What Are Dwarf Tomatoes
Dwarf tomatoes or "Tree Type" tomatoes are a relatively new breed of tomato currently being developed by gardeners all over the world. Notice that I said "gardeners" not universities and horticultural companies. The "Dwarf Tomato Project" as its called is made up of volunteers and tomato enthusiasts that are breeding different varieties and distributing them to the general public via very specific seed companies. More information on the project can be found here.
Dwarf tomatoes are both Indeterminate and Determinate, meaning that they will only grow to at most, right at 4ft tall, but will produce all season long. Just because they are called dwarf tomatoes doesn't mean that they only produce small size tomatoes. We have gotten some rather large 1lb tomatoes from them. The fact that they are both determinate and indeterminate gives them some special care instructions that most growers and home gardeners would not expect such as not "suckering" them as we will get into later on. They also have growth habits, that to me at least, more closely resemble peppers than tomatoes. They are also "not" hybridized so you can save the seed. Most will know this as heirloom however to be an heirloom tomato it has to have been in existence for 50 plus years.
Just to be transparent and upfront about dwarves, they do take a good bit of commitment throughout the season depending on your growing experience. If your not going to have time to water and treat for disease on a regular basis these tomato plants may not be the right ones for you. They are prone to blight and leafspot. Only a handful of the many varieties I have tried thus far show any sign of disease resistance. So be prepared with either traditional or organic antifungals which Ill get into further down. They tend to be slow growers compared to the many indeterminate varieties of tomato you may be used to growing. While they will do just fine in a 5 gallon pot I would suggest putting them in the biggest pot you have or transplanting them into the ground. they are also touted to do well in low light conditions, and they do, but prefer as much sun as you can give them. Some varieties really don't need staking or caging but I find that its preferable to have a small cage or stake to help keep them upright when they start producing.
Dwarf tomatoes are both Indeterminate and Determinate, meaning that they will only grow to at most, right at 4ft tall, but will produce all season long. Just because they are called dwarf tomatoes doesn't mean that they only produce small size tomatoes. We have gotten some rather large 1lb tomatoes from them. The fact that they are both determinate and indeterminate gives them some special care instructions that most growers and home gardeners would not expect such as not "suckering" them as we will get into later on. They also have growth habits, that to me at least, more closely resemble peppers than tomatoes. They are also "not" hybridized so you can save the seed. Most will know this as heirloom however to be an heirloom tomato it has to have been in existence for 50 plus years.
Just to be transparent and upfront about dwarves, they do take a good bit of commitment throughout the season depending on your growing experience. If your not going to have time to water and treat for disease on a regular basis these tomato plants may not be the right ones for you. They are prone to blight and leafspot. Only a handful of the many varieties I have tried thus far show any sign of disease resistance. So be prepared with either traditional or organic antifungals which Ill get into further down. They tend to be slow growers compared to the many indeterminate varieties of tomato you may be used to growing. While they will do just fine in a 5 gallon pot I would suggest putting them in the biggest pot you have or transplanting them into the ground. they are also touted to do well in low light conditions, and they do, but prefer as much sun as you can give them. Some varieties really don't need staking or caging but I find that its preferable to have a small cage or stake to help keep them upright when they start producing.
Growing Your Dwarf Tomato Plant
Pick a good spot for your new tomato plant that ideally has a lot of sunlight and gets morning sun. The morning sun helps burn off dew that encourages disease. South or east facing locations are ideal. There is a common myth that tomatoes love full sun which I want to address here. Tomato plants ""tolerate"" full sun, they don't particularly love it. They prefer lightly filtered sun. If your local to this area then your aware that in the summer, shade doesn't particularly work until late August or September. This is because of the high humidity levels in our area. This high humidity scatters and diffuses the sunlight, evenly distributing the heat and light making it hot everywhere including in the shade. Tomatoes prefer the even lighting vs the high intensity sun we get in late summer. The best tomatoes we grow are in areas that are shaded from the late summer afternoon sun or very early in the season where light levels are not so intense.
All that being said, the location for your dwarves is very important. Keep them out of the afternoon sun starting around mid to late July. If your growing in a pot just move it out of direct late afternoon sun. If your growing in the ground consider putting up a shade cloth or some fine insect netting. Both will help knock off that high intensity sun and help keep your tomatoes from sun scalding and the insect netting has the added benefit of keeping pests off.
If your going to be transplanting your tomato plant into the ground make sure to plant them as deep as possible. I recommend waiting till the plant is at least 16 inches tall before transplanting into the ground. Dig down at least 12 inches deep, strip and leaves from your plant that would be buried and prep the hole with any amendments. Its really important to note that you should not add fertilizer of any kind to the hole at this point. Dwarves are very easily burned by fertilizer of any kind organic or conventional. For amendments I would recommend soaking the hole and the rootball with Root Shield Plus. This product really helps with diseases that are endemic to this area. Its organic and is actually a non segmented round worm that attaches to the roots of plants and eats a variety of bad bugs. You can backfill with compost or with the original soils. I prefer to backfill with a bit of compost.
Watering is essential and if your growing in pots, will make or break your dwarf tomato plant. In a 5 gallon pot during the heat of summer be prepared to water at least twice daily (morning and evening). When you water, try not to get the leaves wet as this encourages disease. (If its really hot out with low humidity levels and your plant is located in full sun, it can be beneficial to spray the plant down with water to cool it. In this instance make sure its going to remain hot so that the plant will dry.) When you water try to fully soak the pot but not so much that your washing all the nutrients out. If your tomato plant is in the ground
Feeding & Fertilizing
All that being said, the location for your dwarves is very important. Keep them out of the afternoon sun starting around mid to late July. If your growing in a pot just move it out of direct late afternoon sun. If your growing in the ground consider putting up a shade cloth or some fine insect netting. Both will help knock off that high intensity sun and help keep your tomatoes from sun scalding and the insect netting has the added benefit of keeping pests off.
If your going to be transplanting your tomato plant into the ground make sure to plant them as deep as possible. I recommend waiting till the plant is at least 16 inches tall before transplanting into the ground. Dig down at least 12 inches deep, strip and leaves from your plant that would be buried and prep the hole with any amendments. Its really important to note that you should not add fertilizer of any kind to the hole at this point. Dwarves are very easily burned by fertilizer of any kind organic or conventional. For amendments I would recommend soaking the hole and the rootball with Root Shield Plus. This product really helps with diseases that are endemic to this area. Its organic and is actually a non segmented round worm that attaches to the roots of plants and eats a variety of bad bugs. You can backfill with compost or with the original soils. I prefer to backfill with a bit of compost.
Watering is essential and if your growing in pots, will make or break your dwarf tomato plant. In a 5 gallon pot during the heat of summer be prepared to water at least twice daily (morning and evening). When you water, try not to get the leaves wet as this encourages disease. (If its really hot out with low humidity levels and your plant is located in full sun, it can be beneficial to spray the plant down with water to cool it. In this instance make sure its going to remain hot so that the plant will dry.) When you water try to fully soak the pot but not so much that your washing all the nutrients out. If your tomato plant is in the ground
Feeding & Fertilizing