Plant Library
Topsy Tom Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum 'Topsy Tom'
Height: 18 inches
Spacing: 18 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Group/Class: Cherry/Grape-Determinate
Description:
Known for high yields of fruit, this cascading variety produces beautiful clusters of bright red cherry tomatoes; sweet flavor that is perfect for salads, snacking, pastas and pickling; perfect for upside planters, hanging baskets and patio containers
Edible Qualities
Topsy Tom Tomato is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces small clusters of red round tomatoes (which are technically 'berries') with red flesh which are usually ready for picking from mid summer to early fall. This is a determinate variety, which means it bears a full crop all at once. The tomatoes have a sweet taste with a juicy texture and a distinctive fragrance.
The tomatoes are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Cooking
- Pickling
- Canning
Planting & Growing
Topsy Tom Tomato will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.
This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Topsy Tom Tomato is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
