(Tbilisi) House Tomato

• Grown, sold, and described by Bunny Hop Seeds
• Plant growth: micro-dwarf, determinate
• Leaf type: rugose, regular leaf
• Time to maturity: early
• Approx. number of seeds per pack: 15+
• Germination tested after Hot Water Seed Treatment for Fungal and Bacterial Diseases

“(Tbilisi) House Tomato” is a micro-dwarf from Tbilisi, Georgia, that was brought to Canada in the 1893 by Curtis Androsoff’s grandmother and then shared with seedsman JL Hudson. It is an heirloom that was customarily grown in a way I have never heard of…grown outdoors in the summer and then cut back to bring indoors in the autumn to produce fruits all winter at a sunny window. This is a true micro-dwarf that topped out at 10” in a 2-gallon pot for me and then died in the late July heat and humidity. I can’t imagine cutting back a 10” tall plant. Evidently, however, this is a way to make a houseplant out of a tomato plant if you live in a climate where you would not be bringing in rampant tomato plant diseases and insects in any plant brought in over the winter. It can apparently be done, according to Curtis Androsoff: “The House Tomato are heritage seed. I have two plants that are 12 years old, producing good fruit. I cut them down for new growth each year.”
The House Tomato had very dainty growth with small rugose leaves that were darker green than my other micro-dwarfs. The fruits were red, fat, juicy, and very meaty at 0.5 oz. I liked their flavor and texture best at slightly less than full ripeness, but that could have been due to my very hot and humid growing conditions with too much rain. Indoors in a cool, dry environment they may be best at full ripeness. NOTE: One packet per order.