Suggest det/dwarf cherry toms for preschool garden?

emcd124 · March 6, 2013

i'm looking into determinate or dwarf cherry tomatoes for my son's preschool garden project. They are hoping for veggies that are bite sized (to encourage the kids to pick and eat) but these preschoolers wont be able to reach an 8 foot tall plant to harvest.

I saw a link to det varieties in Tatianas tomatobase, but unfortunately I've never heard of any of them, either personally or in my reading online. I also have no idea which will be easy to acquire and grow (these are kids doing most of the gardening) and which will be prima donnas in the garden.

Can some of you more experienced growers recommend a few varieties that will be worth trying as well as possible sources for seed? I (and about 30 preschoolers) will be in your debt!

Cole_Robbie · March 6, 2013

Terrenzo gets my vote. It's easy to grow, yields well, and produces large red cherry tomatoes that are very sweet. The high brix is a real crowd-pleaser. Kids love sugar

Father'sDaughter · March 6, 2013

I can recommend Yaponskiy Karlik. It did quite well in my garden and will be back this year. Yield was pretty high, the tomatoes were a larger than cherry size, but not by much, and the plants only got about two to three feet tall. The only thing is, it's not what I would call a sweet tomato as it did have a little bite to it, so I don't know if it would have as much appeal to pre-schoolers as a sweeter variety. I grew some of the other dwarfs on the list, but Yaponskiy Karlik out produced them all.

Doug9345 · March 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by emcd124

i'm looking into determinate or dwarf cherry tomatoes for my son's preschool garden project. They are hoping for veggies that are bite sized (to encourage the kids to pick and eat) but these preschoolers wont be able to reach an 8 foot tall plant to harvest.

The only reason a tomato gets 8' tall is because we stake it 8' tall. I'd pick a nice indeterminate and run it horizontally about 2 foot off the ground for preschoolers. My vote for red would be Riesentraube, lots of little tomatoes or Red Currant if you did go that direction.

Quote:

I saw a link to det varieties in Tatianas tomatobase, but unfortunately I've never heard of any of them, either personally or in my reading online. I also have no idea which will be easy to acquire and grow (these are kids doing most of the gardening) and which will be prima donnas in the garden.

Can some of you more experienced growers recommend a few varieties that will be worth trying as well as possible sources for seed? I (and about 30 preschoolers) will be in your debt!

Go to the main index http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...o_Variety_List there and you can find more information about each variety. Any in that list that have origins as USA, Australia aare from the dwarf project and you can find all kinds of info in the forum for the project. There is a list of the dwarfs alphabetically.

Deborah · March 6, 2013

Doug, that's a great idea ! Currants would be too small to choke on too, wouldn't they? I'd worry about a cherry tomato slipping right down.

Boutique Tomatoes · March 6, 2013

Fred Hemple's Blush and Maglia Rosa are very compact plants with a sweet taste and a lot of eye appeal.

kilroyscarnival · March 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug9345

The only reason a tomato gets 8' tall is because we stake it 8' tall. I'd pick a nice indeterminate and run it horizontally about 2 foot off the ground for preschoolers. My vote for red would be Riesentraube, lots of little tomatoes or Red Currant if you did go that direction.
.

What's the best way to trellis it horizontally 2 feet off the ground? Just curious. I'm finding some of my plants are getting too tall for me to cover them, though hopefully it is our last frost danger.

I am enjoying the Red Currant. Maybe some red, some white? And there is I believe a yellow variety. As to whether they are a choking hazard, I wouldn't think so but I am not well-versed on kiddie windpipes. They would be squishy-soft though so shouldn't obstruct like something hard. I don't know, are grapes dangerous for kids to eat?

Deborah · March 6, 2013

Remember the game of jacks? A ball or round fruit like that scares me to death. Grapes too. Not trying to hijack a thread, just worried about wee ones and food size. I'm a caregiver and even for seniors I cut grapes in half and serve sliced tomatoes.

Doug9345 · March 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilroyscarnival

What's the best way to trellis it horizontally 2 feet off the ground? Just curious. I'm finding some of my plants are getting too tall for me to cover them, though hopefully it is our last frost danger.

I am enjoying the Red Currant. Maybe some red, some white? And there is I believe a yellow variety. As to whether they are a choking hazard, I wouldn't think so but I am not well-versed on kiddie windpipes. They would be squishy-soft though so shouldn't obstruct like something hard. I don't know, are grapes dangerous for kids to eat?

I'm picturing two upright stakes a little over two foot high with a horizontal pole fastened across them.

For the preschool set what about a tomato tunnel to play in. Put two of the above described next to each other, put some cross piece between the two and let the tomatoes cover it. Voila you have a tunnel for the youngsters to crawl through. If one of them gets into trouble and need to be extracted an adult can just reach through the plants and get ahold of the child and the children learn that gardening and play go together.

akgardengirl · March 6, 2013

My 5 yo grandson liked the 100's & 1000's. Just his size of plant too, short and bushy, and it sat in a 3 gallon pot on a chair. It has tons of blossoms on it and will do much better in your climate. It did well enough up here.
Sue

Sun City Linda · March 7, 2013

I have never grown Red Robin but it is supposed to be quite short, maybe 12 inces and have pretty sweet, large size cherries.

Stvrob · March 7, 2013

when my kids were little they would graze all afternoon in the garden eating supersweet 100.

KarenO · March 7, 2013

love the idea of the horizontal training! Also, For straight up mild tasting kid appeal red and yellow pears get the most kid votes from my garden. they seem to love the shape. if you want small dwarf plants, good old fashioned tiny tim is very early and such a cute and sturdy little plant. seed is easy to obtain commercially/cheaply as well.

habitat_gardener · March 7, 2013

If you can get materials donated, I like the idea of tunnels, or a lean-to if it's near a fence or wall. Low arches made out of wire with 6-inch openings would be good, as long as no wire ends are sticking out. I'd plant along one edge of the tunnel and tie branches to the wire as the plant grew.

Or if you use 2-foot-high sticks, you can cover the ends with tennis balls so they don't poke anyone, or else make the vertical stakes taller than any of the kids. If there's an existing fence or trellis you can use, even easier -- you can turn a vertical trellis so it's horizontal, and tie the branches to the horizontals.

Different colors and shapes would be fun. I bet you could get a bunch of varieties to try if you posted in the Wanted forum. (How much space do you have?)

Some smaller plants I've grown include Remy Rouge and Pink Tumbler.

Fusion_power · March 7, 2013

Of the varieties suggested above, Riesentraube is one of the best flavored tomatoes that also is a very compact plant.

Blush would be a good choice for slightly larger and sweeter fruit, but it the plants are larger.

Dr. Carolyn Pink is a nice size pink cherry with good flavor but it is an indeterminate.

I would also suggest Sakura Honey if you are willing to grow a hybrid.

DarJones

March 6, 2013	#1
emcd124 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 104	Suggest det/dwarf cherry toms for preschool garden? i'm looking into determinate or dwarf cherry tomatoes for my son's preschool garden project. They are hoping for veggies that are bite sized (to encourage the kids to pick and eat) but these preschoolers wont be able to reach an 8 foot tall plant to harvest. I saw a link to det varieties in Tatianas tomatobase, but unfortunately I've never heard of any of them, either personally or in my reading online. I also have no idea which will be easy to acquire and grow (these are kids doing most of the gardening) and which will be prima donnas in the garden. Can some of you more experienced growers recommend a few varieties that will be worth trying as well as possible sources for seed? I (and about 30 preschoolers) will be in your debt!

March 6, 2013	#10
akgardengirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anchorage, AK zone 3/4 Posts: 1,410	My 5 yo grandson liked the 100's & 1000's. Just his size of plant too, short and bushy, and it sat in a 3 gallon pot on a chair. It has tons of blossoms on it and will do much better in your climate. It did well enough up here. Sue Last edited by akgardengirl; March 6, 2013 at 11:19 PM.

March 6, 2013	#2
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Terrenzo gets my vote. It's easy to grow, yields well, and produces large red cherry tomatoes that are very sweet. The high brix is a real crowd-pleaser. Kids love sugar

March 6, 2013	#3
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I can recommend Yaponskiy Karlik. It did quite well in my garden and will be back this year. Yield was pretty high, the tomatoes were a larger than cherry size, but not by much, and the plants only got about two to three feet tall. The only thing is, it's not what I would call a sweet tomato as it did have a little bite to it, so I don't know if it would have as much appeal to pre-schoolers as a sweeter variety. I grew some of the other dwarfs on the list, but Yaponskiy Karlik out produced them all.

March 6, 2013	#5
Deborah Riding The Crazy Train Again Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, California Posts: 2,562	Doug, that's a great idea ! Currants would be too small to choke on too, wouldn't they? I'd worry about a cherry tomato slipping right down.

March 6, 2013	#6
Boutique Tomatoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Northeast Wisconsin, Zone 5a Posts: 1,109	Fred Hemple's Blush and Maglia Rosa are very compact plants with a sweet taste and a lot of eye appeal.

March 7, 2013	#11
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	I have never grown Red Robin but it is supposed to be quite short, maybe 12 inces and have pretty sweet, large size cherries.

March 7, 2013	#12
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	when my kids were little they would graze all afternoon in the garden eating supersweet 100.

March 7, 2013	#13
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	love the idea of the horizontal training! Also, For straight up mild tasting kid appeal red and yellow pears get the most kid votes from my garden. they seem to love the shape. if you want small dwarf plants, good old fashioned tiny tim is very early and such a cute and sturdy little plant. seed is easy to obtain commercially/cheaply as well.

March 7, 2013	#14
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	If you can get materials donated, I like the idea of tunnels, or a lean-to if it's near a fence or wall. Low arches made out of wire with 6-inch openings would be good, as long as no wire ends are sticking out. I'd plant along one edge of the tunnel and tie branches to the wire as the plant grew. Or if you use 2-foot-high sticks, you can cover the ends with tennis balls so they don't poke anyone, or else make the vertical stakes taller than any of the kids. If there's an existing fence or trellis you can use, even easier -- you can turn a vertical trellis so it's horizontal, and tie the branches to the horizontals. Different colors and shapes would be fun. I bet you could get a bunch of varieties to try if you posted in the Wanted forum. (How much space do you have?) Some smaller plants I've grown include Remy Rouge and Pink Tumbler.

March 7, 2013	#15
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Of the varieties suggested above, Riesentraube is one of the best flavored tomatoes that also is a very compact plant. Blush would be a good choice for slightly larger and sweeter fruit, but it the plants are larger. Dr. Carolyn Pink is a nice size pink cherry with good flavor but it is an indeterminate. I would also suggest Sakura Honey if you are willing to grow a hybrid. DarJones