A fantastic micro dwarf tomato. House Tomato has excellent sweet, tangy red cherry tomatoes. It is early, hardy, compact (10-12″) and perfect for 1-gallon pots.
House Tomato also comes with a great story.
House Tomato was introduced to the seed trade by the esteemed California public seed bank, JL Hudson. On their website, JL Hudson writes:
“The most unusual tomato we have grown, with small red cherry tomatoes produced on very compact plants. Early and perfect for containers and short season areas. Very tasty flavour.”
In addition, JL Hudson documents the tomato’s Canadian connection.
The information about House Tomato on the JL Hudson website comes from Mr Curtis Androsoff, who is from Saskatchewan.
Mr Androsoff donated the original seeds to the seed bank. He explained that the seeds first made their way to Canada in 1893 from Tbilisi, Georgia (the country) on an old sailing ship carried by Mr Androsoff’s grandmother to Saskatchewan.
He describes how the tomato is meant to be grown indoors and can live for years indoors if properly pruned, which is how his grandmother grew it.
We reached out to Mr Androsoff to see if the information posted on the JL Hudson website was correct – he confirmed that the information was indeed correct!
We have both overwintered House Tomato (under grow lights) and grown them outside (in pots) in summer.
We like how the seedsavers at Farmacie Isolde describe this tomato: “House Tomato. As in ‘House Plant’. But a tomato plant. To grow in the house.”
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How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Transplant after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.
