How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes

Days to germination: 7 days
Days to harvest: 60 to 80 days
Light requirements: Full sun
Water requirements: Regular watering
Soil: Well fertilized, loose, lots of organic matter
Container: Ideal

Introduction

Cherry tomatoes are a very popular vegetable to grow for folks who are short on yard space. These little bushy plants are ideal for balconies, patios or even windowsills. Average cherry tomatoes are about an inch across, but there are varieties like Tiny Tim that produce tomatoes about half that size. Not only do cherry tomatoes take up less space, they also mature quicker than full-sized tomatoes.

Most people grow bush varieties, but you can get vining cherry tomatoes such as Gardener’s Delight. Vining cherry tomatoes can grow fairly large, and may require as much space as a typical tomato, so do a bit of research into the many varieties before making any purchases of seeds or seedlings. For small plants, stick with the bush.

Tomatoes are eaten raw or cooked, but the smaller cherry tomatoes are more often eaten raw just because of their size. They are high in vitamins A and C, and are great sources for potassium, vitamin K and even fiber.

Starting from Seed

You’ll need 2 or 3 months of warm (even hot) weather for your tomato plants to thrive if you start them as seeds in the garden. If your growing season can accommodate, then you can just sow out your seeds. Otherwise, plan on getting some seedlings started about 6 weeks before you expect the last frost date to pass.

Wherever you plan on growing your seedlings, it should be at least 70F and have plenty of sun. A typical windowsill is probably not suitable for tomatoes but it does depend on how big your windows are. Tomato seedlings that don’t get enough sun will be tall and spindly, which will make for weak plants once they go outside. If this is the case for you, either get a grow-light, or only keep your seedlings inside for 2 to 3 weeks.

Transplanting

Whether you are planting seedlings or seeds, you will have to wait until your frost date is past by at least a week.

Choose a location for your cherry tomatoes that will get a full day’s sun, and not be shaded by other plants. The soil should be loose and fertile, so dig it well before planting. Add your preferred form of natural fertilizer while you are digging it up.

Vining tomatoes plants can be planted closer together than bush varieties, so double-check what you are growing. Vining plants (also called indeterminate) can be planted about 1 foot apart in row, while bush types (determinate) will need about 2 feet between them. Bush cherry tomatoes will be sturdy enough to stay upright on their own but indeterminate plants will need some support.

Get your string, stakes or tomato cages in place right at planting time. If you wait until later, you are much more likely to damage your plants.

Growing Instructions

If you have planted seeds, water them enough to keep the soil constantly moist until they sprout and have developed a few leaves. After that, you can water them just like any seedling.

Keep your seedlings watered at least twice a week with a good soaking.

Tomatoes are heavy-feeders, though cherry tomatoes need less fertilizer than standard ones. Give your plants a feeding with standard mix fertilizer once a month to keep them growing well.

For vining tomatoes, trim off extra sprouts and branches that start to grow off from the main central stem. A little bit of pruning will keep your vines productive. You don’t need to do this with bush tomatoes.

Containers

Cherry tomatoes are immensely popular as container plants, and people probably grow them in pots more often than in the garden.

Just remember that cherry tomatoes do have large root systems and shouldn’t be kept in very small pots just because the tomatoes are small. You should keep each plant in at least a pot with 18 to 20 inches in diameter. A pot that’s 2 or 3 gallons is better.

Keep your potted tomatoes well-watered and well-fed. Giving them a bit of fertilizer with every watering isn’t a bad idea, especially if you can get one of those formulations designed for tomatoes.

Pests and Diseases

Though insects can be a problem, fungus tends to be the biggest threat to home grown tomato plants. There is a whole list of wilts, spots and blights that can kill your plants. You can try to get varieties that are naturally resistant to some of them, but your selection can be limited with cherry tomatoes.

General symptoms include yellowing leaves, moldy blotches or dark spots. Sometimes you’ll find these problems on the stems as well as the leaves, but it depends on the type of fungus. The fungus spores can survive for years in the soil, so if you’ve had a problem with your tomato plants, be sure to plant something different in that patch next year. And that includes their close relatives, like eggplants and peppers.

If you see any possible symptoms, pick the leaves off immediately and spray your plants with fungicide. Once its spread through your plant, it’s not likely you’ll be able to save it. Pull it out to keep the infection from spreading to other plants.

Aside from fungus problems, you still need to be on the lookout for potato beetles and stink bugs that will chew the leaves off your cherry tomatoes. Hand-picking can help with a few of them, and natural insect sprays can also repel these pests.

Harvest and Storage

You can harvest any of your cherry tomatoes when they are slightly soft to the touch and have turned color from their original green. Most will be deep red, but some types of cherry tomatoes are yellow or orange. Give the fruit a twist and don’t pull on the vine or you can hurt the rest of the plant.

Slightly green tomatoes will finish ripening in the windowsill, which can be handy when frost time comes around. If your plants are still producing tomatoes at the end of the season, you really need to pick all the fruit before a frost. Even a light frost can ruin any growing tomatoes.

A cherry tomato bush will have a harvest of all its tomatoes at once, but a vining one tends to produce its fruit staggered for a longer period of tomato picking. Fresh tomatoes will last up to a week in the fridge, and can be frozen, canned or dried for longer storage.

18 Responses to “How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes”

haley Says:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Depending on the weather the cherry tomato will grow grow at a diffrent pace.
Donald Grose Says:
April 24th, 2012 at 6:33 pm
I have had my cherry tomato plants less than a month. I have them in a self watering planter 11.5x 9, they are approx 4 foot high and growing. Do I need to get a bigger container and do I need to prune? and how?? I live in Florida.
margaret Says:
May 16th, 2012 at 7:16 am
I bought 3 Cherry Gardners delight tomatoe plants. Do I still have to prick out the side shoots and support with a stake or should I let them bush out.
Nancy Says:
June 30th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Hi, I want to know how much and how often I have to water
Our cherry tomato and basil which both are planted in our
Garden
Ken Says:
July 9th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
I’m growing a cherry tomato, sweet 100 plant. It’s bearing fruit now but not yet ripe. I’m wondering exactly how to water it? Can they be over-watered? Also, there is some yellowing of the leaves. Can this be from over-watering?
Thanks,
Ken
shapiro Says:
July 26th, 2012 at 12:16 am
can I start growing cherry tomatoes, by just planting the seeds from a cherry tomato?
justin Says:
November 28th, 2012 at 2:33 am
could you plse show an example of a tomatoe cage for the vining variety. many thanks.
nichole Says:
February 12th, 2013 at 10:29 am
hey im having to do a project for my ag class it would be great if i could get help i need to know about the following plants crookneck squash , bradley tomato, and cherry tomato
megan Says:
March 11th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
how much space does it need to grow cause i am using a garden bed not vine
Scott Says:
May 18th, 2013 at 7:41 pm
hoops were not enough support for my cherry tomato plants how do you support the plant
Beth Says:
June 5th, 2013 at 2:49 pm
Growing cherry tomato in a planter. Have had a cool, wet late spring, early summer. Have taken the plants into the garage when temps are iffy. But they are growing but seem to be leggy. And they have been fertilized. Is this okay? Something I can do?
JP Mare Says:
June 10th, 2013 at 9:56 pm
can you please help me. I would like to know how much cherry tomato can a single plant provide and how many cherry tomato’s is ruffly in 1 kg?
Lynda Verzillo Says:
August 8th, 2013 at 5:58 am
My first attempt at growing vegetables. My Husky Cherry Red Hybrid Tomato plant appeared to be doing well. I did not cage it but stuck a few stakes in ground to hold up errant stems. It got very tall and heavy. Today I went to water and 1 heavy stem had fallen and was hanging by a thread. Not knowing what to do I tried to stick it back and tied it to a stake. It broke. Then I taped it with plastic duct tape and tried again. The tomatoes on that stem are numerous and mostly green, some smaller than others. So now what? Is that stem going to die? Should I pick those tomatoes? Will the rest of the plant be compromised because this stem separated? Help!
????? Says:
February 18th, 2015 at 1:41 pm
i tried all ways but dos not grow even every 60 days our temperature is very good about 25c why and how to make is grown thanks
Doris Says:
April 14th, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Do I need to stake my Cherry tomato plants
john doe Says:
April 17th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
how much water do they need every week pls comment asap if you would
Kelly Luksza Says:
May 19th, 2015 at 7:46 am
I see a lot of unanswered comments here, so I’d like to give a few responses. I am in no way a tomato expert, just have a little experience growing myself. Aim to give your tomatoes a good watering every other day when temps are hot and dry outside. If temps are moderate, stick your finger in the soil, if you feel a little moisture, it’s ok to skip the watering that day, if it feels dry or crusty, give a good watering, about 15-30 minutes by sprinkler or soaker. If your tomatoes are in a container, check then daily for about a week in the summer. This will give you an idea of the watering pattern you should keep to all summer. Use the finger test to check the moistness of the soil, if it feels dry every day, water a little every day.

As for clusters of tomatoes breaking of fun ripened, if the branch is just a slight split, you can use some form of tape (any work! electrical! floral! duck! whatever you have) to wrap it and often times it won’t heal but the the plant will still be able to deliver the nutrients to the ripening tomatoes. You will need to support the weight of this branch somehow (even a stick in the ground with a string at the height of the branch for support is better than nothing). If it’s a complete sever, don’t worry too much. Take the entire branch of tomatoes and keep in the windowsill or in the sun. The tomatoes can still suck a surprising amount of energy and nutrients from that branch. You will notice the branch stay to dry up a little, that’s normal. If tomatoes doesn’t ripen, you can always make a green tomato cake – look up a recipe! It tastes better than carrot cake!

Lastly, for these vining tomatoes, cages are just no use. I have seen many forms of tomato supports on the internet using a chicken wire fence piece( any kind of wire fence is fine, for instance, one or two feet wide piece, about four feet high) stapled or nailed to a wooden stake that is stuck in the ground. Better yet, grow them along a garden fence and then support them with twine string etc as they get taller. Also have seen metal wire fence formed into a round hoop shape, with a few vining tomatoes planted around it. Use tomato clips or loosely tied yarn or string to secure the vine as it grows. Make sure to pay careful attention to support the heavy fruit.

I have seen cherry tomato plants yield upwards of 10 lbs of tomatoes when cared for well, so really, the sky is the limit with these! They will just keep producing if pruned and taken care of! Enjoy your garden!
rich Says:
August 26th, 2015 at 1:30 pm
do you need more than 1 plant ? I have one plant it begins to flower than the flower dyes off .