One of the hardest plant plugs orders to do is the tomatoes. Here are 3 new ones for me to grow this year. Have you had them before? New ones for containers.

​Tomato, Akoya Hybrid  called a cocktail sized tomato

​Tomato, Summerlast   Fruit Size: 1-1.5oz  they call this a cocktail tomato

​Tomato Sweet 'n' Neat Scarlet Improved Hybrid Cherry Tomato

​Another cloudy, and we are in a winter weather advisory snow totals of 1 to 4 inches across portions of Iowa. We are in that area so see what happens.  I can tell you when you are outside it is a very cold feeling even though the temperature is 16F(-8C).  You can feel the moisture in the air so for me it makes if feel a lot colder.  Just another winter day in IOWA.  Stay warm, stay safe.
 
Australia family and friends are having summer days now.  The weather for their Friday 12/12  will be 84F(29C) with 95% humidity. The moisture in their air will make it feel warmer.  The weather app said they will be 15 degrees warmer than their average of 69F(20C).  Stay cool, stay safe.
 
I just finished up one of my hard orders.  Ordering tomatoes.  Remember I must order the variety, plus the amount of that variety.  Over the years, the plant packs have changed for what the gardeners want.  We used to put all the tomatoes in a small 4 pack, then we went to a large 4 pack.  Now what I am seeing is the gardener wants  4” pots of single tomatoes.  The tomato plant is bigger so hopefully it will grow a little faster in the garden.  What do you think is that the case for large tomatoes to grow faster and produce sooner?  I think gardeners have gone from growing dozens of plants for canning and processing to having a variety of plants that will give them a variety of flavor, sizes, and choices of what to do with them.  Here is a couple of new tomatoes for me to grow.   They are in a vegetalis series which means they are here to put into containers to produce. 

Tomato, Akoya Hybrid  called a cocktail sized tomato
65 days. Cocktail-sized, 2", juicy fruits average 1 oz. and have a nice sweet flavor with a Brix of 5. Fruits grow in loose trusses and ripen from black to shades of red, then orange with some black shading when ready to pick. Plants have a semi-trailing habit, nice dark green foliage and grow approx. 12" tall by 18" wide. Perfect for containers, hanging baskets and small space gardens. Features intermediate resistance to Tomato Mosaic Virus and tolerance to Late Blight. Heavy yielder. Determinate
Tomato, Summerlast   Fruit Size: 1-1.5oz  they call this a cocktail tomato
Vine Type: Determinate
The Summerlast tomato is a revolutionary new variety of blight-resistant dwarf tomato. It is the first of its kind, making it an exciting addition to the world of patio tomatoes. Unlike traditional tomato plants that can grow quite tall and require a lot of space, the Summerlast is specifically designed for small outdoor spaces such as patios or balconies.
 One of the standout features of the Summerlast tomato is its ability to produce a large number of stunning fruits. In terms of cultivation, the Summerlast is incredibly easy to grow. You only need a 25 cm (10″) pot to accommodate this compact plant. This makes it perfect for those with limited space or those who are new to gardening. Whether you have a small urban garden or simply want to add some greenery to your balcony, the Summerlast tomato is an excellent choice.
Tomato Sweet 'n' Neat Scarlet Improved Hybrid Cherry Tomato
Determinate habit but produces fruit all season long. Here is fabulous new cherry tomato compact enough to grow in containers on the patio or back porch, with a determinate habit (meaning that it stops growing once it sets fruit) but an indeterminate fruit production (meaning that those new tomatoes just keep setting all season long.) Talk about the best of every situation: it's compact, it's heavy-bearing, and by the way, it's delicious.
Sweet 'n' Neat Scarlet Improved reaches just 10 to 12 inches high but sets lots and lots of flowers and fruit on its well-branched habit. The little cherries are about ¾- to 1-ounce, arising in huge clumps like grapes. They will continue if the warm summer weather holds out, so get ready for a bumper crop.
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse