The cherry tomato plant is one of the best-loved cultivars of the tomato because the small fruits are bursting with natural flavor. Nothing beats the experience of eating sun-warmed tomatoes direct from the vine.
There is a natural allure to sun-ripened tomatoes that cannot be replaced by store-bought tomatoes in cans or jars. If you are interested in growing cherry tomatoes in your garden and yard, know that they can grow quite well in those places, and they’re not difficult to cultivate at all.
Ripe cherry tomatoes can be lovely, and they’re perfect for salads and other kitchen concoctions. They also have much thinner skin compared to the regular tomatoes used for making different dishes.
You can be ‘addicted’ to eating cherry tomatoes because they are lovely for all organs of the body. Tomatoes are incredibly healthy for the kidneys and the heart. Tomatoes also possess life-giving lycopene that helps the heart and the other organs by reducing oxidative damage and reduces the chances of inflammation in different tissues of the body.
How Tall Do Cherry Tomato Plants Grow?
Cherry tomato plants are classified as indeterminate tomatoes, meaning they will continue to thrive and grow depending on the plant’s overall conditions. If the plant is not stunted and continues to have access to moisture and nutrients, then a single cherry tomato plant can reach eight to ten feet. The number one enemy of tomatoes is frost, probably the only natural occurrence that can kill the cherry tomatoes plant without remorse.
In the beginning, you can use a necessary tomato cage. This would be the period leading to the first three months of maturation of the plant. A tomato cage would still be able to support the cherry tomato plant up to this point. However, as it matures and acclimatizes even more, you will notice that the plant will begin producing lots of vegetation. Monitor and adjust to more massive trellis support when needed.
Do Cherry Tomato Plants Need Support?
Growing cherry tomatoes is fun and headache-free. However, you should know that cherry tomatoes form vines, and the vines can get unruly if you don’t manage them well. Cherry tomatoes do need support so that the plant can grow properly. As we mentioned earlier, they can become very tall (about ten feet in some cases because the vines grow a lot).
Will you be able to use a tomato cage? Yes and no. For the most part, the tomato cage will become a bit useless when the cherry tomato plant matures, and it just outgrows the tomato cage. Rebar stakes are recommended, as well as using the wattle-weave method of weaving to maintain control over unruly vines.
Fences and trellises are there for the conveniences of the farmer. If you allow the tomato to grow vertically in an unlimited fashion, you won’t be able to harvest the fruits that grow from the plant’s top anymore. What usually happens is that the tomato plant will climb a structure and go down the other side when it has reached the top. A true marvel and monster of nature, but with such delicate and sweet fruits!
What Is the Best Way to Grow Cherry Tomatoes?
How to grow cherry tomatoes?
The best way to grow cherry tomatoes is by purchasing live seedlings from agricultural supply stores or companies. Yes, it is possible to grow cherry tomatoes from seeds, but you’d have to germinate the seeds, harden them off before transplanting outside. The most popular cultivars of cherry tomatoes are Sweet Treats, Fox, Chadwick, Sun Sugar, and Sungold. You can bet that these variants or cultivars are sweet just by how they were named.
The Fox and Chadwick cultivars are known to be super-feeders and super-growers, meaning, once they have established in your yard, all these cultivars are going to do is grow, grow, and grow some more. In preparation for this, you need to prepare the support or trellis ahead of time.
A three or four-level trellis should be good enough – these can be constructed easily at home with the help of some trellis wood and a bit of elbow grease.
You can strengthen the trellis structure as much as you want, make sure that it won’t grow so tall that you can’t even reach the top of the trellis anymore. Imagine having to use a ladder every time you want to harvest the tomatoes properly. That is not fun.
How to plant cherry tomatoes?
We recommend planting your seedlings when the weather is warm, and the sun is a constant presence in your location. Yes, cherry tomatoes will thrive when you have sunny weather, and the environment is humid and great. The minimum for cherry tomatoes is 70°F or 21°C. Monitor the temperature constantly if you are using seeds to go wrong if the temperature dips too low quickly.
Cherry tomatoes do not lend well to cold weather, and as we mentioned earlier, frost can quickly kill off a patch of cherry tomatoes.
If you grow your cherry tomatoes from seeds, know that you need to get started about eight weeks before the last predicted date for frost. In some cases, you might need a ten-week head start.
How Long Does It Take to Grow Cherry Tomatoes?
Cherry tomatoes need at least three months before they mature and start producing fruits. How you prepare for the germination (if growing from seeds), hardening and transplantation will have an impact on how well your mature cherry tomato plants will grow.
If you are growing cherry tomatoes from a container or pot, make sure that there is sufficient drainage. If the pot you purchased doesn’t have drainage, you will have to drill one. If the cherry tomato plant is going to be placed on your balcony, a saucer underneath the pot would be a good idea so you can catch the excess water from the soil.