We can not stress enough how people want to find the tiniest patch of ground to grow something in. It has also become very popular to grow entire gardens in raised beds AND pots! Not only can they control the type of soil, the quality, and the weather, but they can also extend the season by as much as 2-3 months. Listed here are some of the most exciting varieties…just for pots!

OF SPECIAL NOTE: There are many other “colorful” varieties offered in other sections, being of a Determinate form, that will perform just as well. If the variety lists as “rugose”, tight bushy tendency, it will probably do well in a container.

Will remain online for educational purposes. Operating on a “Hobby” basis.

Occasionally we may have “extra” seed. Pkts. marked below.  If no price marked…then it is “N/A”.

1. Andrina cherry – heirloom from Russia. A regular leafed, extremely dwarf variety, reaching only 6”, pumps out red fruits like it was huge! Plants produce fine tasting 1” fruits, very early. Mine performed extremely well in its container. Determinate 65 days
2. Bushy 18″ – ( aka #506 Bush) Bright red round med-large fruits on such a small plant of only 18″! Fruit is mild with a hint of sweetness and are blemish free. Plants display the “rugose” appearance…very strong, upright, able to support itself well. They are also drought tolerant and will yield well. Compact…perfect for pots. Determinate 62 days   
   
3. Chibikko – from Japan. A flattened 1” cherry that looks like tiny baby squash with small groves on top. Huge producer. Excellent in containers as it grows only 12” tall. Rare Determinate 60 days
4. Ditmarsher – Here is a variety that will form into a loose bush, where the stems point in all directions (sprawling….). The 1” oval fruits come all at once, are modestly juicy and their color is a light dusty pink. The overall height is about 12”. Semi-Determinate 55 days    Pkt…$3.00
5. Droplet – Fruits were vermilion red, shaped like small chubby pears with a tiny point on their ends. The production was amazing…there were more fruits hanging than I could see leaves and stems. Taste was great with few seeds. The plants were very compact…only 16″ ! Determinate 60 days
6. Dwarf Champion – a stakeless variety from the 1800’s. A compact plant of only 1-2 ft. Should be grown in larger (12”-16”) pots, as its production needs nutrition. Leaves are very rugose and plants display a very upright “stocky” habit. A heavy producer of fine red/rose global fruits with some green shoulders. The gently flattened fruits are about 2”-2 ½”, with green gel around the seeds and their taste is sweet, leaning more to acidic…giving them a refreshing tang. The first fruits are seedless. Determinate 45-70 days
7. Florida Basket – These low “creeping” plants, reach only 5”-6” in height, but spread from 10”-14” across. Perfect for hanging baskets, as the branches love to look over the pot’s edge! The red fruits are small (1-3oz) with modest flavor. Plants appear to be grey-leaf resistant. Determinate 65 days
8. Florida Petite – Back for 2025! Dwarfish plants reaching no more than 8” to 9” tall. Will grow in a pot that is only 6” (or even 4”) in diameter. Fruits are deep red, round, 1 ¼” with very pleasant flavor. Resistant to grey leaf spot. Determinate 45 days         Pkt…$3.00
9. Husky Red – A “tree type” tomato variety. It is one of the stockiest, toughest plants I’ve had the pleasure of growing. It does not slouch at its job, which I can see it takes very seriously. I have seen this one totally loaded, with 5-7oz red fruits, and not buckle an inch! This variety causes several branches to form, from the base, just like a small pine tree. Plants are dwarf <24”. Fruits are very round, tasty & vermilion red. It also matures early, at <60 days. A manufactured dwarf…..maybe it is worthy of saving seed from and seeing which way it reverts? Determinate 65 days   Pkt…$3.00
10. Micro Tom – Back for 2025! The World’s Smallest Tomato! (a midget!) Developed by Drs. J. M. Scott and B. K. Harbaugh at the University of Florida. Will grow to only 4” to 5” tall, bearing so much fruit that it hard to believe it without seeing for oneself! (see photo at Flickr) The gigantic (½”- ¾”) fruits are scarlet red, slightly oval with a pointy end. Their flavor is remarkable…..really tomatoey! The plants, because of their tight bushy rugose habit, need to have lots of air or will develop grey leaf spot, when conditions are moist. (mulch the soil surface, as a barrier…) A wonderful conversation piece for patios, window boxes and tiny raised garden beds. Too small for regular stops! Sets and forms fruit early, but takes awhile to ripen. Determinate 50-70 days       Pkt…$3.00
    
11. New Big Dwarf – a “Ponderosa” and “Dwarf Champion” cross! Was offered in the Isbell Seed Co. Catalog in 1914. A “rugose” leafed variety with stocky thick stems, offering up large, flavorful, deep pink (8 oz to 12 oz.) fruits. Extremely large fruits in proportion to such a small plant. Very compact plants, growing to <24″. Wonderful for medium-sized containers and small gardens where space is an issue. Determinate 60 days
12. Patio F. (M’s) – De-hybridized by moi! One of the most popular varieties for growing on patios, decks or in window boxes. The 24” plants are also great for small gardens with limited space. They will produce huge harvests of bright red globes (3-4oz) with good flavor. Believe it or not, this so-called improved version is later than the original “Patio” coming in @ 52 days! Determinate 70 days   
    
13. Patio King – Back for 2025! Sturdy and strong, self-supporting, rugose leafed plants offer bright juicy red globes for summer consumption. Growers are raving about its overall performance in containers across the NA continent! The plants will grow to only 1.5 ft high. And their 2 ½” fruits are some of the tastiest known. Determinate 70-90 days      Pkt…$3.00
    
14. Red Robin – one of the first small plants that I trialed in a pot and loved it! Dwarf variety of cherry tomatoes, great for hanging baskets, window sills or patio growing. Plants mature to 8” – 12”, bearing masses of 3/4″ red fruits with mild sweet flavor. Their skin is very tender and the fruits will taste great even when it is grown indoors (speaking from experience…) The healthy appearance of these plants make them great eye-appeal. Determinate 55 days       Pkt…$3.00
15. Stakeless Tomato – Mention of “stakeless” or “tree” tomatoes showed up in the late 1800’s in France & the US. This one was released in 1970, originally from (?) France. The very dense potato-leaves it produces, protects the red fruits from sun scald. Therefore they will perform great in hot summers, providing you keep them moist and happy! The fruits are red, crack-resistant, (2.5”) round/flattish and produced in such profusion, causing this “Stakeless” plant to almost topple! The plants reach 18” to 24”. Det. 70-80 days    Pkt…$3.00
    
16. Tiny Tim – originated @ the University of NH. Another true dwarf variety of 14”. Stems remain upright and stiff, never slouching. Fruits are large for the size of the plant….1”, red with old-fashioned flavor. The rugose-leaf, plants are highly productive, ideal for salads and just plain finger plucking goodness! Can be grown indoors in pots if one expects the weather to be nasty. Determinate 55-60 days
17. Totem – Here is a true “non-staking” variety, where others might fail….this one won’t! Plants are stout, compact (as fire plugs!…one grower said), reaching <10”. Foliage is dark green and quilted….very attractive. Fruits are bright red…almost 2” and produced with great abandonment! More fruit than foliage! Trialed several times and always impressed. Has no problem fighting for its own space in a pot full of aggressive plants. Det. 68 days        Pkt….$3.00
18. Tumbler Tom Red – this variety was bred to cascade over and down the sides of huge hanging baskets! And that they do, with great profusion, in clusters.tons of 1¼” fire-engine red fruits that are naturally sweet and tangy. To see a well-grown mature plant is to be bathed in magnificence! Plants start out looking like masses of tangled stems….but all the while remaining unusually compact. Perfect for that focal point in your yard or by your house. Determinate 50 days
19. Whippersnapper – an extra early loose-bush style small tomato variety that offers medium-sized deep pink elongated roma/cherry like fruits with dark pink flesh. The production was concentrated to push “all at once”. Mass producer with high yields for one so compact. I grow this one only in 10” pots. One per. Semi-Determinate 45 days      Pkt….$3.00
20. Zieglers Fleisch – Nancy Arrowsmith says, its name “Zieglers” translates to “Buckmakers” and “Fleisch” means “Meat”. From Austria! Found this one in a past garden grow-out, hiding between two 6 foot varieties. Attractive deep red, round, smooth, 10 oz slicers with excellent flavor, rating 8/10. Fruits keep well after picking. Plants are healthy & vigorous, yet staying small, <20 “. Production and size was outstanding for one so small. Ideal big tomato for containers. Trials have shown that if you gave this one more room, IT will show YOU what it can do! Considering the terrible year…production for this one was OUTSTANDING AND HEAVY! Did not produce its 1st ripe fruit UNTIL I hauled it indoors! (see photos) Ind. 70-80 days      Pkt…$3.00