"Am I likely to match or exceed my yield by weight given what I observed this year? Or should I stick to regular size indeterminate varieties getting more weight from fewer fruit?"

First, this is in many ways like trying to compare apples to oranges approach. Better example might be trying to compare a turkey to a cornish game hen. ;-) It would take 20-25 cornish hens to match the weight of the average turkey.

But weight of yield is only one factor. Flavor, fruit size, ratio of peel to meat, and very different growth patterns also are important.

But in general I'd have to say no, you will not match the production weight of most indeterminate varieties by switching to the same number of cherry variety plants. And with many indeterminate varieties you won't even come close. Numbers of fruit - sure cherries win hands down but if it takes 20-30 of them to equal 1 tomato what have you gained.

Better idea IMO would to consider changing your choice of indeterminate varieties. Don't get me wrong as I like Rutgers but it sure isn't the best much less only variety I grow. And you are always going to be "battling aphids, squirrels, and caterpillars" no matter what variety or type you grow.

Dave

Why don't you try it out and see! I like to start some container cherry tomatoes early (mid-Feb). I plant them in 3 gallon sized pots and put them outside on warm days, hauling them back inside when the temperatures drop. I can get ripe tomatoes in June that way, and they keep on going until frost.

Linda

@digdirt2,
Ok, maybe weight isn't the right criteria. I'm honestly not sure what it would be. So by what order of magnitude would cherry varieties outpace mid-size ones? And in what way? The reason I ask is, if let's say it's by more flowers per truss, that might not help me because of my high rate of blossom drop, but if it's more flowers at any given time or faster rate of bloom it might. RE: Squirrels, my thinking is if I lose 2 fruits a day to squirrels, but pick, say 20 on that same day, it's much different from losing the same amount, but picking one or two. Flavor is a different matter which I would consider independently, of course.

@Labradors,
You get warm days in Ontario in February? Warm enough to put tomato plants outside? > 50F (10C) at night? And you can grow cherries in 3 gallon pots and get fruit? That sounds unbelievable to me.

It's still chilly here in Feb, but we get warm days in April and May, so the seedlings benefit from being outside and getting the sun's rays. Otherwise they have to be content just sitting inside behind glass.

Yes. There are compact cherry tomatoes that grow well in 3 gallon pots (and others that survive in 1 gallon pots). I will not grow anything that tastes acidic, even if it is super-early. For 1 gallon's I have found Red Robin tastes pretty darned good - especially in the winter!

For 3 gallon pots, I have grown Jagodka and Russian Cherry (two very early red cherries); Maglia Rosa, a beautiful elongated pink-and-green striped cherry, and Early Annie (which is a red saladette). New Big Dwarf is another, tasty, larger tomato, but I haven't found it very productive for me, but it could have been some dud seeds.....

You can check these (and more) out at Tania's Tomato Base : http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Russian_Cherry

Linda

In good conditions, cherries will not produce as much as bigger tomatoes in weight, usually quite a lot less.

Now in poorer conditions things may change, since they are more tolerant to adverse conditions from what I noticed (like poor soil, less light, hot temperatures).

I think you need to test a few first and see how they do for you, wouldn't change everything at once.

I always grow Sungold or Sunsugar cherry tomatoes in a pot on the deck. I also grow a plant or two in the garden and from my experience, the ones in the pot are sweeter but not as prolific as the ones in the garden. If your only option is to grow in planters, I would plant an assortment because there's only so much you can do with the smaller cherries.

IF you decide to try a cherry, I grow Coyote. It is amazingly productive, but the best part is the flavor. It's like you took a good large beefsteak and then concentrated that flavor into one little fruit. The fruit is small, maybe 1/2 inch, but you get so many! They grow in large clusters of 8 to 12. I have honestly spent half an hour picking from one plant and there were still more to be picked. My coyote are still producing, all other tomatoes are done except one. I have one Cherokee Green that is trying to produce, but this late in the season the fruit is small, and not as good tasting. So if you want a variety to keep going until frost, maybe try Coyote.

This question begs the question: If squirrels and such spoil x% of large tomatoes, what percentage of cherry tomatoes (prolific, all-season indeterminates) will they spoil? Some animals and pests just seem to take a bite and leave the rest to rot (and move on to other fruits similarly). If they did the same with cherries, they might not spoil as high of a percentage. Plus, if you have trouble picking them all, maybe the squirrels will, too. :)

The great thing about cherries, though, is they're often fast. Even if you lose all the fruit at one point, you'll likely get a lot more later.

For prolific, early, all-season cherries, I recommend Sweet Orange Cherry. I haven't tried it in a container, though. The plant is very vigorous.

Chocolate Pear can be a good one (it's a pear-shaped cherry). I also haven't tried it in a container.

One tomato that I know does well in containers (but it's not a cherry) is Sub Arctic Plenty. The fruits have very thick walls, too.

You might also try Sasha's Altai. It seems to go all season. It's a high altitude tomato. It's small, but not a cherry. I also haven't tried it in a container.

Early Girl F1 can be prolific (and all-season), and it's said to do very well in containers, using Miracle Gro soil.

I'm not sure how any of those varieties will do in your area, but I like them.