10 Best Tomato Varieties to Grow Indoors

There’s nothing quite like the taste of a fresh, homegrown tomato. The juicy sweetness and vibrant flavor are hard to match with store-bought ones. While most tomato plants thrive outdoors in the warmth of summer, you can still enjoy ripe, red tomatoes even when there’s snow on the ground.

Growing tomatoes indoors allows you to cultivate flavorful fruits year-round. With the right varieties that are suited to indoor conditions, you can have farm-fresh tomatoes anytime. Here are 10 of the best tomato varieties to grow indoors for a bountiful harvest.

1. Sun Gold

• Type: Hybrid indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 55-60 days
• Fruit size and color: Golden orange cherry tomato (1/2″ round)

The brilliant orange cherry tomatoes of Sun Gold are a garden favorite. These sweet, fruity morsels are packed with rich tomato flavor. As an indeterminate variety, Sun Gold produces long vines with abundant fruit throughout the season. Their disease resistance also makes them ideal for indoor growing.

Sun Gold thrives in containers and can tolerate lower light conditions. For the best fruit, make sure to provide at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Their minimum temperature is 40-50°F, so they’re hardy when growing indoors over winter.

2. Red Grape

• Type: Heirloom indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 75-80 days
• Fruit size and color: Red grape-shaped (1″ oblong)

Add some grape-sized jewels to your indoor garden with Red Grape tomatoes. The shiny scarlet fruits grow in clusters on vigorous indeterminate vines. These petite tomatoes burst with sweetness and have a firm texture perfect for snacking.

Red Grape tolerates partial sunlight and cooler temperatures, though ideally you should provide at least 6 hours of sun per day. For winter growing indoors, temperatures shouldn’t drop below 50°F for extended periods.

3. Sweet ‘n Neat Cherry

• Type: Hybrid determinant
• Days to maturity: 60-65 days
• Fruit size and color: Bright red cherry tomato (1″ round)

As their name suggests, Sweet ‘n Neat Cherry tomatoes produce abundant crops of sugary sweet fruits on compact vines. This makes them well-suited for growing in containers and indoor spaces.

The bright red cherries have an excellent flavor that shines in salads or skewers. As a determinant variety, Sweet ‘n Neat reaches a modest height of just 18 inches, saving you space.

4. Tiny Tim

• Type: Heirloom indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 45 days
• Fruit size and color: Bright red cherry tomato (1/2″ round)

Among the smallest tomato varieties, Tiny Tim produces cute bite-sized fruits on dwarf plants. The red tomatoes have a good old-fashioned tomato flavor that’s perfect for indoor gardens with limited space.

Tiny Tim thrives in small containers, needing only 1-gallon size pots. Keep the soil moist and place in a sunny window for best results. The compact plants grow just 10-12 inches tall but yield tomatoes steadily.

5. Window Box Roma

• Type: Hybrid determinant
• Days to maturity: 75 days
• Fruit size and color: Red Roma tomato (2″ oblong)

For making sauces and salsas, try Window Box Roma tomatoes. These petite Roma-type fruits have excellent paste tomato qualities of meatiness and few seeds. As a determinant bush variety, Window Box Roma crops heavily within a short 2 months from planting.

The sturdy plants reach 2 feet tall and tolerate cooler weather. You can grow them in garden beds or 3-5 gallon containers. Just be sure to stake or cage them as fruits get heavy.

6. Sungold Cherry

• Type: Hybrid indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 55-60 days
• Fruit size and color: Golden orange cherry tomato (1⁄2” round)

A stabilized strain of Sun Gold, Sungold Cherry tomatoes produce abundant crops of sweet orange fruits. They have the same great flavor as Sun Golds but with improved disease resistance.

These vigorous indeterminate vines thrive in hanging baskets or large containers. Give them at least 5-gallon pots and use trellises for support. The golden cherry tomatoes tolerate cooler temperatures down to 50°F.

7. Red Robin

• Type: Heirloom indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 75 days
• Fruit size and color: Red cherry tomato (1” round)

Red Robin is a dwarf tomato variety that’s compact enough for indoor growing. The cute, round cocktail-sized fruits grow on short 12-18 inch vines. You can cultivate several plants together in a sunny window and be rewarded with oodles of bright red tomatoes.

As an indeterminate, Red Robin yields tomatoes steadily once it begin fruiting. Staking helps keep the vines tidy and improves air circulation for disease prevention.

8. Patio Choice Yellow

• Type: Hybrid indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 70 days
• Fruit size and color: Yellow cherry tomato (1” round)

Add a pop of sunshine to indoor gardens with Patio Choice Yellow tomatoes. These sweet, golden fruits are produced on compact 18-24-inch plants well-suited for containers.

Patio Choice Yellow is an indeterminate that can be grown in hanging baskets or 2-3 gallon pots. Be sure to provide support for the delicate vines. The tomatoes have a delicious, fruity flavor that adds charm to any dish.

9. Micro-Tom

• type: Hybrid determinant
• Days to maturity: 70 days
• Fruit size and color: Red cherry tomato (1-2cm round)

Tiny but mighty, Micro-Tom produces diminutive red tomatoes on dwarf vines under 12 inches tall. Each plant yields dozens of 1-2 cm fruits with surprisingly excellent flavor and ideal texture.

Micro-Tom thrives in small spaces, making it perfect for indoor growing. The compact determinant variety is also early maturing, so you’ll be harvesting ripe tomatoes just 70 days from seeding.

10. Tumbling Tom Yellow

• Type: Indeterminate
• Days to maturity: 75 days
• Fruit size and color: Yellow tomato (2oz round)

Finally, give your indoor garden a twist with the unique trailing vines of Tumbling Tom tomatoes. These indeterminate plants form vines up to 4 feet long that can be grown in hanging baskets.

The petite 2-ounce yellow fruits have a mild sweetness and firm texture. Tumbling Tom is also a prolific producer, yielding 100 or more fruits per plant! Just be sure to give it at least 8 hours of sun for best fruiting.

Conclusion

Growing tomatoes indoors lets you enjoy fresh homegrown flavor even when your garden is blanketed in snow. With the right variety chosen for indoor conditions, you can have a productive vegetable garden no matter the season.

Compact, container-friendly varieties that tolerate lower light and temperatures are best suited for indoor cultivation. Go for small-fruited types like Sun Gold and Red Robin that produce abundantly on indeterminate vines. Or try determinate bush varieties such as Window Box Roma for heavy harvests of paste tomatoes.

Make sure to provide at least 6 hours of sunlight, warm temperatures, large containers, and proper care for thriving indoor tomato plants. With a bit of preparation and the best varieties, you can delight in ripe, red tomatoes straight from your indoor garden year-round.