If you’re eager to cultivate tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are ideal. Most backyard gardeners have tomatoes in their gardens at some point; with over 100 varieties of cherry tomatoes available, there’s plenty to pick from! Moreover, growing cherry tomatoes is a breeze compared to the vast array of other tomato types out there.
For centuries, people have grown and enjoyed the exquisitely sweet taste of cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), first cultivated from wild tomato fruits in the Andes. Those fortunate enough to eat a ripe cherry tomato directly off its plant can understand why the Inca people selected them for their sweet flavor and snacking capabilities.
Are you planting your garden for spring? Make sure to include Chadwick’s cherry tomatoes from San Diego Seed Co.! These tasty fruits are an ideal addition to any garden and will make harvesting much more enjoyable come summertime.
Cherry tomatoes are among the most popular varieties of heirloom seeds, with black cherry tomatoes being a favorite. They can be determinate or indeterminate and make it easy to harvest something rewarding for your garden all season long – no matter what type you choose!
Let’s ditch the conventional tomatoes and start growing cherry tomatoes; they can be eaten fresh, canned, or stored for year-round enjoyment of their sweet taste!
Cherry Tomato Plants Overview
The scientific name of cherry tomatoes is Solanum Lycopersicum var. Cerasiforme belongs to the family Solanaceae. Inca people in the Andes started cultivating cherry tomatoes around 80,000 years ago. Cherry tomatoes are smaller than other small tomato varieties.
The plants produce fruit after the flowers bloom on the plant’s branches and are covered with leaves. Tomatoes are self-pollinators, but external pollinating agents also greatly increase fruit production. Yellow varieties of tomato flowers have five petals, and fruits are formed when flowers die.
Humans are suggested not to eat the plant’s leaves in larger quantities as they can be poisonous, but fruits can be easily and freely consumed. The leaves of the plants contain alkaloid solanine and tomatine, which are not easy to digest. Yet it’s a controversial topic whether it can be cooked and consumed.
With an array of cherry tomato varieties, I decided on Cherokee Purple Cherry Tomatoes. This indeterminate variety has been flourishing since summer began – a delightful surprise! Their skin has a stunning purple hue, while the inside of ripe tomatoes is a vivid red, bursting with incredible flavor.
Why not try some traditional red varieties for a sensational start to your tomato journey? But if you’re looking for something more unique and eye-catching, yellow and orange tomatoes are also available!
With an abundance of options on offer, there’s plenty to explore when it comes to discovering the world of tomatoes.
When To Plant Cherry Tomatoes?
Most cherry tomato varieties are planted during the spring when the danger of frost has gone.
You can start the germination and seedling process of seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the end of the frost.
Let it grow 5-6 more inches tall with a couple of leaves on it. And now you can plant them outside.
Where to Plant Cherry Tomatoes?
All The cherry tomato plants have the same requirements no matter where they are planted. You can plant directly in the ground, container, or pots. They prefer to grow in warm climates and require full exposure to sunlight. Thus choosing a spot where sunlight of 6-8 hours is received gives the best result.
Slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.2 is the best for cherry tomatoes. It should be nutrient, loose and well-drained soil as well. It does well, especially in Loam and sandy loam soil. But it can grow in all types of soils except heavy clay soil. You can improve the clay soil by adding sawdust, peat moss, compost, sand etc.
Before planting, adding some tomato-specific fertilizers can promote the rapid growth and development of the plants.
How To Plant Cherry Tomatoes?
It is possible to grow both varieties in pots, containers or raised beds if proper growing conditions are provided. But you should choose the variety of cherry tomatoes according to your ease.
I have listed a few points to help you grow your cherry tomatoes efficiently.
- If you want to grow your plants in pots, then the determinate plants variety is suitable because of their short height, and indeterminate varieties are good to grow directly in the ground as they need more space to grow properly. Maintaining 4 feet of distance between the rows results in healthy growth and development of the plants.
- You should transplant summer varieties after the threat of frost has passed. If you plan to initiate the process from seeds, start it 6-8 weeks after the last frost indoors.
- You should plant fall varieties a few months before the last frost.
- Dig a deep hole of at least 10 inches down for your tomato plants. It helps the plant develop a strong root system and makes it efficient enough to deliver nutrients.
- Add support to the plant with a stake or trellis (avoid using small tomato cage). Stakes or trellis won’t become an obstacle to work in the garden. It would prevent the risk of diseases, save the plant from falling over after growth and set many fruits on it. Large cages can be used, which is best fit with indeterminate varieties.
How To Care for Cherry Tomatoes?
Caring for your cherry tomato plants is not rocket science. If you give proper care and an ideal growing environment, it can easily be grown healthy.
Just follow the below simple tips, and you will be amazed to see the results.
Sunlight and Temperature
Cherry tomato plants love to grow in full to partial sun. Ideally, they should have 6-8 hours of direct sunlight and prefer 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit for proper growth and development.
If the temperature rises above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the risk of blossom drop increases. If the temperature reaches 56 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, fruits drop from the plants.
You can find both cold-tolerant and heat-tolerant varieties. So you can choose the variety according to the climatic conditions of your local area.
Water and Humidity
Consistent and deep watering promotes the healthy and overall growth of the plant. Avoid overhead irrigation and install drip irrigation in your garden. You can also use soaker hoses without drip irrigation to water the plant. Ensure watering the base and avoid watering on the leaves of the plants.
In hot climates, water the plant in the morning and check the soil moisture. Never let the soil dry. During fall, you can water once per week. But potted tomato plants need to be watered more frequently as the soil in the pot dries out soon when compared to the ground the plant grows in as it holds water better.
At the same time, overwatering can result in blossom end rot, mainly during the fruiting time. Split fruit also happens because of inconsistent watering habits.
The plants require very less water during cold and rainy seasons. If you have potted and container plants, it’s good to bring them during excessive rain.
Soil
Tomato plants do well in moist, well-drained and rich soil. Before planting, prepare a rich soil mix, and ensure proper spacing between the plants to avoid overcrowding. It helps to maintain a good airflow facility for the plants. Keep providing a good layer of topsoil, bone meals and compost for healthy growth and development of the plant.
Tomatoes prefer to grow in little acidic soil with a pH level of 6..2-6.8. You should prepare less nitrogen-containing soil mix to prevent your plants from being bushy.
As a result, your plants become more capable of utilizing their energy to produce flowers and develop fruit.
Containerized plants need a little extra care. The same soil mix is required for them also, but you should fertilize them extra during their growing season.
The cherry plants can be grown even in clay soils, and it tastes delicious, but they won’t be the exact flavor of cherry tomatoes.
Cherry Tomatoes Fertilizing
Fertilizers play a great role in growing and fruiting cherry tomatoes. Choose a slow-release organic fertilizer with good phosphorus content and apply it in the ground hole or container before planting cherry tomatoes.
Also, apply some bone meals like eggshells to fulfil the need for calcium. It helps to promote the flowering of the plants. Or you can get an ideal fertilizer of 5-7-3 NPK and check the label to see if it contains calcium.
You can also use tea compost or granular fertilizer or add some additional slow-release fertilizers to enhance the growth and fruiting ability of the plants.
If you have planted cherry tomatoes in pots, apply nutrients frequently in the soil mix, as potted plants need more nutrients than grounded plants.
The nutrients get flushed out with water from the containers, and it is also vital to frequently water them in extremely hot climates or in summer.
Pruning Your Cherry Tomatoes
Because of their short height, determinate cherry plants require much less pruning than indeterminate plants. The determinate varieties are very much benefited when pruned.
Pluck a few blooms at the beginning to encourage your plant to set more flowers. Pruning the bottom leaves that touch the ground helps the plant avoid infections and diseases.
When the plant reaches a height of 12 inches, pruning can be done.
Propagation of Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are to be propagated by germinating their seeds in the spring and transplanting them after the threat of the last frost has passed.
I prefer to save the cherry tomato seeds and use those seeds to grow them next season. When planting heirloom varieties, preserving the seeds for planting and getting the original variety in the next season also becomes necessary.
There is another great option to propagate your cherry tomato plant. You can mix some tomato suckers with the seeds and get more plants.
After pruning, put the suckers in the water and let them grow the roots and in such a way, you can get more cherry tomato seedlings and grow more cherry tomatoes.
How To Harvest and Store Cherry Tomatoes?
You don’t need to struggle to harvest cherry tomatoes. Harvesting them is easier than harvesting the larger varieties. You can directly pluck the ripe cherry tomatoes.
Harvesting Cherry Tomatoes
The best part of Determinate cherry tomatoes is that they set all fruits at one time only, and you can enjoy a large number of fruits at one go and preserve them.
Indeterminate cherry tomato variety produce fruits continuously, and you can enjoy fresh, delicious bite sized fruits all over the season.
Pluck the cherry tomatoes from the plant when they are red and ripe. You should know the fruit color of the varieties you have chosen to plant.
For yellow varieties of tomatoes, wait for the fruit to turn golden color; for orange varieties, wait for the fruits to turn orange and so on.
If you are confused about the color of the fruits, pull one of the fruits and eat the fruits to check the taste. If it has the right flavor, harvest it, if not then wait for the fruits to ripen.
Storing
It is a bit tough to store cherry tomatoes but it is not impossible. It just needs a little extra effort to preserve them for a long time.
Ensure to harvest them from the stem. You can consume them as soon as possible or keep them at room temperature. But Fresh Cherry tomatoes are way tasty, flavorful and delicious to eat.
If you want to store the cherry tomatoes for longer, you can dry them out in direct sunlight and store them at room temperature for six months. You can also enjoy these dried tomatoes with or without olive oil for two years if kept unopened.
Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Pots
If you are planning to grow cherry tomatoes in a pot, then it’s a great idea as you can avail many advantages of growing them in pots like pests and diseases would be in limit, you can easily place the pot in a suitable place for harvesting.
Please follow the below steps for the proper plantation of cherry tomatoes in pots.
- Choose any of the cherry tomatoes variety according to your ease.
- Take a large pot which is at least one foot high and wider. (A 5-gallon bucket is good for one plant) make a hole in the bottom of the pot for proper soil drainage.
- Now support the plant by keeping the container near the trellis or other support structures.
- Now keep a regular eye and water the plant in adequate quantities. Do not water on the foliage and water in the base of the plants.
- Keep noted that potted plants need more frequent light watering than grounded plants as the soil dries out rapidly.
Troubleshooting Pests, Diseases and Other Problems
Tomato plants can attract various pests and diseases if not handled properly. Nature has gifted us with resistant varieties, yet they require proper maintenance, and if you have already planted heirloom varieties, then it requires a lot of extra care. Thus, it is very necessary to inspect your plant regularly for pest-free and disease-free cherry tomatoes.
Growing Problems
Inconsistent watering
- Tomatoes facing inconsistency in watering with tight or closely packed soil can result in the split of tomatoes on the vine.
- It can also result in Blossom End Rot, meaning the tomatoes rot on the bottom, but the plant appears healthy. Inconsistency in the watering can make the plant too dry and impact the plant’s ability to deliver calcium, leading to the tomatoes’ bottom end rot.
You can resolve both problems by adopting good watering practices and using a good soil mix.
Blossom Drop: Your cherry tomato plants can ace Blossom drop in hot weather conditions. You can shade your plant with clothes or a row cover material to protect your plant from extreme heat.
Sunscald: when the tomatoes are exposed to direct or hot sunlight for an extended period of time, then go through sunscald. You can support the plants with a trellis, and your plants can shade the fruits and protect them from sunscald.
Leaf Curl: Environment stresses like too high or too low temperature and over or under-watering the plants can cause leaf curling issues. Pests and diseases are also a reason for leaf curling. But the direction of the leaf curling, like upward or downward, can clearly indicate its main reason.
Blossom End Rot: calcium deficiency is the main cause of Blossom End Rot for all kinds of tomatoes. When the plants cannot absorb calcium, Blossom end rot happens.
Generally, it happens because of an irregular water supply to the plants. You can mix some calcium fertilizers or bone meals in a limited amount to prevent the risk of BER.
You can also add some calcium with your regular NPK fertilizer and apply it to the garden soil all the seasons.
Keep the soil moist so that the plant can easily absorb calcium. But make sure that the soil is neither soggy nor too dry.
Pests
Many pests impact grape tomatoes too, which act as a barrier in the growing and fruiting process of the plants. I have listed a few pests which have adverse effects.
Tomato hornworms are very large caterpillars which can destroy the overall plant in a very short time. They love to feed the foliage and fruits of cherry tomatoes.
Attracting natural predators in the garden, like lacewings, ladybugs, or Trichogramma wasps, can help control them. You can use pyrethrin spray to wipe them out. Tomato hornworms produce moths on cherry tomatoes, which you can prevent with floating row covers.
Aphids and Whiteflies: Aphids, leaf-footed bugs, and whiteflies are well known for their sap-sucking nature. They loved to suck the nutrients of the plants from foliage and stems. It can cause great disaster for your plant if not taken care of at times.
The use of neem oil can help control these harmful pests. Ensure not to use it during flowering or within two weeks of harvesting. For seven days, you can also spray some insecticidal spray in the early morning and evening.
Spider mites: They make webs on all the sides of the plants as they feed on their leaves. You can reduce them with the application of horticulture and neem oil.
Take a damp cloth and wipe out the mites; now, you can spray the oil and destroy the stray eggs. It would also work to remove the leaf-footed bugs.
Diseases
Cherry Tomatoes get infected with many diseases, and if not taken care of on time, they can spread in a blink of an eye throughout the whole garden and can destroy all your plants.
I have listed some of the most common diseases.
Early Blight: It is a fungal disease that generally appears on tomato plants’ lower leaves. Small brown colored spots appear on the infected leaves and form like concentric rings.
Fungus Alternaria solani is the leading cause of the disease, which appears in the soil and on the debris of infected plants. It is better to rotate with other crops which do not belong to the nightshade family.
Remove the infected plant and dispose of them, do not use them as compost or mulch to avoid the risk of spread of the disease. You can also use copper-based fungicides to reduce the early blights.
Bacterial Speck: It is a bacterial disease that infects the foliage of cherry plants and forms a dark green spot on ripe fruit that seems outlined by a yellow ring.
The main cause of the disease is the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. But it does not impact the production of fruits in most cases. It can be controlled and prevented with crop rotation.
Tomato buckeye rot: It is a fungal disease caused by three species of fungus: P. capsici, P. drechsleri, and P. nicotiana var. Parasitica and impacts the fruits of the plants. It looks like the bottom end rot, but you can only control the disease by preventing it.
Gray leaf spots: It is a fungus disease which can turn the foliage of the plant to gray and eventually spreads to the stems and fruits of the plant. It mainly happens in Warm moist weather conditions.
You can control it by spraying fungicides and rotation crops. But it is best to adopt the prevention habit to control such diseases.
Summary
The tiny-sized lovely looking delicious, tangy and sweet-flavored cherry tomatoes are easy to grow if the above tips are correctly followed. Ensure to plant these tomatoes at the right time, i.e., in the spring and avoid planting during the frost. Care for your plant and closely monitor them.
Provide warm conditions to grow them, take essential steps to protect them from diseases and pests, and water them properly and in the right amount.
Harvest them carefully at the right time and store them properly. If all these simple things are taken care of, nothing can beat you enjoying flavorful cherry tomatoes!
Happy Tomato Gardening!
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