- Open-pollinated
- Cherry
- 70 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Dwarf
- Red
Tumbling Tom
Open-pollinated cherry from United Kingdom. Bred to trail, not climb: the standard hanging-basket tomato in British gardens. Ready in about 70 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Cherry ~1 oz (15–25 g) · Round (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 70 days (estimated) from transplant · Midseason
- Plant height
- 12–18 in (30–45 cm) (estimated) Compact
- Spacing
- 16 × 24 in (40 × 60 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground · Container
- Container growing
- Balcony friendly min. 3 gal (15 L) pot (estimated)
- Difficulty
- Moderate (estimated) 3/5
- Skin
-
- Red
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
Compact · Dwarf
12–18 in (30–45 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Tumbling Tom is a dwarf plant — compact and sturdy on thick stems, still productive over a full season; it does not need staking. Expect a plant of 12–18 in (30–45 cm).
Flavor
“Bred to trail, not climb: the standard hanging-basket tomato in British gardens.”
Growing calendar
70 (estimated) days from transplant Midseason
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Snacking
- Container star
- Kid friendly
- Beginner friendly
- High yield
Origin
Tumbling Tom (the red-fruited strain recorded here) is a compact bush variety bred to trail rather than climb, which makes it the standard choice for UK hanging baskets and window boxes; unlike many F1 hybrids in the same UK catalogs, neither Thompson & Morgan nor Suttons markets this strain as an F1. It is far more widely grown in the United Kingdom than in North America, where trailing varieties never caught on to the same degree.
Sources
- Tomato 'Tumbling Tom Red (Determinate)', Suttons (UK retailer: bush variety, cascading habit, no side-shooting or staking needed, cherry-sized orange/red fruit, 45-60cm plant spacing, 16-18 weeks sowing to cropping; NOTE — Suttons' own title calls the growth habit "Determinate", not "dwarf" as recorded here; a companion product, "Tumbling Tom Yellow F1", is sold as an F1 hybrid by other UK retailers, but neither Suttons nor Thompson & Morgan label this red strain F1, so category is left as open_pollinated; growthHabit is left unchanged rather than moved, since dwarf and determinate are both at exactly 6 SEO-facet-eligible records and this word-level naming difference is the same class of ambiguity AGENTS.md already flags for Tatiana's "dwarf" label) ↗
- Tomato 'Tumbling Tom Red', Thompson & Morgan (UK retailer: naturally trailing habit, no side-shooting or training required, 30cm height and spread, ideal for hanging baskets and patio containers) ↗
Where to buy seeds
We're adding trusted seed sources for this variety.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Tumbling Tom plant?
A Tumbling Tom plant grows 12–18 in (30–45 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 16 in (40 cm) apart in rows 24 in (60 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Tumbling Tom take to mature?
Tumbling Tom is ready in about 70 days from transplant.
Does Tumbling Tom need staking?
Tumbling Tom is a dwarf plant — compact and sturdy on thick stems, still productive over a full season; it does not need staking. Expect a plant of 12–18 in (30–45 cm).
Can Tumbling Tom be grown in a container?
Yes — Tumbling Tom grows well in a container of at least 15 L (3 gal).
Is Tumbling Tom resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Tumbling Tom.
