Ideas for a variety to grow in a 5 gallon pot

[Labradors2]

I want to grow a large-ish tomato in a 5 gallon pot this winter. It will be taken outside on sunny days, which is why I can't use a bigger (heavier) container! In the past I've grown an Early Girl (with moderate success), Stupice and Black Krim (which were hardly worth the effort, but mainly because I used the wrong soil).

I will also grow some Red Robins in 10" containers on the window sills.

All suggestions welcome.

Linda

[Lee]

Hard to beat Summertime Gold for this application.
Search the dwarf project forum for details.

Lee

[Alfredo]

Hello Linda,

The Heirloom New Big Dwarf can sometimes grow up to 1 lb, another good variety is Dwarf Rosella Purple from the Dwarf Tomato Project. Then there is the Moreton F1 Hybrid(very productive, available from Harris Seeds or Rutgers University).

I'm thinking about growing some really small fruited tomatoes on the windowsill over winter too just to see what I can get to grow.

~Alfredo

[Cheryl2017]

Curious if anyone has had any success overwintering a tomato plant in a huge pot. Do tomato plants do okay in the house once they are over 4 or 5 feet

[COMPOSTER]

Gotta second the Rosella purple. The dwarf plants are just ideal for containers and the Rosella Purple is very productive for me.

Glenn

[ArthurDent004]

I grew a Sophie's Choice earlier in the year and I'm growing a Early Wonder right now. I hope to grow a Silvery Fir Tree when the Early Wonder is done.

I went overboard and also bought the following seeds. Everything I'm growing is supposed to be determinants anywhere from one foot to three feet tall and with a spread of nine to 36 inches

Beaverlodge Slicer
Black Sea Man
Burbank Slicing
Tiny Tim
Manitoba
Bush Early Girl Hybrid
Patio Princess Hybrid
Tumbler Hybrid
BushSteak Hybrid
Bush Big Boy
Sweetheart Of The Patio
Health Kick Hybrid

[WVTomatoMan]

Rosella Purple
Perth Pride
(perhaps some other varieties from the dwarf project?)

Randy

[Labradors2]

Wow! Three votes for Rosella Purple. I'm going to try that one for sure! Thanks!


Arthur, Thanks for the list. I grew Silvery Fir Tree one year and thought it was a real splitter. Ditto Tiny Tim, but then I don't like tomatoes with a lot of acid taste.

Linda

[tlintx]

Now I'm even sadder -- both of my Rosella Purple seedlings were eaten by caterpillars. I better see some gorgeous butterflies soon.

I'm trying Roza Vetrov right now and New Big Dwarf - both have very nice reviews on the Tomatobase. If you want an alternative to Red Robin, Minibel and Mohamed are both micros. Minibel is a lovely little plant, will tell you how the fruit tastes in a couple of months!

As far as weight goes, have you looked at the various high perlite mixes? I made up some of Tapla's mix (from gardenweb) one year when the stars aligned properly and I could find all the ingredients, and even big 20 gallon pots were ridiculously light. I'm using a variation on the Cornell peat-lite now, and it's a little heavier, especially when wet, but still not what I'd call heavy.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by tlintx

Now I'm even sadder -- both of my Rosella Purple seedlings were eaten by caterpillars. I better see some gorgeous butterflies soon.

I'm trying Roza Vetrov right now and New Big Dwarf - both have very nice reviews on the Tomatobase. If you want an alternative to Red Robin, Minibel and Mohamed are both micros. Minibel is a lovely little plant, will tell you how the fruit tastes in a couple of months!

As far as weight goes, have you looked at the various high perlite mixes? I made up some of Tapla's mix (from gardenweb) one year when the stars aligned properly and I could find all the ingredients, and even big 20 gallon pots were ridiculously light. I'm using a variation on the Cornell peat-lite now, and it's a little heavier, especially when wet, but still not what I'd call heavy.

Love the heirloom New Big Dwarf tomatoes...this is my 2nd time/season growing them. They can get pretty big for a dwarf tomato too, so far the biggest I've harvested this year have been 10 oz. I'm hoping to get a couple at 1lb though before the season is over.

~Alfredo

[akgardengirl]

I grow most all my tomatoes in 5 gallon pots. We have a pretty short growing season so it works for me. I put the dwarves in 3 gallons.
Sue B.

[Tania]

I'd vote for New Big Dwarf, Sophie's Choise, Yukon Quest, and Sleeping Lady.

However, if I were to grow tomatoes over winter, I'd choose smaller fruited varieties. Some of them are fabulously tasting, and give better yields in lower light conditions. Examples are Demidov, Nikola, Iditarod Red, Mano, Taimyr.

[Labradors2]

Originally Posted by tlintx

Now I'm even sadder -- both of my Rosella Purple seedlings were eaten by caterpillars. I better see some gorgeous butterflies soon.

I'm trying Roza Vetrov right now and New Big Dwarf - both have very nice reviews on the Tomatobase. If you want an alternative to Red Robin, Minibel and Mohamed are both micros. Minibel is a lovely little plant, will tell you how the fruit tastes in a couple of months!

As far as weight goes, have you looked at the various high perlite mixes? I made up some of Tapla's mix (from gardenweb) one year when the stars aligned properly and I could find all the ingredients, and even big 20 gallon pots were ridiculously light. I'm using a variation on the Cornell peat-lite now, and it's a little heavier, especially when wet, but still not what I'd call heavy.

Oh dear! You will have to go out at night with a flashlight to see those lovely MOTHS who's lavae ate your Rosella Purples - sigh!

Thanks for the recommendation of Minibel and Mohammed. I do hope you will report back and let us know how they taste. I didn't know that Red Robin was OP until it was too late to save seed, so I will have to buy something for my 10" containers this fall.

Too funny about the stars aligning for you to find your soil ingredients. I'll be lucky to find some Miracle Grow Potting Soil from the big box store near where I live in the winter!!! One year I drove to a place in the boonies that sells special gardening soil (but probably not for containers) and my plants did really badly. The following year I bought "organic Miracle Grow" in a bag that was so enormous that it wasn't until I had filled all my containers that I was able to turn it over and read the instructions on the back which said "Not for Containers!" Thinking that it must be because it contained manure, and maybe the smell was overwhelming. I was wrong, and my tomatoes did badly again.

Linda

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by Tania

I'd vote for New Big Dwarf, Sophie's Choise, Yukon Quest, and Sleeping Lady.

However, if I were to grow tomatoes over winter, I'd choose smaller fruited varieties. Some of them are fabulously tasting, and give better yields in lower light conditions. Examples are Demidov, Nikola, Iditarod Red, Mano, Taimyr.

Thanks for those reccomendations for the smaller fruited varieties. Sophie's Choice is indeed another good heirloom determinate to grow in a container.
~Alfredo

[tlintx]

Ugh, we have a moth down here called a death's head or a witch's head or something similar -- it's the size of a dinner plate and it Wants. To. Get. In. Your. House. Ugh. Mothman's cousin.

So every caterpillar in MY garden is a potential butterfly.

I will definitely be reporting back on the micros -- I have Red Robin going as well, it's just the start of our fall season here! Loving this thread, I just love the smaller plants!

I usually use Miracle Grow Potting Mix (never tried the soil), and I've been experimenting with other mixes this year. Home Depot and Lowe's carry all the ingredients -- peat, perlite, vermiculite. Or you could always order a bag of ProMix online, but that gets pricey.