’ offers rich, red, round, and juicy slicers. The medium-sized fruits reach four inches across and weigh five to six ounces. Vines show good disease resistance, and the heavy foliage protects fruits from sunburn.
‘Tiny Tim’
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common name ‘Tiny Tim’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Tiny Tim’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 10-24” |
‘Tiny Tim’ is a mighty producer of small fruits. Its petite stature brings half-inch red, round globes. The 1945 heirloom is out of New Hampshire’s Agricultural Experiment Station and remains a favorite for its form and flavor.
The ultra-compact habit of ‘Tiny Tim’ suits mixed plantings or tucking it in as a single specimen. ‘Tiny Tim’ is an early producer, maturing about a week or two earlier than most tomato varieties.
‘Red Pride’
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common name ‘Red Pride’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Red Pride’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 3’ |
‘Red Pride’ hybrid bush is a vigorous, dwarf slicing tomato variety. The tidy growers produce 10-ounce, vibrant red fruits.
‘Red Pride’ produces reliably with good garden performance. It boasts excellent disease resistance to wilts, stem canker, and leaf spot. Sturdy, determinate vines yield fruits late in the season (78 days after sowing). If you’ve got the room, pair these slightly later and larger fruits with earlier harvests of romas and cherries.
‘Red Pride’ produces across summer climates, from Canada and New England to Texas. The three-inch tomatoes on bushy forms make growing slicing tomatoes in small spaces accessible.
‘Mountain Merit’
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common name ‘Mountain Merit’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Mountain Merit’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 30-36” |
‘Mountain Merit’ is an All-America Selections award winner for its qualities as an all-around favorite and superior selection for slicing and fresh eating. Firm with excellent flavor, the bright red rounds weigh 8 to 10 ounces.
‘Mountain Merit’ has a four to five-week harvest period. With a compact, well-branched foundation, the versatile vines fit a variety of scales. A significant advantage is good resistance to common tomato diseases, including wilts and viruses.
‘Cherry Falls’
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common name ‘Cherry Falls’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cherry Falls’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 18” |
‘Cherry Falls’ is the ultimate high-yielder in a compact form. The dwarf tomato variety cascades over hanging baskets, planter boxes, and pots with clusters of bright red cherries on vines with short stems. The abundant one-inch globes emerge early in the season.
‘Cherry Falls’ is small but vigorous. Its size makes it ideal for growing in containers and small spaces where stems drape without staking or additional support.
The prolific dwarf is also heat-tolerant and easy to grow. The petite rounds have a zesty, tangy flavor with a touch of sweetness.
‘Fantastico’
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common name ‘Fantastico’ |
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Fantastico’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 12-24” |
‘Fantastico’ is an All-America Selections award winner for its prolific one-ounce grapes from vigorous, determinate, bushy plants. ‘Fantastico’ keeps a low profile while producing heavy yields of sweetly flavored tomatoes in long clusters.
Each plant produces up to twelve pounds of tomatoes in a single season. The small fruits resist cracking, and the variety is blight-resistant.
‘Fantastico’ matures early in the season. Even though it’s determinate, it does best with caged support to hold the hefty load.
