Small tomatoes are an excellent choice if you want a low-maintenance and space-saving plant in your home. Now, we’re here to help you choose the suitable small tomato variety fit for your kitchen needs.
We’ve hand-picked more than 40 tomato varieties that you can choose from and the best practices for planting them on containers. Let’s get started!
44 Small Tomato Varieties
1. Cherry Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | Less than 1 inch |
| Color/s | Red, Yellow, Orange, Green, Black |
On the top of our list are cherry tomatoes. They’re less than an inch small, closely resembling cherries.
These small round tomatoes are ideal for cooking and snacking. They come in different colors: red, yellow, orange, green and black.
Cherry tomatoes are sweeter and juicier than the regular tomato. They also have thin skin, making the cherry tomato pop in your mouth when eaten.
2. Grape Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ½ to ¾ inch |
| Color | Red, Green, and Black |
Grape tomatoes, by their name, grow in a long oval shape. It gives off a meaty, crunchy and acidic balance to the classic sweet taste of the tomato.
Compared with cherry varieties, grape tomatoes have tougher skin making them less watery and sugary in taste. This variety also comes in different colors like red, green and black.
3. Plum Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 2 to 4 inches |
| Color | Red, Yellow, Orange |
Plum tomatoes are also called sauce tomatoes. They are grown for making tomato paste and sauces, especially in Italy.
The size of a plum tomato ranges from 2 to 4 inches with a slightly cylindrical or oval shape. Their larger fresh-to-juice ratio makes them an excellent choice for making pastes.
4. Roma Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 3 inches |
| Color | Red, Yellow |
Roma tomatoes are perfect for canning and creating tomato paste and sauces for pizza and pasta. They’re also called Italian tomatoes because of their wide use in Italian cuisine.
These tomatoes are shaped like an egg or pear and turn red or yellow when ripe. It’s one of the most popular tomatoes for cooking, so you should definitely consider having it in your garden.
5. Tiny Tim Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ¾ inch |
| Color | Red, Orange |
Tiny Tim tomatoes are commonly grown in containers, tubs or pots. It’s a determinate, bush variety type of potato.
Each Tiny Tim tomato measures only ¾ an inch in size. They’re a fast-growing variety; you can already start harvesting them 60 from planting.
This is perfect for those looking for low-maintenance tomato varieties since it doesn’t need pruning or additional support to survive.
6. Super Sweet 100 Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Red |
Super Sweet 100 tomatoes grow on vines that trail up to 10 feet high. When these scarlet red tomatoes are consumed, they give off a rich, sugary taste.
This tomato plant produces a high yield of tomatoes in clusters. We’d also recommend staking or caging to prevent the tomato plant from sprawling and letting light enter the inner clusters.
7. Black Cherry Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Deep Red or Brown |
Black Cherry is a heirloom variety that produces sweet flavor, firm textures and bite-sized tomatoes.
A Black Cherry plant typically grows 60 inches and matures in only 64 days. The tomatoes ripen into a deep red or brown color and consistently produce them in summer.
You can use these tomatoes to add rich flavors to your salsas, pizzas and bruschettas dishes.
8. Yellow Pear Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches. |
| Color | Yellow |
It’s shaped like a pear but don’t get fooled because those yellow fruits are actually tomatoes!
Yellow Pear tomatoes come in large plants with vines that can grow up to 8 feet. It’s another prolific producer, which means you can enjoy an ample supply of tomatoes all throughout the season.
9. Green Grape Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Green, Yellow |
Green Grape tomatoes develop a unique golden yellow skin when fully ripe. They grow as small as 1.5 inches in a slightly oblong shape, resembling grapes.
These small indeterminate tomatoes grow on compact bushes and typically need support to produce more fruits. They are also resistant to heat but protect them from rain as this can cause the plant irreversible damage.
Green Grapes will start producing fruits in the middle of summer until the first frost. Now that’s a long time to enjoy low-acid fruity tomatoes!
10. Amethyst Cream Cherry Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Purple, Yellow, Brown |
If you want lavender and yellow fruits growing in your garden, plant Amethyst Cream Cherry tomatoes.
This highly productive small tomato variety needs little to no human intervention. It’s a popular tasty low-acidic tomato that gives vibrant colors to your favorite salads.
11. Alberto Shattering Currant Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | Less than an inch |
| Color | Red |
The Alberto Shattering Currant is one of the tiniest tomato varieties in existence. It’s an indeterminate plant that grows small pea-sized red tomatoes.
Although they’re less flavorful than their counterparts, these pea-sized fruits are used to give a crunchy textural vibe to salads and other dishes.
Alberto Shattering Currant tomatoes are perfect for making a trellis in your garden. When harvesting ripe tomatoes, you can just shake the plant and let the ripe ones fall off the vines onto your fruit basket.
12. Everglades Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ½ inch |
| Color | Red, Orange |
Evergrade tomato is an heirloom variety that usually sprawls in a large area while producing currant-sized fruits.
This small tomato variety thrives in hot and humid conditions. However, it needs cool weather to produce those luscious red-orange fruits.
13. Ted’s Pink Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ½ inch |
| Color | Pink |
The Ted’s Pink variety produces half-an-inch currant-sized pinkish-red tomatoes. These are actually rare types of tomatoes.
What’s great about planting this is that you can harvest a large yield of tomatoes all throughout the season.
You can use them in your garden as a climbing vine on your fence so they can sprawl as large and produce more of those mildly sweet Ted’s Pink tomatoes.
14. Golden Nugget Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Yellow |
Golden Nugget tomatoes have low acidity levels, so they taste milder than regular tomatoes and are a common choice for salads and snacks. This small tomato grows in bright yellow along the vines of the plant.
The Golden Nugget is a low-maintenance determinate tomato variety that thrives in cool climates like the West Coast.
15. Cherry Cocktail Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ¾ inch |
| Color | Red |
Cherry Cocktail tomatoes are another flavorful bite-sized variety. They are indeterminate climbing plants that mature as fast as 70 days after planting.
When you see ripe tomatoes, you can immediately pick them and encourage the plant to grow more fruits along its vines. It’s also easier to harvest them because they grow in clumps.
These Cherry Cocktail tomatoes are perfect for salads or blisters in pans.
16. Golden Grape Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Yellow |
Golden Grapes are an excellent choice if you want to snack on tomatoes because they are low in seeds. As an indeterminate variety, this plant produces plenty of clusters of small yellow tomatoes.
17. Tumbling Tom Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | Less than an inch |
| Color | Red, Yellow |
Tumbling Toms are best grown in hanging baskets as they grow fruit stalks that reach between 20 to 24 inches long. These stems grow so long that they reach out over the containers, hence, their name.
With consistent watering and full sun, you can harvest a bountiful basket of small bright red and yellow tomatoes after 70 days from planting.
18. Baby Red Pear Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Red |
These Baby Red Pear tomatoes are distinctly shaped like a teardrop. When you eat these red tomatoes, you’ll see a translucent yet juicy inner flesh with a sweet and tangy flavor.
This variety has a long fruiting season so that you can enjoy those clusters of tiny tomatoes. But make sure to stake this plant to provide proper support as they climb through different structures in your garden.
19. Yellow Currant Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | Less than an inch |
| Color | Yellow |
Yellow Currant tomatoes are one of the smallest edible tomatoes available. Each fruit weighs only under three grams and with less than an inch in diameter.
This small tomato type has a unique sweet-tart flavor and a firm texture, making them a perfect bite-sized snack or a pop of color in salads.
20. Sweetie Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 to 1.5 inch |
| Color | Red |
Sweetie tomatoes are small and sweeter vine produce than other tomato varieties. Its long fruiting season and quick harvesting just 65 days after planting are great.
21. Black Pearl Hybrid Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Brown-red |
Black Pearl tomatoes are widely cultivated for their sweet, tangy flavor. Because of powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, this variety grows into a brownish-red tomato when fully ripe.
These small tomatoes grow up to 5 feet tall, so you’ll have to provide a stake or cage to support it. Within 65 days of planting, you can harvest these Black Pearl tomatoes along its vines.
22. Candyland Red Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ½ inch |
| Color | Red |
Candyland Reds are another currant-type of tomato that produces fruits that are half an inch in size. It also has a small Plant Size (diameter), making it an excellent option for container gardening.
Although a compact plant, Candyland Reds can yield hundreds of sweet tomatoes along its trailing vines.
23. Celano Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Red |
Celanos produce grape-sized red tomatoes in bushes. They have hearty vines that are known to produce better color in fruits and larger yields.
They’re an excellent option for growing tomatoes in containers. You also have one less plant disease because Celano tomatoes are blight resistant.
24. Fantastico Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 to 1.5 inches |
| Color | Red |
Fantasticos is a bushy determinate type of small tomato. They are so compact that they only grow around 12 inches in height.
This is also why they grow best in containers or hanging baskets. They are also blight resistant, which is one thing less for you to worry about.
Don’t get fooled by its size because one Fantastico plant can yield up to 12 pounds of juicy grape-sized tomatoes.
25. Midnight Snack Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Red, Purple-black |
Midnight Snack tomatoes are easily identifiable for their red fruit with a dappled purple-black pigment on top. This tomato variety is sought after for its well-balanced flavor, that’s not too sweet or acidic.
26. Patio Choice Yellow Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Yellow |
Patio Choice is definitely an excellent visual addition to your garden with its dark green leaves and yellow fruits.
They’re compact determinate plants that can thrive in small spaces or hanging baskets. Each plant can produce 100 tomatoes in one season.
27. Red Torch Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Red, Yellow |
Red Torch tomatoes are unique for their bright red fruit body with yellow marble patterns on the skin when fully ripe.
These oblong-shaped tomatoes are prolific early-season producers. It produces flavorful red tomatoes with a higher yield than other small tomato varieties.
28. Valentine Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Red |
Valentine tomatoes are award-winning for their rich, firm and flavorful fruits. The darker these Valentine tomatoes are, the more flavorful they get.
This plant works best as a container or hanging basket plant, especially with its glossy green leaves. They’re also blight resistant and low-maintenance, making them perfect for home gardening.
29. Baby Boomer Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Red |
Baby Boomer is a prolific tomato hybrid that produces sweet, flavorful tiny tomatoes perfect for roasting or snacking.
Expect a yield of around 300 tomatoes from every Baby Boomer plant in every season. It will continue to produce a bountiful harvest unless its nemesis, the frost, fells it.
This plant grows only between 20 and 50 25 inches, making it a perfect container plant for home gardening. Within 50 to 55 days of planting, you can harvest those sweet juicy red tomatoes.
30. Maglia Rosa Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Pink, Orange |
Maglia Rosa tomatoes have a distinct mottled shade of pink and orange, making them a pleasing sight to look at as they grow in clusters on the vine of the tomato plant.
This is a semi-determinate plant that grows only between 24 to 36 inches. This plant is an excellent choice if you want to drape a tomato plant in a hanging basket or other container.
After 70 days from planting, you can harvest a juicy crop of pink, lightly acidic, yet sweet Maglia Rosa tomatoes.
31. Sweetheart of the Patio Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Red |
These Sweetheart of the Patios are super sweet, snack-ready and grape-looking tomatoes.
It’s a semi-determinate and compact plant that produces clusters of sweet, bright red fruits. It grows between 24 to 36 inches tall and will give you ripe tomatoes within 68 days of planting.
The Sweetheart of the Patio is also a late blight-tolerant variety, making it a great container, hanging basket or garden plant.
32. Green Envy Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1.5 inches |
| Color | Green |
They might look like citrus fruit, but these translucent emerald green fruits are actually Green Envy tomatoes.
With their ovate share, these Green Envy tomatoes make a great sweet and juicy option to add a light and fresh flavor to your salsas and salads.
This plant grows between 63 to 67 inches and matures within 60 to 70 days. After that, it will continuously produce ripe Green Envy tomatoes until fall.
33. Italian Ice Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Yellow |
Italian Ice tomatoes come from a prolific hybrid plant that produces clusters of creamy yellow one-inch fruits.
These Italian Ice tomatoes give off a sugary sweet, yet low-acid taste. They’re best eaten when chilled or added to salads and pasta.
This plant can grow from 60 to 72 inches and produce delicious Italian Ice tomatoes within 65 days of planting.
34. Mirabelle Blanche Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Yellow |
A Mirabelle Blanche plant grows translucent yellow one-inch tomatoes in big clusters. Its fruits have a sweet, slightly acidic flavor that’s great for dehydrating, grilling or making salads.
This relatively tall plant grows from 40 to 48 inches tall. The Mirabelle Blanche can mature and produce fruits as early as 75 to 80 days from planting as an open-pollinated heirloom variety.
35. Orange Sunsugar Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Orange |
Orange Sunsugar tomatoes might just be one of the sweetest varieties available. They’re not just delicious but also high in vitamin A content.
Fruits mature as early as 62 days, so you’ll see plenty of orange one-inch fruits that often resemble mini-setting suns on the plant’s hearty vines.
The Orange Sunsugar plant has trailing vines that grow between 84 to 108 inches. Fortunately, it’s resistant to common tomato plant diseases like Fusarium Wilt and Tobacco Mosaic Virus.
36. Power Pops Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Red |
Power Pop tomatoes are primarily bred for their high antioxidant content. In fact, each Power Pop contains 40% more carotenoids and 55% more lycopene than commercial tomatoes in the market.
Apart from its health benefits, this plant also produces ripe one-inch tomatoes as fast as 45 days from planting. This is a good choice for gardeners who aim to harvest fruits in a short growing season.
Power Pop plants are compact, growing only 9 to 12 inches, but produce a cascading habit, making them an ideal patio pot or hanging basket plant in home gardens.
37. Sunchocola Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Red |
If you want sweet yet smoky tomatoes, go for the Sunchocola variety. This tomato hybrid produces luscious one-inch brick-red fruits in large clusters throughout the summer season.
A Sunchocola tomato plant grows up to 70 inches and produces ripe fruits. They’re also resistant to the common tomato plant disease called Mosaic virus.
Within 67 days of planting, you can already pick and eat them fresh from the vine or roast them on the grill.
38. Sungold Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 inch |
| Color | Orange |
Sungold tomatoes are one of the most popular small tomato varieties, known for their tangerine-orange appearance. Once you eat these tomatoes, your mouth will surely enjoy a firm fleshy, sweet tropical taste.
This plant grows about 48 to 60 inches with highly prolific vines where clusters of these one-inch globes appear. You will have to use staking or caging when growing them.
Luckily, Sungold tomatoes are resistant to many plant diseases like Verticillium wilt, Tobacco Mosaic virus, nematodes and Fusarium wilt.
Within 57 days, delicious orange tomatoes will emerge from the vines, which you can enjoy grilling or adding to your favorite salad.
39. 506 Bush Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 1 to 2 inches |
| Color | Red |
506 Bush tomato plants produce bright, unblemished fruits with a mildly sweet flavor. They grow only 18 inches tall and can reach maturity as fast as 62 days.
Another benefit of planting 506 Bush tomatoes is that they are determinate and drought-tolerant varieties, so you can expect a smooth-sailing journey toward a bountiful harvest.
40. Bush Early Girl Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 3 to 4 inches |
| Color | Red |
Bush Early Girls are true bush-type tomato plants fit for containers and patio pots. They are compact plants growing only 18 inches tall.
As small as it may seem, don’t underestimate Bush Early Girl tomatoes because they produce juicy 6 to 7 ounces for every plant. It can also reach maturity in around 54 days after planting.
41. Micro-Tom Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | ½ inch |
| Color | Red |
Micro Toms are the world’s smallest tomato plant variety.
They can only reach up to 8 inches tall and produce half-an-inch juicy red one-ounce tomatoes. With this variety, expect to harvest Micro Tom tomatoes between 50 to 60 days from planting.
42. Big Dwarf Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 3 to 4 inches |
| Color | Pink |
The Big Dwarf tomato variety grows up to 3 feet tall but produces one-pound heavy tomatoes. These flavorful tomatoes come in deep pink and flattened shapes.
It’s another excellent plant for container gardens, and you can rely on it to produce luscious fruits within 90 days of planting.
43. Small Fry Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | 2 to 6 inches |
| Color | Red |
Small Fry tomatoes are another small but reliable variant. Although they grow around 4 feet tall, this plant can produce many cherry red tomatoes, each weighing 0.75 ounces.
It’s a determinate plant that can reach maturity and produce these juicy tomatoes within 70 to 80 days from planting.
44. Firefly Tomatoes
| Plant Size (diameter) | Less than an inch |
| Color | Yellow |
Firefly tomatoes are known for their sweet yet sharp flavor profile. This plant produces small creamy yellow tomatoes that have thin skin.
These tomatoes are commonly used for snacking. You’ll enjoy a great load of them as a single plant can grow hundreds of delicious tomato produce.
Essential Tips for Growing Small Tomatoes in Containers
Here are 9 ways how you can successfully grow abundant and luscious small tomatoes in containers.
1. Plant the suitable variety.
Patio or bush tomato plant varieties are the best choices for container-growing tomatoes. Although these tomatoes grow only 1 to 3 feet tall, they can still produce hundreds of tomatoes in one season.
These pot-friendly varieties include the Small Fry, Bush Early Girl, Tiny Tim, and Patio Choice Yellow tomatoes.
2. Use a large pot.
The best pot for growing small tomatoes are those which can hold at least 5 gallons of soil and are 20 inches wide or more.
Tomatoes develop a wide root system and need as much room to establish their roots. With a broad and deep pot, the tomato plant will have enough room for its roots to grow.
Using a large pot will also ensure the tomato plant receives enough water and nutrients during its growing season.
However, avoid using black containers since they absorb plenty of heat and can cause the roots to warm up and stunt the plant’s growth.
We recommend using plastic or fiberglass rather than clay pots since their materials don’t dry out quickly. We wouldn’t want dry soil because it will hamper the plant’s tomato production.
3. Provide drainage.
After choosing the right large container for your tomato plant, don’t forget to drill holes at the bottom. We want to keep the roots moist but not soggy.
These drainage holes will allow excess water to escape and prevent root rot and other plant diseases.
4. Use a well-drained potting mix.
Potting mix is the best choice of soil for small tomato plants. They are lightweight and provide good drainage so fill your container with high-quality potting mix until an inch from the top of its rim.
5. Feed the tomato plant.
Regularly introduce balanced NPK slow-release fertilizers in the potting mix to give the tomato plant the necessary nutrients. It’s best to fertilize your plant every 4 to 6 weeks to replenish any nutrient deficiency.
Adding a one-inch layer of mulch on top of the potting soil is also highly advisable to preserve soil moisture and protect the plant from too much heat. You can use chopped leaves, shredded bark, straw and wood chips as mulch for your potted tomato plant.
6. Give plenty of sunlight.
Tomatoes are sun-loving plants that need at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun daily. Sunlight is essential in the tomato plant’s growth and encourages it to produce flavorful fruits.
So, place them in a sunny location, like the south or west side of the building, for optimum growth and yield.
7. Water the plants daily.
Tomato plants tend to get thirsty and need watering at least once a day. The best time to water them is in the morning so they’d get hydrated, and there will be enough time for the damp leaves to dry out during the day.
These plants dry out quickly when grown in containers, so you may need to water them once or twice daily during summer. They need consistent moisture to grow evenly and to avoid wilting, splitting or developing blossom end rot.
Make sure to water directly onto the roots and not on the leaves of the tomato plant. When water gets splashed on the leaves, especially the low-lying ones, they become habitable to harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause plant diseases.
8. Give plant space and support.
Providing good air circulation also helps prevent tomato plant diseases since leaves will quickly dry out. Place your tomato plant away from the walls or from touching other neighboring plants.
Small tomato varieties can be grown in large containers, but most need wooden stakes or cages to prevent the bending or breaking of stems. We want to protect these items since that’s where the ripe tomatoes grow upon maturity.
As the tomato plant grows, you can further secure the stems with twine, ribbon or wire for additional support.
9. Enjoy harvesting ripe tomatoes.
Generally, small tomato varieties can be harvested after 60 to 100 days from planting.
But don’t get too excited when you see them growing on the vine. It’s best to leave these tiny tomatoes on the vine until they are fully ripe to maximize their flavor.
Other characteristics of a ripe tomato include a glossy skin, deep and uniform color, easy release from the stem, and strong tomato fragrance.
FAQs on Small Tomato Varieties
Choose soft, firm, unblemished, and aromatic fruits to get fresh and ripe tomatoes.
Growing small tomatoes can save up a lot of space in your garden since most of these varieties can be grown in hanging baskets, pots and containers. They are also low maintenance and compact but will produce a bountiful yield of tomatoes.
It takes 60 to 100 days from planting before small tomato plants bear fruit, depending on the tomato variety.
Small tomatoes are primarily used for canning, making sauces and tomato pastes, and as a fresh, juicy and pulpy ingredient to salads and dishes.
The easiest way to prevent tomato plant diseases is to keep the low-lying leaves of the plant dry. This prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi that can infect the small tomato plant.
Small tomato varieties come in different colors, such as red, orange, yellow, green, purple, pink, brown and black.
