I've generally found that all my tomatoes are low-maintenance, so long as they were properly supported. I've never had much success with just staking, but perhaps I wasn't doing it right. So I rely on big reinforcement wire cages.

I grew Cosmonaut Volkov last summer and it was one of my top producers. Except for sticking a cage over it I did next to nothing to maintain it.

But are you sure that what you have is semi-determinate? My Cosmonaut Volkov was an indeterminate for sure.

New Big Dwarf is determinate, Druzba is indeterminate, Better Bush is compact but still indeterminate, and C. Volkov is definitely an indeterminate. They will easily outgrow your 4-5 foot stakes.

Good cages, drip irrigation on a timer, and excellent soil prep at planting time will go far to decrease the work needed if the pests and diseases and weather cooperates with you.

Good luck.

Dave

It sounds like you might be interested in the new releases from the Dwarf Tomato Project. The link below gives a brief description of the project, and the new varieties that have been released so far. I think the tallest of the new dwarfs is 4 or 4.5 feet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf Tomato Project

Tatiana's TOMATObase seed catalog can be searched by "dwarf" in the Description field. Not everything that comes up is a dwarf -- some are basket types -- but she usually gives plant height or at least enough information to know if it's the size you're interested in.

You can also download a .pdf version of the catalog, and IIRC there's a dwarf section there also. She's in Canada but you can order in dollars.
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/seed-catalog/html/

[If you're not familiar with it, take a look at the TOMATObase itself to find information on more than 3,000 tomato varieties (usually OP).

There's a section listing dwarf tomatoes here:
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Category:Tomatoes
and she also indicates which vendors sell each variety (though obviously the information can't include every vendor).]