The appeal of Dwarfs

[oakley]

These would do so well in NYC and not any green markets i pass are offering them. A million sunny balconies.

[tash11]

I like the dwarfs for pots. I think they are also very attractive plants that are easily staked or if put into a regular cage they don't outgrow it (or are less likely to). For the most part they are healthy for me, adn they are small and attractive enough that I can recommend them to my friends who live in HOAs.

I grew Uluru Ochre these year and got some beautiful, large fruits. I gave a friend a Sophie's Choice that she kept in a small pot on her deck (she rents and can't plant anything in the ground even though she has a decent yard). She like Sophie's Choice but said the skin was too thick, her pot was also a bit too small to keep evenly watered, I am planning on giving her a larger self watering pot next year with another dwarf slicer.

The pic Cole_Robbie linked looked just like the inside of my Uluru Ochre. The first one I cut open only had about 40 seeds. I got comments on the size of the fruit growing in my front garden too.

[Ed of Somis]

I have grown about 6 or 7 different dwarf varieties. I like them. The size is much more manageable in a container. Still, they reached around 3-4 feet tall. New Big Dwarf is my favorite for productivity and taste. Tasmanian Chocolate is good too.

[Father'sDaughter]

I have yet to grow any dwarfs from released Dwarf Project seeds, but have been growing them as a project volunteer for a few years now.

I have tried a few in three gallon grow bags which resulted in a smaller plant with fewer and smaller fruit. Typically I go with five gallons and they do very well in terms of fruit production and size for something grown in a container.

For the first time this year I grew a few developing Dwarf varieties in the ground. The plants weren't any taller than those in grow bags and production was a little better.

While needing less space is one huge advantage, as others have pointed out the other is the tiny amount of containment and pruning they need.

My opinion is that if you're short on real estate or don't have the ability or the time for pruning and staking, then dwarfs are most definitely a worthwhile option.

[Gerardo]

Dwarfs are great, although they can be hit or miss. I'm slowly going through them. Ones that stood out for me are: Rosella P, Tasm Choc, Pit Viper, Shamrock, D Wild F, Fred's Tie Dye.

There's been more than one occasion where dwarfs go Uluru on me, that is to say they appear healthy w copious blooms and produce 1, maybe 2 fruits, and in some cases none. All the while a regular indeterminate residing next to them is loaded with fruit.

[schill93]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

Dwarfs are great, although they can be hit or miss. I'm slowly going through them. Ones that stood out for me are: Rosella P, Tasm Choc, Pit Viper, Shamrock, D Wild F, Fred's Tie Dye.

There's been more than occasion where dwarfs go Uluru on me, that is to say they appear healthy w copious blooms and produce 1, maybe 2 fruits, and in some cases none. All the while a regular indeterminate residing next to them is loaded with fruit.

I hope that's not typical. Is your weather any hotter than San Diego weather where you are?

[dmforcier]

go Uluru on me

AND a euphemism is borne. I may register a ©.







Or does TVille™ own all our base?

[franknmiss]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

AND a euphemism is borne. I may register a ©.







Or does TVille™ own all our base?

That's Funny!
My experience is - The dwarfs tease you - you think you've got something - then BAM!
They drop you - Ya got nothing.
Three years trying to grow them... and kchd lives nearby - I think she is giving me a complex...
Ok - There is always next year..

[dmforcier]

Hey, is that another euphemism?

[Gardeneer]

"Dwarf" has a misleading connotation me thinks; most of them are are not really dwarf and they have indet growth habit. Some grow over 6 ft tall and very bushy.
In terms of production, they were not very productive in my garden. The best one gave me less than 8 tomatoes of about 6 oz in size. I would rather grow a compact determinate. But I have one favorite : DWARF PURPLE HEAT. I like it for its color and flavor.

[Shrinkrap]

Almost all my dwarfs where 6+feet in containers. When I pulled them down last week, there were medium sized tomatoes left on top of my awning, where the vines had grown through.

The exceptions where Purple Heart and New Big Dwarf.

[salix]

Must be the latitude! I have grown many (most) of the dwarf project releases, most of them in-ground, some in 10 gallon pots. I have found them on the whole to be productive - 20 or 30 fruits per plant in a short season. They are just SO CUTE, and some of them are verrrry tasty indeed.

[Gerardo]

It's a matter of finding the right ones for your conditions. Some produce really well.

Weather is the same on either side of the border.

[Labradors2]

My row of dwarfs didn't do so well this year - or maybe it was that they were late to fruit and that the regular indeterminates outshone them. Last year, they were great, grown under the same conditions. Two rows of indy's were grown under black plastic, but the row of dwarfs was grown under a thick mulch of pond weed. All received the same amount of water, but we had drought conditions and lots of drying wind. Consequently, the dwarfs weren't as tall as they were last year.

I grew Rosella Purple (I know she can do better than she did), Sean's Yellow and Summersweet Gold from the Dwarf Project and Coastal Pride Orange. RP tasted the best, but fruit were small and stingy this year. SSG tasted marginally better than SYD and CPO tasted good for an orange.

Guess I'll have to get some more black plastic for next year......

Linda

[AlittleSalt]

I guess I just don't get it about dwarf tomato plants. If it grows 6 feet tall - how can it be a dwarf? I stand 6'-1" and nobody has ever called me a dwarf.

But in all seriousness, I can see a market for tomato plants that don't grow large in size. Personally, I have grown Pinky Blast and Punta Banda. Pinky Blast grew to 18"-2' tall and wide and produced a lot of cherry tomatoes. They produce tomatoes on the upper parts of the plants. It was fun growing them. You could plant a lot of them in a small area - or in pots.

Punta Banda grew near 30" tall and produced a lot of cherry tomatoes that could easily be used as a paste tomato. I liked the taste better than Pinky Blast.