Asked on Jun 28, 2015

Sprawling tomato..unknown variety?

Pamela Scruggs
by Pamela Scruggs
I have grown some weird tomato plants from seed someone gave me...but they don't seem to stand up they look like normal tomato plants..is there a crawling vining sprawling type? I've never heard of this type of tomato but it is certainly showing its characteristics what shall I do....? The leaves look too big to be tumbling Toms because I have plenty of those to compare...any ideas?? Help!
Sprawler #1
Sprawler#2
Bumpy stalks, very firm and twisty
  12 answers
  • Sandi Sandi on Jun 28, 2015
    It looks like it needs a bigger pot or should be in the ground. Also bury the stems that bend as it looks like it's putting out new roots.
    • Pamela Scruggs Pamela Scruggs on Jun 28, 2015
      They're going in the ground today come hech or high water.. From the responses on getting I think it is a cherry tomato I don't know why they have these crooked stems they look like mutants from another planet... Maybe from planet Monsanto
  • Merry Merry on Jun 28, 2015
    It is a Cherry tomato all it needs is to a stack it or get a tomato cage then it will be fine.
  • P. watson P. watson on Jun 28, 2015
    i'm new to growing veggies but have a grape tomato plant that's been growing crazy . . . thank goodness it's planted near these fence panels, cos i had no idea it would do this! not shooting out any clingy vine things tho, so i've been tying it up w/soft twine. love the cute little clusters!
    • See 1 previous
    • P. watson P. watson on Jun 28, 2015
      i don't really know - saw the little tomatoes in your 1st pic & it made me think of my plant. not certain that the stalks on mine are firm & bumpy like you describe yours.
  • Ann Ann on Jun 28, 2015
    You can give it some support or replant it, just as Sandi and Merry said. Bury the stem in the dirt all the way to the first set of leaves. Pinch off the top of the plant to encourage more branches lower down.
  • Jill Fronk Jill Fronk on Jun 28, 2015
    Remove the suckers( little plants that grows in the middle of two main stems and it will grow thicker.
  • Amy Amy on Jun 28, 2015
    Get a tomato cage (I like the square ones) and put it in the planter with the plant in the middle so the branches don't break off from the weight of the tomatoes .
  • Sandy Slade Sandy Slade on Jun 29, 2015
    Hi, Could it be a bush tomato plant?
    • See 4 previous
    • Sandy Slade Sandy Slade on Jul 02, 2015
      My boyfriend always grows bush tomato's as you do not have to pinch them out or stake them now. He grows them in hanging baskets. I do not know what varieties you can get where you are but we have the following Red Alert, Sleaford Abundance, Alfresco, Sigmabush, and Tiny Tim . There are a few others but some still need staking.
  • Marcia Marcia on Jun 29, 2015
    Quite possibly a Sweet 100. An heirloom variety. Confine it or it will become the killer tomato that devoured Cleveland. I gave my husband some fill dirt to use at his clinic and voila, a monster that covered his patio.
  • Marcia Marcia on Jun 29, 2015
    Sweet 100's sprawl! They become monster tomatoes and will devour Cleveland and anything in their path. I gave my husband fill from pots that I had grown them in a couple of years back and they developed
  • Wanda sinnema Wanda sinnema on Jun 30, 2015
    the bumpy stalks might be tomato blight.. or fungus..I had it a few years back. be careful NOT to let any on those leaves or stalks w/ it get on the soil. It can carry over to following years..Some advise not planting tomatoes there for a year.. just in case..I think they are just leggy and need to be trained up and tied to a support of some kind..
  • Julie Julie on Jun 30, 2015
    Tomatoes are classified as indeterminate and determinate. Determinate means they stop growing at a certain height, and make less fruit. Indeterminate varieties continue as long as weather and disease allow, and make more fruit. It's like the difference between pole and bush beans. Indeterminate plants are best grown up (tall) supports to keep the plants contained and fruit clean, but will also produce sprawling on the ground. 6-12 feet vines are not uncommon, and often they get longer. So they can go to the top of a 6' support and back to the ground again! Google "Disney tomato plant" for pictures of a really amazing one. There are about 7,500 named varieties of tomatoes in the world, so the chance of us accuarately pegging this one is slim! Looks like a cherry or even currant type, but if you want a better guess, I'd ask the person who gave you seeds what they'd been growing. Tomatoes root easily, and the bumpy lower stalks can sometimes just be a start on that in humid conditions. Many people take advantage of this by planting seedlings so deep only the top leaves show, giving the plant a stronger root system to support it through the summer.
    • Pamela Scruggs Pamela Scruggs on Jul 02, 2015
      Thank you so much for such good advice and for all of the info... I listen to everyones advice and I have planted them in bottomless planters and giving them support and pinched off a little of the top taking rid of all the suckers and now I'm just praying to see what they reveal
  • Erin Maloney Erin Maloney on Jul 01, 2015
    The bumps on the stem are actually where roots would form if the stem was in contact with soil. It actually seems to resemble Matt's Wild Cherry tomato which grows wild in Mexico. I grew it for several years. The only downfall is that the tomatoes are hard to remove when ripe without causing splitting of the tomatoes.