The Easiest Tomatoes to Grow Indoors (Complete Guide)
Growing your own produce is satisfying in so many ways. You’re more self-sustainable, you have a fresh supply of herbs and veggies almost anytime you want, and you save money. If you’re feeling inspired to start your own indoor tomato garden but you’re new to growing tomatoes at home, you’re probably wondering which tomatoes you should choose to grow? Or which tomatoes are the easiest tomatoes to grow indoors?
Here’s a list of the easiest tomatoes to grow indoors:
- Cherry
- Plum
- Florida Petite
- Small Fry
- Toy Boy
- Orange Pixie
- Tiny Tim
- Micro Tom
- Red Robin
- Yellow Pear
Admittedly, most of these tomato varieties might be new to you. Why should you grow them and how? In this guide, that’s exactly what I’m going to tell you. You’ll learn more about the size of each tomato, how long until you can harvest, and how to care for your growing vines.
Let’s begin!
10 Indoor Tomatoes That Are Easy to Grow
Cherry Tomatoes
I’ll start with a tomato I’m sure you’re very familiar with, the cherry tomato. Nicknamed after the ruby-red cherry because of its size, cherry tomatoes have an average diameter of 25 to 35 millimeters.
In other words, a cherry tomato is about the size of a golf ball. Your heaviest cherry tomatoes may weigh 25 grams and the smallest ones around 12 grams.
The shape of a cherry tomato is oval but somewhat flat. The bright red hue of these tomatoes will make them an attractive addition to your indoor garden once they start to sprout. Before then, they may be green, and before that, they’re flowers.
Your windowsill is the perfect place to grow cherry tomatoes, especially if that sill is attached to a southerly-facing window. If you can’t give your tomatoes bright, natural light, then use artificial light instead. Put chicken wire or mesh around the pot or container so the tomato vines can grow and latch on. Cherry tomatoes will grow towards their light source.
Let the soil get dry between waterings and use well-draining soil. Fertilize your cherry tomatoes using a granular fertilizer with an 8-16-8 ratio, diluting the mixture with a gallon of water for every two tablespoons of fertilizer.
How Long Does it Take for Cherry Tomatoes to go from Seed to Harvest?
Within about a month, 25 to 35 days, your cherry tomatoes should be ready for harvesting, which makes the Cherry Tomato among the shortest growing period for an indoor tomato plant.
Plum Tomatoes
Datterino or plum tomatoes are a good one to grow once you’ve mastered cherry tomatoes. They’re bigger, about 2 to 4 inches, and much taller than they are wider. The flavor of plum tomatoes is pretty strong, but most people use these tomatoes for making pastes, salsas, and sauces rather than eating them on their own.
To grow plum tomatoes, take a pot or container and make holes in the soil about 1/4th inch deep, adding seed starting mix to the holes. Generously water the soil until it’s significantly wet. Cover the tomato tray for a week, then move the tray to a southerly-facing windowsill just as you did when growing cherry tomatoes.
Moisture is key when it comes to growing Plum Tomatoes from seed, so water the seedlings if the soil has dried out. Keeping the soil moist will help prevent Plum Tomatoes from a premature death.
When the seedlings begin to grow leaves, it’s time to move them to a pot that’s at least 4 inches deep. Use regular potting mix for the pot and make an inch-deep hole to plant the seedlings.
Your plum tomato seedlings should come out of their container easily enough with a bit of prodding. When they do, cover the seedling and let its leaves remain exposed.
How Long Does it Take for Plum Tomatoes to go from Seed to Harvest?
Between 55 and 80 days after you started, your plum tomatoes should be full grown, ready for picking and finally ready to eat.
Florida Petite Dwarf Tomato
The University of Florida created the Florida Petite tomato variety in the 1980s. This a bigger dwarf tomato plant that reaches heights of 4 to 8 inches and about equal width.
The tomatoes themselves are small and cherry-sized, but you’ll need some room for the Florida Petite plant should you choose to grow it.
Those who have eaten Florida Petite tomatoes say their flavor is ripe, fresh, and rich in tomatoey goodness but without much of the sweetness you get from some tomato varieties.
The fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruit) may split if you water it too much during ripening since the skin is thin at that point. Still, its flavor at this stage of growth is more preferable to some.
Add some Florida Petite tomatoes to your indoor garden by starting with seed. Although original articles about the Florida Petite said this plant can grow in a 4-inch pot, it’s better if the container you choose is a quarter-gallon or a gallon in size since again, the plant itself can get pretty large. Staking the Florida Petite is crucial.
How Long Does it Take for Florida Petite Tomatoes to go from Seed to Harvest?
You’ll have to be a bit patient if you’re growing Florida Petite tomatoes, as the fruit needs somewhere around 60 days to germinate and be eligible for harvesting!
Small Fry Dwarf Tomato
As the name suggests, the Small Fry is a small tomatoes even for a dwarf tomato. The average Small Fry Dwarf Tomato weighs roughly 0.75 ounces each.
The small fry tomato plant is a smidge bigger, about 4 feet. You could even theoretically grow Small Fry tomatoes in your air conditioned office if you can provide the right care conditions, which is pretty cool!
When choosing a container for the Small Fry, think more of the plant’s growth potential than the individual tomatoes. A mid-sized or larger container will work best, and it should have adequate drainage as well.
When it comes to growing Small Fry Tomatoes indoors, Use potting mix rather than gardening soil and infuse it with a slow-release fertilizer.
If you’re growing your Small Fry tomatoes from seedlings, then allow them to germinate until you start seeing leaves, then move the tomatoes to their a container. If you have tomato stems that you’re propagating, you can skip the seed part and put the stems right in the container.
A trellis or tomato cage will allow the tomato vines to grab, climb, and grow. Please make a point to put the trellises in right at the beginning of this growth phase.
Adding a trellis for your tomatoes after the roots have established could cause you to accidentally puncture the roots of the plant with your tomato cage, which you don’t want!
Maintain soil warmth by laying out a mulch layer atop the potting mix. Keep the soil moist but not soaking. Watering the Small Fry at least once a day should suffice, but some days might call for two watering periods.
How Long Does it Take for Small Fry Dwarf Tomatoes to go from Seed to Harvest?
It takes about 65 days, but the Small Fry will be ripe at that point and ready to eat!
Toy Boy Tomato
Toy Boy tomatoes are easy to grow indoors, but they do need more space than some of the other tomatoes I’ve discussed so far. The Toy Boy Tomato Plant can reach a height of 22 inches, but you get sizable fruit for your effort and you don’t have to worry about staking the Toy Boy, so there are plenty of benefits to choosing this tomato variety.
How to Germinate Toy Boy Tomato Seeds
- With your Toy Boy seeds at the ready, make little soil beds for the seeds that are 1/4th inch deep.
- Cover the seeds and then water them until the potting soil is moist, not soaking wet. Avoiding oversaturation when initially watering your tomato seeds is key.
- Use plastic wrap or a lid to cover the Toy Boy seeds for the first 2 – 3 weeks of their lives.
- Final recommendation when it comes to germinating Toy Boy seeds is to maintain a temperature of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit if you can. Maintaining a warm & humid environment for your seeds will give you a better chance of a successful germination.
Toy Boy tomatoes need full sun, but only once they’ve started growing. Choose a sunny window, or add a grow light for additional light so the fruit can drink in the light unobstructed for around 12 hours.
The Toy Boy Tomato can reach heights of around 3 inches per tomato during this phase, at which time you need to move them to a larger pot to grow into. Either a 4-inch or 6-inch pot should be ideal depending on the size of your particular Toy Boy plant .
What Kind of Fertilizer is Best for a Toy Boy Tomato Plant?
A complete fertilizer with phosphorus for the Toy Boy, applying on a two-week, maybe three-week basis.
Orange Pixie Tomato
The Orange Pixie isn’t red like most tomatoes, but pretty orange instead! These tomatoes almost look like pumpkins, but don’t resemble their flavor at all.
Moderately-sized, Orange Pixie tomatoes are roughly 4 ounces apiece with a firm texture. The flavor is much beloved, so it’s certainly something you’ll want to try for yourself.
How Large Does an Orange Pixie Tomato Grow?
Growing the Orange Pixie tomato plant indoors in a container, it will generally only grow to heights of 18 inches. If grown in a larger pot or planted outdoors, the Orange Pixie tomato plant’s growth will be closer double its indoor counterpart, averaging 36 inches.
Plant your Orange Pixie seeds into soil beds that are 1/4th inch deep, spacing apart each row 36 inches from one another. Orange Pixie tomatoes require temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees, adequate ventilation, and lots of bright light.
Can I Grow an Orange Pixie Tomato on a Windowsill?
No, you cannot grow an Orange Pixie tomato plant on a windowsill, as it tends to get leggy, lean to one side, and will fall right off the sill.
When you move the Orange Pixie to its first pot, you can begin fertilizing it, but use a light hand here. Water this mini tomato generously to increase the Orange Pixie’s water content, but don’t water it to the point where the plant is at risk of root rot.
How Long Does it Take for a Orange Pixie Tomato to go from Seed to Harvest?
Orange Pixie Tomatoes are ready for harvesting in about 65 to 80 days.
Tiny Tim Tomato
The teeny-tiny tomatoes you’ll yield from the Tiny Tim plant have a diameter of maybe half an inch. Each plant should grow enough tomatoes that you more than get your fill.
You also don’t have to prune the Tiny Tim Tomato plant all that much since it’s naturally bushy. The plant may reach heights of 16 to 18 inches.
Tiny Tim tomatoes are one-bite snacks that have a nice flavor, much like that of a cherry tomato. If you’re trying to convince the kids to eat their vegetables, the Tiny Tim is a good tomato variety to introduce them to.
If you’d prefer to grow your Tiny Tim plant in a hanging basket, that’s a great option for this particular indoor tomato. Otherwise, you can go the pot route, in which case a pot that’s around 10 inches is a perfect pick.
How Long Does it Take for a Tiny Tim Tomato to go from Seed to Harvest?
Regardless of what season you planted the seeds, when it comes to how long it takes to go from seed to harvest, the Tiny Tim variety needs about 55 days to fully mature. Tiny Tim Tomatoes will grow throughout the year, yes, even in the winter!
Micro Tom Tomato
You have the Micro Tom tomato to thank for the boom in miniature tomatoes. Another University of Florida creation, the Micro Tom is larger than Tiny Tim, as each tomato on this plant is an inch in size.
The plant itself is 5 to 8 inches, so it’s another smaller one you can grow in an apartment or cubicle as part of an Aerogarden. Some people have even called it the shortest tomato plant in the world.
Starting your Micro Tom tomatoes from seeds is simple. You need a small container at the beginning, but you still want to bury the seeds about a 1/4th inch deep.
Maintain moisture without saturating the soil and then keep the seeds in the dark for 12 to 16 days. The dark, wet environment will lead to germination, so avoid checking on your seeds even if the temptation is great.
Once you see significant growth from your Micro Tom, especially the leaves, it’s time to put the tomato plant in a bigger pot. Unlike some larger tomato plants, the Micro Tom can go from container to pot just once since the plant itself is so small. Then it’s just a matter of giving the plant lots of sun, watering when the soil becomes dry, and fertilizing every now and again.
How Long Does it Take for a Micro Tom Tomato to go from Seed to Harvest?
Micro Tom tomatoes are ready for harvesting in about 75 days.
Red Robin Tomato
If you hear the words Red Robin and immediately think “yum,” that’s fine, as this fruit is quite tasty! I am talking about tomatoes though and not the cheeseburger restaurant.
The Red Robin makes a great companion plant to the Micro Tom, as the plant itself is 8 inches as well. Finding indoor plants that share the same requirements (water, light, fertilizer) is always great because you can often grow them in the same container.
Red Robins are small tomatoes like Micro Toms that you can eat in one bite. Colder temperatures won’t deter this tomato plant from growing, which is great. You can plant Red Robin tomatoes whenever you want all year.
If you decide to start growing some Red Robins today, use a container and place the seeds an inch deep, then cover them with seed starter mix. Keep the seeds warm and moist for about 10 days until they germinate.
At that milestone, move the Red Robin seeds to a 6-inch pot, which will be its final home. Keep the plant well-lit for 8 hours a day using artificial light or sunshine from a southerly-facing window. Temperatures should ever dip below 65 degrees for the Red Robin.
How Long Does it Take for a Red Robin Tomato to go from Seed to Harvest?
In 55 days, your Red Robin tomatoes are ripe for the picking, which is considered a relatively short maturity period!
Yellow Pear Tomato
At first glance, you’re going to wonder if the Yellow Pear is actually a tomato. The ambiguous name doesn’t really clear up matters much either.
I know it’s a touch confusing, but yes, the Yellow Pear is indeed a tomato. It’s also yellow and shaped more like a pear than a tomato, but that’s one of the peculiarities that makes the Yellow Pear Tomato so fun to grow indoors!
Each of these heirloom tomatoes is about 2 inches, so you get a lot of bang for your buck. The vines of this plant can easily reach 8 feet without pruning. You’ll need a trellis or tomato cage to support the vines or they’ll get droopy.
Rich soil will produce the thickest, healthiest Yellow Pear Tomatoes. Consider adding fertilizer or compost after 6 to 9 months as the soil will begin losing its original nutrients.
Are Coffee Grounds Good for Yellow Pear Tomato Plants?
Yes! Make sure to check the pH of the soil, as you want it to be a little acidic. Like most tomato plants, the Yellow Pear Tomato plant is an acid loving plant, so consider adding coffee grounds to this indoor plants potting soil to boost the acidity once or twice a year.
How Long Does it Take for a Yellow Pear Tomato to go from Seed to Harvest?
Yellow Pear tomatoes are harvestable when they’re a rich yellow hue. It takes between 70 and 80 days to reach that point, but the results will be worth it.
