Tinni, tiny, tasty, and easy to grow, cherry tomatoes. People often look for these sweet little cheery tomatoes in some organic store, paying thousands to get a small batch. But why do you have to spend so much when you can easily grow them at home?
It is time to wake up your inner farmer and find the right tools to grow some delicious juicy cheery tomatoes. Coming in practically every colour of the rainbow, these fruits are a smaller variety of your typical tomato and are praised for being a juicy and complex flavour.
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The short growing season makes cherry tomatoes relatively fuss-free if you follow simple rules. The cherries on these plants generally start ripening about 50 to 65 days after planting in the spring. Depending on the variety, cherry tomatoes might be labeled indeterminate or determinate. Indeterminate tomatoes produce fruit for several months, while determinate tomatoes produce a single crop.
Types Of Cherry Tomatoes
Since growing cherry tomatoes is relatively simple, base your choice on which variety is best for your taste preferences and available garden space. Here are some types to know:
- Black Cherry: This variety produces a dark red tomato that occasionally appears yellow or orange. This tomato, which tastes sweet, tangy, and somewhat smokey, grows very tall and will need a support cage.
- Yellow Pear: Appropriately named, this tomato variety has a yellow pear-shaped appearance and a mild citrus flavouring.
- Sweet Treats: This indeterminate plant has deep pink produce that tastes similar to a full-sized tomato.
- Sun Gold: Also indeterminate, this tomato will turn a golden yellow as it ripens, but it is not ready to harvest until it is orange. It tastes sugary and somewhat tropical.
- Midnight Snack: This type of cherry tomato, which needs to be caged, will start to turn indigo while ripening if exposed to the sun. It contains the same antioxidants as blueberries and tastes sweet and savoury.
- Green Grape: This variety produces greenish-yellow tomatoes that have a unique, tangy-sweet taste. They stay green even when fully ripe, adding a pop of color to dishes. The plant is compact and grows well in containers.
- Chocolate Cherry: A deep mahogany-colored cherry tomato with a rich, complex flavor. These tomatoes have a slight smokiness and sweetness, making them a favorite for roasting. The plant grows tall and requires strong support.
- White Cherry: These small, pale yellow tomatoes have a mild, sweet flavor with a hint of acidity. They are excellent for adding a subtle color contrast to dishes. The plant grows well in various conditions and benefits from staking.
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How To Grow Cherry Tomatoes
Begin Planting In Warm Weather
Cherry tomatoes need warm weather to grow and they will die when exposed to frost. The last frost date should pass a week before you begin planting. The weather should be around 70 in Fahrenheit and around 21 in Celsius when planting seedlings.
If planting from seeds, you can start them indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last average frost date. They will need two or three months of warm or hot weather to grow and harvest tomatoes.
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Make Sure The Pot Has Drainage
If planting in a pot, it needs to have holes in the bottom for drainage. If it does not, drill ¼ to ½ holes every few inches around the bottom edge and a few holes in the centre as well. Planting in a garden may need a little preparation before planting, given the results of your soil test.
If you plan to keep the container inside or on a balcony, you will probably want to put a saucer underneath it so that the drainage does not run everywhere. You can find a saucer at a nursery, home improvement store, and some supermarkets.
If using a garden, be sure you choose a consistently sunny place. It also would not hurt to add some compost to the soil before planting.
Also Read: How To Grow Spearmint From Seed At Home
Put The Cage Into The Planter
This step is only if you will be using a cage in a container. If using a stake or planting outside, you will not need to put them into position until you have planted. Do not put the potting mix into the bucket before inserting the cage. Instead, put the pointy end of the cage into the pot and then fill in the potting mix.
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Fill In The Potting Mix
Pour the potting mix into the container. Water the mix until it is evenly moist. Then, fill in more mix until it comes ½ inch below the rim of the container. The surface of the soil should be even.
You can use a cup or watering can to water the mix.
Dig A Small Hole Into The Mix Or Soil
You should dig a small hole into the centre of the soil if planting in a container. If planting multiple plants in a garden, you will need to dig holes two feet apart from each other. Put the plants into the small holes.
Planting from seedling requires inserting it deep enough in the hole so that only four or five leaves are left showing once the hole is covered. The hole only needs to be a few inches deep.
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Cover The Hole
Use the soil that you removed to fill in the hole. The seedling should only be showing about four leaves. Make sure the surface of the soil is even when you have finished covering.
Place The Cage In The Garden
Put the pointed end of the cage around the area where you planted it. The seedlings should be in the middle of the cage. If using stakes, you can wait to put in the stakes until the seeds have sprouted into seedlings. Put the stakes three inches from the seedling. Use a hammer to secure the stake into the ground. Waiting until the plant is larger to cage or stake may result in a damaged plant.
Image Credit: Freepik
Image Credit: Freepik
Once Cherry Tomatoes begin to flower, feed them fortnight with seaweed or fish emulsion. Water the plant regularly early morning, and never wet the foliage before sunset as the moisture will invite mildew. Do not forget to tap the flowers very gently early in the morning to stimulate pollination.