![\"Green](\"https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2026\/08\/micro-tomatoes-396x297.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nDwarf and micro-dwarf varieties are fairly new on the tomato scene. They are not<\/em><\/strong> determinate bush type tomatoes. They have a very rare gene for dwarfism which slows the growth rate, and reduces the spacing between each branch to only 1-2 inches. This creates a very compact plant with stocky, sturdy stems and branches. The plants can have any type leaf, but most have rugose type leaves that are dark green, thick, and crinkled. Since dwarfism does not affect the fruits, they can be any color or size. Dwarfism in tomatoes is so rare that when it occurs, plant breeders try to save as many seeds as possible for future plant breeding purposes. Plant breeders use dwarf varieties to control for plant size and then hand pollinate to cross with varieties that have desirable fruit traits. Each generation, plant breeders select only plants with dwarfism. Up to 90% of the hybrid crosses must be discarded because they don\u2019t have the rare dwarfism gene. It takes up to10 generations for these hybrid crosses stabilize, at which point they are a considered a new open pollinated variety. Even so, there will always be the occasional plant that reverts back to the dominant traits for larger plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breeding dwarf and micro-dwarf tomatoes is truly a labor of love that few gardeners understand. There appears to be little demand by commercial growers for dwarfs and even less for micro-dwarfs. The rise in the number of all dwarf varieties is mostly a result of the interest and efforts of hobby gardeners. In 2007 hobby gardeners formed the Dwarf Tomato Project, an all-volunteer, world-wide project to expand the number of varieties of very small tomato plants. Usually you can only grow one generation of tomatoes a year. However, when gardeners in the northern hemisphere teamed up to swap seeds with growers in the southern hemisphere (where the growing seasons are the opposite of ours) they were able to grow two generations each year, cutting the time it takes to stabilize a new dwarf variety from 10 years to 5. Unfortunately, new agricultural laws restricting the import\/export of seeds, even for the free exchange of seeds among hobby gardeners, has reduced the number of micro-dwarf varieties available. Now there are varieties that are only available in either the northern or southern hemisphere, but not both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Micro-dwarfs can be grown easily in 1 gallon pots. They don\u2019t need much staking or pruning, just enough to keep the vines from breaking under the weight of the fruits. Micro-dwarfs are also small enough to grow indoors, by starting from seed, or by bringing a potted plant indoors at the end of the season to extend the harvest. Tomatoes need a controlled environment when grown indoors\u2014strong artificial light for 12-14 hours a day, consistently moist soil, and consistent temperatures of 72\u1d52-80\u1d52 night and day. A window sill usually will not <\/strong>provide good growing conditions, as it will be too cold at night and too hot on sunny days. An artificial light and a heat mat are usually enough to create a good environment for micro-dwarf plants during the winter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the US, seeds for dwarf and micro-dwarf varieties are available from many small or family-owned seed companies that specialize in open pollinated and hard to find varieties. Renaissance Seed Company, Baker Creek, and Victory Seed, are good places to start. Be prepared for them to be out of stock frequently, and expect to pay up to a dollar per seed. Nevertheless, micro-dwarfs are a fun winter project, and make thoughtful gifts for the avid gardeners on your list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Micro-dwarf Tomatoes by Phyllis Pugnetti, Master Gardener What makes dwarf and micro-dwarf tomatoes different than other tomato plants? Basically, it\u2019s their extremely small plant size. Dwarf plants usually grow 2-3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wsuwp_accessibility_report":null,"_external_link":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[65],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27465"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27465"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27468,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27465\/revisions\/27468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}