Now that the drought and excessive heat of this past summer is hopefully over, I have found some things that worked better and one of the directions I am going will be to grow more small or dwarf sized vegetable plants.

Some I really liked from the past year and some I have had others recommend.

These are on the list for the 2012 season for sure...

This past summer I grew Compatto dill which I really loved. It did well this past summer, lasting in our heat and grew no taller than about 12 - 18 inches. Also Mariska dill which is small but was in more sun and didn't last the summer. I will try them both again and place them in equal positions to see if one is actually more productive than the other.

I have grown Ravayya eggplant in the past but found few fruits to plants ratio. I will be trying a couple of new eggplants this year ~ Ophelia ( 2 oz purple) and White Fingers (4 to 6" fruits). Both are supposed to be small plants with small fruits.

I'll be trying a small red sweet pepper called Red Skin. I have grown Sweet Pimento and liked them so may grow them again also.

I have grown Peter Pan squash and they were alright. This next summer I plant to try Delicata squash and Green Tiger Courgette which is a zuchinni with 8' fruits, as well as Sunburst scallop pan squash. All smaller plants and fruits.

The Florida Everglades tomato is a tiny tomato that delivers fruit freely, even in the greenhouse in winter. Next summer I plan to try Sweet Million tomatoes too on others' recommendations.

A Parisian carrot which is a short carrot suited to containers. I grew Danvers half long but was only half impressed.

I have grown the Spacemaster and Little Leaf cucumbers and liked the amount and size of vegetables they delivered for the space they were grown in. This year I intend to also grow Alibi.

The types of plant ideas I am looking for would be well suited for container growth or square foot gardening or raised beds. Anything that can deliver in a compact area.

If anyone has any other suggestions for small stature plants that have been quite productive for them, I would be interested in receiving their suggestions.

I am not soliciting seeds but only hoping for recommendations and hope others will feel free to help me with ideas of plants to research. TIA ~ pod

Thanks for this new thread, Pod...

I grew New Big Dwarf tomato this year and loved it! Although I grew them in the ground, not containers, I'm sure they do great for those folks growing in them. They top out around 3 ft tall, are very thick stalked, produce full sized fruit and are an indeterminate. Their foliage alone, rugose, is highly attractive. Fruit is one of the tastiest varieties I've grown in years.

Shoe

All right ~ a friend has been telling me that was a good tomato. I know my spouse will appreciate the size of them. He thinks tomatoes shouldn't be small. lol

As an indeterminate with thick stalks did you stake them or were they sturdy enough?

You could get by with a single stake easily. I planted mine so close together I ended up using a "Florida weave" with stakes every couple of plants then string horizontally. I do know this...the plants are so bushy when they are planted real close it was difficult to find the tomatoes!

Not sure you can see any tomatoes but here is a row, right of pic and next to the bucket. (The bucket is 14" tall if that gives you an idea of the size of the plants.)
Shoe

Shoe, that sounds like one I'd like to try. Can you tell us where you got the seeds, please?

Howdy, Carol...

I got my seeds from Tomato Growers Supply.
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/e...

They are also available from Tatiana's Tomato Database: http://t.tatianastomatobase.co...

Last year when I got my seed from TGS they listed it as indeterminate. Just now looking I see they changed it to determinate. At other sites, like Tatiana's linked above, it is still listed as indeterminate.

Mine produced for quite a while but unfortunately were hit with one of the many foliage diseases we deal with here in NC so I can't say how long they would produce if kept completely healthy.

Shoe

Wow! I just went thru TGS, and now I'm really confused! I need to pick your brain, but not about dwarfs, so I'll get my list of questions ready and try another thread.

Hah! Confusion can be fun in the garden world, Carol! Join the club! :>)

Enjoy! Ain't life grand?

Shoe (who says we have all winter to think, wonder, and decide for next year; I wonder if that is what Ma Nature does in the winter?....)

The New Big Dwarf looks like a good sturdy tomato plant.
(I love that name also.)

I will definitely add them to my list ~ thank you.

Did you intend to plant them so closely or were the plants fuller than you expected?

Howdy, Pod...

Actually, I was thinking since they were much smaller plants than my other indeterminates that I could plant them closer. However, their huge amount of foliage really surprised me. I really think their foliage is what added to their wonderful flavor; I'm one of those who believe the more leaves the better the photosynthesis thereby giving a better taste due to sugar/starch processing.

I think next year I'll set these out almost 3 ft apart, not only for better visibility of the fruit but also for good air circulation around each plant.

Hope this helps.
Shoe

That does help and is good to know. Thanks ~ I will be trying them next spring.

I second all of Shoe's comments. I grew NBD and LOVED it! Late in the season I had to remove some of the branches to pick the Tomatoes! Best tasting I grew this year by far. Slices were sandwich size and more!

They sure were some "full foliage" plants, weren't they, JO? And the stems were really thick, too.

By the way, did yours plants keep on producing until frost? I'd like to get to the final conclusion of "determinate or indeterminate". As mentioned above mine bit the dust due to foliage problems so I'll have to grow them out again next year to really find out and hope for the best.

Shoe

Well, thanks to many recommendations including both of yours, some of the New Big Dwarf tomato seeds were shared for the coming season. I am anxious to try them.

The sturdy stems appeal to me but I am wondering how well the ample foliage will do in this heat/humidity. Will know more by this time next year.

Shoe, yes, the NBD were still putting on new growth & blossoms whet the freeze hit them. I also had a nice one growing from a cutting. Next year I may root some for the greenhouse.

Pod, you could always thin out the dense foliage if needed. It didn't bother mine at all when I did that.

I have mixed ideas about the abundant foliage. While it will help provide shelter from the sun, it will also cause more transpiration.

Either way I intend to try them. I may remove some of the foliage on some of the plants and leave some of the plants fully clothed as an experiment.

Thanks... Kristi

"I have mixed ideas about the abundant foliage. While it will help provide shelter from the sun, it will also cause more transpiration."

Nope, not at all. Plants regulate their transpiration thru opening and closing the stomata (pores on their leaves). If the plant needs the water they'll close, holding in moisture; if they have ample water they'll open to allow proper water/fluid flow to their best advantage.

Shoe

Shoe, you is one smart dude!!!