Growing dwarf heirloom tomatoes in Georgia

Late September sees the last of homegrown tomatoes and the beginning of reliance on grocery store product. We have all winter to think about flavorful summer tomatoes. By June it becomes a craving.

solution to the space requirement is to plant dwarf tomato varieties.

BEN WHITLEY

Guest Columnist

In Metro Atlanta, mid-April is the time to plant tomatoes and begin the countdown to ripe tomatoes from the backyard or patio. April 15th is typically the last day of freezing here. Some gardeners plant earlier with success, but a late frost can kill a tomato plant. In my experience, planting earlier or later seems to make little difference in first fruit. Tomato plants grow little until they get enough sun and the soil warms.

Tomatoes need at least 6 hours of full sun and 8 hours for best success. A limitation to growing tomatoes is finding a spot with enough sun and the space for mature plants, which can top out at 6 feet. Some people grow tomatoes in containers or bales of hay, even putting them on their driveway to get enough sun. One

Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been grown without crossbreeding for 40 or more years. This contrasts with typical supermarket tomatoes, which are hybrids that have been carefully crossbred to have particular characteristics like color and size. Flavor is often not at the top of the list of characteristics for hybrids planted commercially. Heirlooms are not resistance to disease, which is important in commercial gardens, and they do not have the shelf life of hybrid tomatoes. These factors are often less important to home gardeners seeking taste.

Dwarf tomatoes have been bred to have fruit similar in size and flavor to full-sized plants but on compact plants topping out at 5 feet or less. They can be grown in 5-gallon containers placed on a sunny patio or apartment balcony. A larger container provides more space for root development and requires less attention to watering. Staking or caging may be needed as fruit becomes heavy. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, require fertilization and need water.

The Dwarf Tomato Project came into being when tomato enthusiast, author and educator Craig LeHoullier of Raleigh, North Carolina and Patrina Nuske Small of Australia discussed a frequent request from people wanting to grow tomatoes in small spaces. Over 120 varieties have been developed including varieties bred from heirloom tomatoes known for their excellent taste and variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Dwarf tomato plants have become more available in the last couple of years but are still difficult to find in big-box stores. That’s why I start mine from seed. For a complete list of dwarf tomato varieties and more information about the Dwarf Tomato Project, check out www.dwarftomatoproject.net.

Heirloom tomato seeds and plants can be found at big-box stores and online. It may be a few years before dwarf tomatoes are as widely available as hybrid tomatoes.

The North Fulton Master Gardeners will offer heirloom and dwarf tomatoes for sale at our 22nd annual Garden Faire at Wills Park in Alpharetta on Saturday, April 29 from 9 AM to 3 PM. More details are available on the NFMG website at https://nfmg.net/garden-faire.html.

Happy gardening!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net.

About the Author

This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest Master Gardener columnist is Ben Whitley. Ben, a Sandy Springs resident, has been a Master Gardener since 2017. Along with being a manufacturer’s representative, Ben enjoys growing heirloom tomatoes from seed. Ben will share his knowledge of tomatoes at the North Fulton Master Gardeners’ annual Garden Faire at Wills Park in Alpharetta on April 29th from 9 AM to 3 PM.