The “small-framed” new Patio Delight tomato from Burpee may be compact, but believe me, it checks off all the must-haves that most home gardeners are looking for in a tomato. Now, it’s not an heirloom, but that is not a box that requires checking in my book. Heirlooms can be rangy (i.e. leggy and flailing its branches all over), which doesn’t suit small-space or community gardeners very well. They’re just so big and hard to manage. And when they are so big, they tend to grow into one another (especially in a small garden). Tight conditions like this promotes disease. And heirlooms, because they are older varieties, haven’t necessarily gone through the extensive breeding and trialing to choose for disease resistance.

Patio Delight, A Compact Variety

Which brings me back to Patio Delight, an F1 hybrid, and a determinate tomato variety, as well. Being “determinate” means the plant will grow to a certain size, produce its fruit, and essentially, stop growing. That is in contrast to indeterminate tomatoes—i.e., plants that keep growing and flowering through frost. The F1 hybrid aspect of Patio Delight (or any other vegetable that is a hybrid) indicates that there is some ability to resist some stressors such as pests and diseases.

My personal experience with Patio Delight got off on the wrong foot. Even though the tag recommended Patio Delight for containers only, I plunked it into a spot in the ground in my garden. Why would the breeder recommend containers only? Perhaps this variety does well with a potting mix that offers a good amount of air flow and drainage for the roots compared to your garden’s native “dirt.”

Patio Delight’s Highlights

Despite planting it directly in the ground, my two Patio Delight tomato plants have done extremely well. Here are those boxes this variety “checks” for me:

• Small size—about 18 inches tall as advertised.
• Nice branching without uncontrolled “suckers”—it’s that “determinate” characteristic.
• Strong habit; i.e. it grew to about 14 inches tall before it needed to be held up with a stake.
• Good fruit set of “saladette” sized tomatoes, which is about the size of a small plum (3-4 oz.).
• No fuss, no muss on my part! Other than adding compost, I haven’t had to fuss over the plant, provide extra fertilizer or worry about yellowing/dying leaves.

If I had to be disappointed in something about Patio Delight, it would be because I hadn’t planted a succession of determinate tomato plants. I’ll have the harvest from these two plants over the next few weeks—and then that’s it. I should have planted more tomatoes!