# When they call these plants "Micro Tom(ato)" plants they aren't kidding! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 25, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798 "2009-03-25T21:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/1 "2009-03-25T21:57:09Z")
A few months ago, I picked up some [Micro Tom cherry tomato seeds](http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?c=51&P=%7BD3BBC59C-5212-4ED0-8350-6348B808766D%7D) from a website called “Totally Tomato”, they’re a hybrid species, that claims to be the world’s smallest cherry tomato plant, fully grown, the plant is no more than 8" tall, and they can flower and set fruit at 3" tall I planted one a couple months ago in a homebrew hydroponic rig made out of a Glaceau 32 oz Vitamin Water bottle with an airstone stuck in it [It’s now just 2.5" tall, and it’s already getting ready to flower!](http://www.aerogardengrowers.com/index.php/topic,1731.0.html), it’s definitely a tiny plant, lots of fun to grow, I can’t wait to see how small it stays and how many tomatoes it grows, as well as how tiny are the tomatoes themselves going to be? it is a hybrid plant (probably not able to save the seeds for another generation, they won’t breed true), and a determinate plant so it generally sets fruit all at once then dies, rather than continuous fruiting like a non-determinate does, but non-determinates can get quite tall, it’s a trade-off, if you want the plant to stay small, it’s probably going to be a determinate species there are open-polinated non-hybrid varieties available, but they grow a little taller (8-15") but they are still determinates; [Red Robin (8-12" tall)](http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?c=52&P=%7BE14B7554-EFF2-41C4-AB5A-8139781949A9%7D) [Tiny Tim (12-15" tall)](http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?c=52&P=%7B1131C027-A4C7-4E00-B61D-4FD7F7677C9C%7D) The Micro Tom is almost like a Bonsai plant, I could quite easily plant up to six of these tiny 'mater plants in my AG6, and never have to raise it’s hood past the second notch, planted in a small dirt pot, it could be the perfect houseplant ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/2 "2009-03-25T22:06:07Z")
all I have to say is: squeeeeeeeee that is adorable … sort of like the lolcat of tomato plants!😛 ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/3 "2009-03-25T22:10:20Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > all I have to say is: > > squeeeeeeeee that is adorable … > > sort of like the lolcat of tomato plants!😛 I Can Has Swisstool? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/4 "2009-03-25T23:24:05Z")
I love it! Please keep us updated! ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/5 "2009-03-28T17:21:43Z")
3/28/09 update; [We](http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microtomflower.JPG) have [the first flower!](http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microtomflower1.JPG) and two more are very rapidly maturing… ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/6 "2009-03-28T17:28:08Z")
I have that catalog! I’ll have to look for these seeds. Very cute. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/7 "2009-03-28T22:22:07Z")
I grew Micro-Toms indoors under lights and they flowered and fruited. I’ve never had a more tasteless tomato, however. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/8 "2009-03-29T01:27:21Z")
If your Micro-Toms turn out tasteless, like\*\* Jackmanni\*\*'s, I heartily recommend Ciudad Victoria, which is open-pollinated. It’s indeterminate, so if you’re looking for a little plant as well as little fruit, it’s not for you. However, it fruits like crazy, in these cute little clusters. The tomatoes are no bigger than a marble, and the flavor is fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/9 "2009-03-29T01:45:05Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever squeeeeeed for a plant before, but that is a cute little itty tomato plant. Too bad I don’t like tomatoes or I would totally grow one for myself. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/10 "2009-03-29T04:20:13Z")
Hopefully the tomatoes will be tasty, I’m using Neptune’s Harvest Fish+Seaweed fertilizer, it supposedly makes the tomatoes much tastier, as seaweed and hydrolized fish-by-products really build up sugars in the fruit I have three standard cherry tomato plants in my Aerogarden 6 Elite+ (the “tall” model Aerogarden with an arm that extends up to two feet tall) and I’ve transitioned them over to Neptune’s Harvest, there’s a noticeable change in the plants, on the AG nutes the roots suspended in air were just bare roots, since switching over to NH ferts, the roots in the air have tiny, microfine hairs, it looks like fuzz, but they’re actually micro-roots that increase the nutrient gathering ability, the foliage is thicker and a deeper green, and the flower buds/tomatoes are developing much faster, I tasted one of the tomatoes that ripened after I switched ferts and it was definitely sweeter and more tomato-ey the tomatoes are definitely heavy root feeders, I put in the full one tablespoon dose that was supposed to last two weeks, and it was gone after about five to six days, it stains the water brown when dosed, but six days later, the water was crystal clear and I could see sediment left over from the old AG tablets on the bottom of the resivoir I’m hoping the combination of the bright lights in the AG (loads of photosynthesis) and the macro/micronutrient dosage in the NH ferts will make the tomatoes nice and tasty ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/11 "2009-04-01T22:28:03Z")
4/1/09 update four blooms, three getting ready to bloom, and two developing Proto-matoes, plant is just a hair shy of 3" tall The Micro had a couple visitors this afternoon… [http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microbeetles.JPG](http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microbeetles.JPG) [http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microbeetles1.JPG](http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microbeetles1.JPG) [http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microbeetles2.JPG](http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Microbeetles2.JPG) These Asian Ladybugs are more than welcome to visit my AG plants anytime they want, they won’t find any food on them though, they really should go downstairs to the “Pepper Bucket” which is fighting a sporadic case of aphids (migrated over from the pot of Swiss Chard) frakking aphids, whoever invented them should be FIRED…out of a cannon, into the sun ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-they-call-these-plants-micro-tom-ato-plants-they-arent-kidding/490798/12 "2009-04-02T00:12:22Z")
You’re making me want to try again to grow tiny plants. 😃 See, I bought a very small Victorian style greenhouse thing. It’s a two piece affair with a greenhouse shaped top made of glass in a metal frame with decorative bits on top, and the bottom is metal with a plastic liner on feet. We’re talking approximately the real estate of a hardback book, about six to eight inches high with about an inch and half depth available for soil. I’ll have to see if the local garden store has any ground cover that won’t up and die on me… 😉