If you've never grown cherry tomatoes before, you NEED to start! Cherry tomatoes are one of the easiest veggies (although technically they're fruits) you can grow, because they don't require a lot of care and once planted, they'll grow fast! Learn how to grow cherry tomatoes and reap the benefits of these delicious little tomatoes which go great in salads, sandwiches, or just by themselves!
How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes
Seeds or Seedlings:
You can choose to plant cherry tomatoes directly from seeds which you can purchase online or at your local nursery or hardware store.
If you'd like a head start though, cherry tomato seedlings are readily available and will produce faster fruit.
Planting Cherry Tomatoes:
- Purchase a good potting soil mix, preferably organic and don't use soil from your yard – you may risk contaminating your plant.
- If you're planting in the garden, choose a place with fertile soil.
- If you're growing tomatoes in pots, purchase a 20 quart pot with good drainage.. Growing cherry tomatoes in pots is the most popular method and literally any type of pot or container will work as long as it has good drainage.
- Place your plant in a sunny spot where it will receive at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Make sure your cherry tomatoes aren't shaded by other plants.
- Start planting your cherry tomatoes after the last frost date. If you plant them before, they will freeze over and die, so it's important to plant them when you're absolutely sure there is no more frost.
- Most tomato cherry varieties will need a cage or a stake. Insert your stake or cage into the pot BEFORE you fill it with soil. Then, go ahead and fill the pot with soil.
- Plant your seeds or seedlings into the middle of the pot – the hole only needs to be a few inches deep.
- Water your cherry tomato plant well.
Caring for Cherry Tomato Plants:
- Water the seeds or seedlings every two to three days.
- The soil should be moist at all times, but make sure you don't over-water.
- Use a good tomato specific fertilizer once a week while your cherry tomato plant is in its growing stages.
- Once your plant has grown, you'll need to prune every so often.
Harvesting Cherry Tomatoes:
- Harvest cherry tomatoes after about 6-8 weeks if planted from seedlings.
- If planted from seeds, add about another couple of weeks to that time.
- Your cherry tomato plant will continue to produce fruit until the first frost date.
Happy Planting!
