Tomatoes are one of the most loved vegetables (technically a fruit). And why not? They are easy to grow, can be grown in limited space, productive, and delicious! Growing tomatoes in containers is also not difficult but to ensure a successful harvest and great flavor, it is important that you pick the Best Tomato Varieties For Containers!
Here’s everything you need to know about growing tomatoes
Best Tomato Varieties For Containers
Hybrid Determinate for Pots
1. Big Boy Bush Tomato
A medium-sized tomato variety, bushier growth, and really productive. While these plants are merely half the size of their original predecessor, the Better Boy, they still produce a heavier crop of tomatoes with the same delicious flavor.
Prized for its bush habit that doesn’t require excess staking, this hybrid determinate variety roughly takes 72-80 days to mature and performs best when you cage them well.
Pros and Cons– Suitable for small space gardeners, easy to grow, high yield, disease resistant, aromatic and flavorful tomatoes, might need some staking.
2. Bush Champion
Bush Champion as its name says has compact growth and desirable qualities of early bearing and heat tolerance appeal to gardeners who need to grow tomato plants in space-constrained spots like containers or raised beds. T
his low-maintenance compact tomato variety grows around 2 feet high, with bigger, meatier tomatoes than most of the early determinates. Moreover, it matures early, within a matter of 65-70 days and the harvest tends to last several months.
Pros and Cons– High yield, disease resistant, low maintenance, suitable for containers, average taste.
3. Bush Goliath Tomato
Developed specifically for patio gardeners and people with limited garden space. This plant grows up to a maximum of 3 feet tall and bears large, sweet, and red 4-inch tomatoes packed with succulent texture, flavorful meat, and adequate sugar content.
It keeps producing consistently up to the frost and needs as much as occasional shaking from time to time. This is one of the Best Tomato Varieties for Containers.
Pros and Cons– Suitable for containers, sweet and large fruits, long harvest season, needs little staking, pest problems.
4. Celebrity Tomato
The Celebrity tomato cultivar is widely tolerant of a variety of conditions. Also, called semi-determinate due to its ability to reach the height of 4 feet.
This sturdy plant produces clusters of plump, robust, and crack-resistant tomatoes that are largely prized for their exceptionally rich flavor, making the variety an all-around, dependable choice for all your basic recipes, including sandwiches, snacks, bruschetta, and slicing.
Pros and Cons– Productive, flavorful fruits, disease-resistant, produce fruits for a long time, requires a large container to grow.
5. Early Girl Bush Tomato
A relative of the popular Early Girl cultivar, this hybrid is perfect for the areas with short growing seasons or for those who want a quick harvest as it takes 54-62 days to reach maturity.
The dense bush is apt for containers and doesn’t grow large, suitable for medium-sized pots. With ideal growing conditions, it is possible to get a yield of 100 tomatoes or more from a single plant!
Pros and Cons– Large fruits, high yield, start to produce fruits quickly, needs no support or staking.
6. Patio F Tomato
This dwarf determinate variety is an excellent choice for container gardeners, fruits just bigger than cherry size, you can try to grow this variety in small containers or 2-3 plants together in large ones.
It doesn’t produce heavily but the fact that it is smaller in size you can grow many plants to improve productivity.
Pros and Cons– Compact, grows well in small to medium-sized pots, needs no support, average yield, average taste.
7. Window Box Roma Tomato
This early maturing tomato cultivar was bred with the sole purpose of growing in pots, window boxes, and containers.
Being a hybrid determinate, it is a dwarf plant that grows up to a height of no more than 2-3 feet and produces a prolific crop of 2-3 oz pear-shaped, bright red tomatoes that are sweet, flavorful, and last long on the shelf. Perfect for salads, sauces, and anything fresh off the vine.
Pros and Cons– Very productive, flavorful, and sweet, can be grown indoors.
8. Tumbling Tom
Tumbling Tom bears sweet cherry tomatoes in red to yellow color. This variety is suitable for hanging baskets and small containers. Excellent for small balconies!
This determinate cultivar has a trailing habit, it is easy to grow and produces heavily.
Pros and Cons– Productive, suitable for hanging baskets and containers, good taste.
Hybrid Indeterminates for Pots
9. Sun Sugar
This indeterminate cherry tomato variety has earned positive reviews of growers due to its rich and sweet tomato taste. Sun Sugar is easy to grow and disease resistant and has a long growing season until frost.
This highly productive cultivar can provide 100s of tomatoes from just one plant. However, the plant can reach up to 6 feet tall and requires large to medium-sized containers and support.
Pros and Cons– Early maturing, excellent flavor, productive, disease-resistant, require large containers.
10. Carmello
When it comes to flavor, hybrid tomatoes are often a major letdown, but thankfully that’s not the case with the Carmello variety.
Carmello is believed to maintain reliable growth irrespective of the changing weather and even manages to produce a sweet, rich flavor during the coldest part of the season.
Pros and Cons– Large and juicy fruits, good flavor, suitable for container growing.
11. Sweet 100 Tomato
Sweet 100 Tomato is a hybrid indeterminate variety that bears scarlet and juicy cherry tomatoes. It produces fruits in large clusters right until frost.
While it is a favorite for garden plots, it also works equally well in big containers when staked and pruned regularly. Gardeners cite that their sole issue with Sweet 100 is their overproduction.
Pros and Cons– Heat resistant, highly productive, requires support and large container due to the size and spread.
12. Sweet Baby Girl Tomato
Sweet Baby Girl Cultivar features bite-sized red tomatoes on vinelike stems that tend to reach a height of 70-78 inches and spread 20-25 inches when left untamed. It has a rich tomato flavor and a long harvesting season.
With thorough pruning, this variety has the potential to produce flavorful tomatoes that taste incredibly sweet and have a long shelf life.
Pros and Cons: Productive, rich, and sweet flavor, long harvesting season.
13. Sun Gold
Sun Gold cultivar is one of the most favorite cherry tomato varieties of many growers due to its sweet taste. The small-sized tomatoes on this plant remain orange in color and never turn red.
The size of this tomato cultivar like ‘Sweet 100’ is huge and requires big containers (anywhere between 18-24 inches in size) and support. For balcony gardeners, try only if you have a large balcony.
Pros and Cons– Sweet flavor, matures in 55-65 days, needs large container and support.
Heirloom Determinates
14. Principe Borghese
Famous for sun drying, this Italian heirloom variety is a fairly big determinate plant featuring small, egg-shaped fruits that have few seeds and pack a high flavor punch.
However, don’t be fooled by their size, as their rich tomato taste makes them wonderful for sauces, roasting, and pizza topping. Moreover, the determinate vines yield a prolific supply of fruit, ideal for selling in bulk in fresh markets as well as making specialty products.
Pros and Cons– Productive, heat resistant, doesn’t stop fruiting above 100 F, requires medium to large-sized containers.
15. Manitoba
This super early heirloom tomato cultivar was developed specifically for the short summers of Manitoba prairie regions. With an amazing disease tolerance and vigorous habitat, this sweet slicer is a great choice for short growing seasons and northern climates alike.
Pros and Cons– Mature early, tangy taste, suitable for regions that have a short growing season.
16. New Yorker
As the name suggests, this variety sets well in cool growing conditions characteristic to North-Eastern U.S. Its compact, determinate, and vigorous structure is a great hit with people looking to grow tomatoes in space-constrained spots in containers.
It bears round, scarlet-red tomatoes in abundance, which are perfect for fine canning or slicing up for salads. It is one of the Best Tomato Varieties for Containers.
Pros and Cons– Productive, average in taste, crack-resistant, free from blossom end rot, developed specifically for growing in North or other regions with a short growing season.
17. Sprite Tomato
If you happen to like grape tomatoes and lack the space to grow tall plants, Sprite tomato variety is the perfect alternative. Suited perfectly for patio and container gardening and can be grown in 5-7 gallon small-sized pots.
Its short, compact size doesn’t come at the sacrifice of yield, as this variety is known to produce prolific tomatoes with thin, crisp skins and rich, sweet flavors that are utterly delightful to fussy eaters and tomato aficionados alike.
Pros and Cons– Sweet flavor, can be grown in small containers, low maintenance, prefers warm temperature, less juicy.
18. Sophie’s Choice
Sophie’s Choice is a dwarf heirloom tomato variety that doesn’t exceed the 2 feet height usually and looks great in small 5-gallon containers. It is one of the best early ripening tomato varieties (55 days average), produces a decent harvest, the fruits are large and flavorful.
Particularly this variety prefers more watering (it also recommends on the growing condition) and suitable more for cooler regions.
Pros and Cons– Flavorful, perfect for small containers, large juicy fruits, average harvest.
Heirloom Indeterminates for Pots
19. Green Zebra
Not only attractive in appearance but different in taste too, this variety is the favorite of many chefs. Suitable for salad decorations and toppings The Green Zebra cultivar is believed to have an indeterminate habitat.
It has the ability to reach a whopping 6-7 feet height depending on your climate. Popular for its unique flavor derived from a slightly lemon tart balancing the sugar content perfectly.
Pros and Cons– Disease-free, looks unique, average, and balanced, some growers reported it as acidic, due to the color it’s hard to find out whether it ripens or not.
20. Japanese Black Trifele
The mahogany color of the fruits and glossy skin make this a nice ornamental fruit, while the fairly compact structure allows it to adapt remarkably well to the container culture. Just a single stake should be enough to provide adequate support to the plants.
And to top it all, the delicious, smoky flavor of the heirloom tomatoes makes it a wonderful addition to your salads and sauces.
Pros and Cons– Highly attractive, productive, average or good taste (depends on the growing conditions).
21. Stupice
Perhaps the earliest heirloom ever, Stupice plants are compact and bear small fruits that produce well even in cooler zones. The dark green potato-leaf foliage is appealing to the eye, while the small red fruits mature rather early and offer a balanced flavor.
Pros and Cons– Cold tolerant, good for regions with short summers, average taste.
22. Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson is one of the most popular tomato varieties and a must-try for anyone looking for growing tomatoes in a container.
It’s small, and its upright habit makes it a nice choice for pots, while its striking, dark purple four-inch tomatoes with incredibly sweet, earthy, and smoky flavors are a hit in even the pickiest of eaters.
Pros and Cons– Easy to grow, excellent taste, sweet-earthy flavor, average yield.
23. Brandywine
Brandywine is a popular indeterminate heirloom variety that can bear fruits up to 1.8 lbs or 0.7 kg, which is huge. Brandywine tomatoes are the tastiest beefsteak tomatoes, having sweet tomato flavor it’s worth growing.
To grow, choose a large, at least 15-gallon container and provide support.
Pros and Cons– Excellent flavor, big fruits, take the time to mature (80-100 days), average yield.
24. Indian Stripe
Good for warm weather, the Indian Stripe is an heirloom cultivar known for its great taste, which is similar to Cherokee Purple but the only difference we’ve found is that it is more productive.
Like other indeterminate varieties, it also requires a large container. If you’re looking for a heat-tolerant tomato variety, also try Solar Fire.
Pros and Cons– Productive, heat resistance, great taste, requires medium to large containers.
Specially-Bred To tomatoes for Container Gardening
25. Mountain Gold
An orange-fruited tomato variety, Mountain Gold has been bred to be superior regarding plant habit and disease resistance over its counterparts.
Plants are stout, compact, and bear a heavy crop of smooth-skinned, medium-sized, 12-oz fruits, with a mild, sweet flavor.
Pros and Cons– Decent sweet and mild taste, productive, disease-resistant, good for slicing and salads.
26. Ace 55 Hybrid
For intense red, low-acid tomatoes that thrive in the middle of the season, experts recommend planting Ace 55 Hybrid. The plants show vigorous growth, protecting the fruits from sunburn, and the sweet, balanced flavor negates the chances of indigestion.
Other desirable traits include disease tolerance and a determinate habit, which makes it apt for growing in containers.
Pros and Cons– Sweet flavor, productive, suitable for container growth.
27. Health Kick Hybrid
Considered to be a breakthrough in the history of tomato breeding, the Health Kick Hybrid is one variety that contains a 50% higher amount of lycopene than regular ones and produces a bountiful yield of 4-oz deep red fruits within 75 days only.
Its high yield, compact determinate habit makes it one of the best tomato varieties for growing in containers.
Pros and Cons– Easy to grow, can be grown in small to medium-sized containers, said to be healthier than other tomatoes, ordinary taste.
Thanks for the great post about growing tomatoes in containers. Keep up your good work.
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Very informative post! Thanks for sharing.
Great post!
There are so many varieties of tomatoes out there, so much more than the limited range we find in our supermarkets!! I think I’ll have a go at growing a few of these….
What is the variety of the very tall plant featured in the cover photo??? It looks like one I would like to try? Thanks!
I have no idea where to find some of these varieties of tomatoes. Like to try many of them but our l local only carry one or two varieties.
just starting my pot tomato growing garden wish me luck THE MUSIC MAN
Great post on all the varieties of tomatoes to grow in a container!
Hi, love to read about growing baby tomato. where can I buy them even in seed form..
keep on with your good work
warm regards,
Lana
Hi, I like Tomato growing trick. Tomatoes are strangely easy-to-grow from seeds at home. Thanks for sharing.
Tidy Treats This is one of the best cherry tomatoes for containers! The plants are super vigorous but grow to a manageable four-feet tall. It’s early to fruit, with the harvest beginning just eight weeks from transplanting. And the crop of sweet, red, one-inch diameter fruits are produced in abundance. Bet you can’t eat just one! Support the plant with a strong tomato cage.
Tomatoes appreciate a well-drained soil but also grow best when given plenty of organic matter. To keep container-grown tomatoes happy, I fill my pots with a 50-50 mixture of a high-quality potting mix like Pro-Mix Vegetable and Herb and compost. Or, can just use a compost-rich planting medium like FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil.
Defiant PhR If you’re looking for a disease-resistant slicing tomatoes that also tastes great, look no further than Defiant PhR. It boasts high resistance to late blight, Fusarium wilt, and Verticillium wilt. The determinate, container-friendly plants grow about four-feet tall and begin to produce their bounty of 6 to 8 ounce fruits just 65 days after transplanting.
I love growing tomatoes and peppers. This year I’m doing it right so I don’t get the end rot. Thank-you very much for the info.
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