I’m a big fan of the seeds All-America Selections (AAS) sends me to trial each season. Each year the new crop of national and regional winners gets a good workout in my garden.

One of the national vegetable award winners for 2016 has proven to be a real winner in my patio container garden, too. Candyland tomatoes have performed exceptionally well, producing cute, currant-size tomatoes that are perfect for eating by the handful.

Currant-size tomatoes are much smaller than cherry and grape-sized tomatoes. These little red blasts of sweet flavor grow on 2-foot tall plants that are easily contained with a lightweight tomato cage.

In addition to their sweet flavor, there are three other reasons I’ve enjoyed growing Candyland:

1. It’s a short-season tomato that’s ready to harvest about 55 days from being transplanted into the garden.
2. The fruits form in clumps on the outside of the plants, making them a lot easier to harvest.
3. They produce dozens and dozens of bright red tomatoes.

Candyland is an easy-care tomato, too. The seeds I started popped up quickly and made hearty transplants. Once planted in medium-sized containers, the tomato plants needed only regular deep watering, plus feeding with a liquid soluble vegetable fertilizer every two weeks.

These pint-size tomatoes are meant to be eaten fresh or perhaps to simmer into a tomato jam. I think they’re too small for canning or freezing.

PanAmerican Seed Company is the clever breeder behind Candyland. This tomato winner is only one of the dozens of winning fruits, vegetables and flowers listed on the AAS website.

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