Tiny Tim is a beautiful micro-dwarf tomato, with great tasting cherry tomatoes that is perfect for a tabletop or patio pot.
A 1-gallon pot will do just fine. And despite its small size, Tiny Tim has great production.
This is an easy and hardy tomato to grow, traits it likely inherited from its wild tomato ancestor (Solanum pimpinellifolium x Window Box).
Don’t underestimate Tiny Tim because of its small size and cuteness. In his book, Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land, seed historian and author Gary Paul Nabhan recommends Tiny Tim as an “Early-Maturing, Heat-Tolerant, Drought-Evasive” tomato variety.
A bit of history:
Tiny Tim was bred for the home gardener in 1945 by the Horticultural Department of the University of New Hampshire.
In Bulletin No. 354 of ‘Agricultural Research in New Hampshire’ (1945), Tiny Tim is described as “a very small-fruited type, capable of being matured in a 5-inch pot for purposes of Christmas decorations, and not recommended for field growing.”
In 1947, the Billy Hepler Seed Co. recommended planting Tiny Tim in August for a winter harvest:
“It may be started in August, transplanted to a 5 inch pot filled with rich composted soil. When grown in a sunny window, it will ripen its fruit by Christmas.”
You can, of course, grow Tiny Tim in the spring for a summer harvest.
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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.
