How big of a container ? Determinte(sometimes called bush Varieties) plants are what you are describing. A 5 gallon container is about the minimum you can use and still have fair results.
Rutgers are a popular variety grows well and has some disease resistance
Black Seaman is a nice black tomato,tasty
Russian Persimmons is a pretty yellow/orange that tasts fantastic
Jagodka is a tasty cherry

Check out the link for more toms than you ever seen before

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato base

bush goliath

gwood,

I'd recommend tree-type tomatoes for container growing - they are also called 'dwarfs' - you can find a list of these tomatoes here -

Tatiana

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf tomatoes by color

I think I have a winner of a tomato for this purpose. I'm going to put my "money" where my mouth is and give a free seed offer at the end of summer to those who would like to try it.

[(Bush Goliath x Jetstar) x Italian Tree] x OP

This year it's only F2 but the seedlings seem to be quite uniform. I'm going to pick the "better" seedling this year to OP, so the seed offered will be F3.

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Jon, those plants look wonderful. Where are you that they are so big and blooming? I look forward to seeds in the fall.
Dana

Google "Cross Hemisphere Dwarf Project." This is a cooperative effort between tomato growers throughout the world to develop and release to market little tomato plants with big taste. The project is coordinated by Craig LeHoullier in North Carolina and a woman named Patrina in Australia. (Craig's the guy who was responsible for Cherokee Purple among many others). The project has released a handful of tomatoes to date with many more in the pipeline. You can buy seed from Victory Garden Seed, Heritage Tomato Seed, Tania's Tomatobase, Sandhill Preservation, Tomato Grower's Supply and perhaps others.

This is not a commercial plug. This is a non-for-profit project and all the varieties are open-pollinated.

The best is the compact cherry from bonnie plants. It is a compact cherry tomato but it is indeterminate and does not get out of controll like indeterminate but produces all year. I think it is one of the best they have come up with yet.

jon_z6b, I would be interested in trying some of the seeds. How do I contact you? You have no Email listed.

My favorite container tomato is Sungold.

Josh

Dana, I'm in east Tennessee. With the new USDA zone map, now zone 7A... and it's supposed to get down to 39F tomorrow night- but they should be fine. Garf, my email is iamhere72 at live.com. It's perhaps a little late to be starting seed for this season but if you want I could send some F2 now or wait until the F3 is ready. I'm anxious to see how it does for other people... I like it a lot. I was reading up on the 'dwarf project' and it's pretty much along the lines of what they are doing.

I'm in Miami. The rules are different here.