Sugar Basket is the type of tomato that dovetails perfectly with last month’s topic of tomatoes appropriate for growing in containers. You might recall that in my post about Container Tomatoes, I mentioned that not all tomatoes are cut out to be grown for a whole season within the confines of a container, whether that is a hanging basket or a 5-gal. bucket. Sugar Basket, a new variety that will be offered by Burpee for the 2026 growing season, is a tomato that will definitely fit in any container you have. You might even be able to plant several in each!

My Tomato Samples

I received several Sugar Basket sample plants in the mail to test in my container garden. Those of you who follow me know that some “co-housing” is happening on my property with the local wildlife. Not only do I have groundhogs and rabbits, but I just realized that chipmunks have been invited to stay for a while, too. And they eat pretty much anything. I keep my edible plants in containers lining my deck and along one side of the house. The more precious the produce, the closer it sits near my deck. These three Sugar Basket tomatoes are among the closest veg to my door.

About Sugar Basket

Fruits: Sugar Basket produces bright red and orange fruits (not on the same plant, of course —they have a Red and an Orange variety) with a sweet flavor. The fruits themselves are round and about 0.5 to 0.75 in. in diameter and weigh in at under half an ounce. In other words, these are not Beefsteaks, nor are they plum tomatoes, but they can hold their own against other cherry tomatoes.

Size: Plant size is diminutive, indeed. The plants grow to 12-18 in. tall and the same in width. And by the way, Sugar Basket is a determinate tomato, meaning it grows to a certain size and then stops growing upward. My Sugar Basket plants are about 12 in. tall at the moment and seem to be nearing their peak.

Habit: The literature that came with my sample plants indicates that Sugar Basket is a mounding and trailing plant that is ideal for hanging baskets and raised patio containers. And I believe it. Whereas many tomato plants instinctively grow vertically even without much support, my Sugar Basket samples are instinctively tipping over in a trailing manner. In fact, I just inserted the stake you see in the photo above because the plant just yesterday started to trail.

And another thing about the trailing habit—I seemed to have missed in the literature the suggestion to plant three plants in one hanging basket. I planted each one separately and in containers that seem too big for them. Had I planted all three in one container, it would have looked like a basket teeming with tomatoes. Next year I’ll remember.

As with any tomato, Sugar Basket grows best with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight and consistent moisture. Take care of it, and Sugar Basket will produce for you. Just look at the fruit I already have on this plant!