How to Grow Cherry Tomato Plants, a Beginner-Friendly Crop You Can Grow Almost Anywhere

Whether cooked and tossed with pasta, marinated for salads, or eaten straight off the vine in your backyard garden, cherry tomatoes are a tiny, tasty treat. The plants can thrive in every part of the country, serving as a summertime staple in northern regions and a year-round ingredient in warmer climates.

Easy to grow in the ground or a container, and from seed or starts, cherry tomatoes are a must-have addition to your edible crop. Choose your favorite variety and learn how to plant, propagate, care for, and harvest these versatile fruits.

Types of Cherry Tomatoes

With dozens of varieties of cherry tomatoes on the market, narrowing down your selection can provide a challenge. Jessica Mercer of Plant Addicts shared her three favorites: Sweet 100, Patio Sunshine, and Cherry Punch.

Sweet 1000

Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes are one of the most popular varieties for at-home gardeners, turning out countless fruits 65 days after planting. "This indeterminate cherry tomato variety produces hundreds of bright red fruits until the first frost," says Mercer. "The fruits have a sweet, juicy taste and are perfect for grilling, adding to stews, or eating fresh."

Patio Sunshine

The golden fruits on Tempting Tomatoes Patio Sunshine mature in 45 days, making the variety one of the first cherry tomato plants to provide a harvest. "The mature plants stand just 15- to 18-inches tall and grow well in containers, small gardens, and even hanging baskets," says Mercer. "The small tomatoes are a sunny yellow color and have a full, sweet taste. The compact, sturdy stems do not require staking."

Cherry Punch

Red, globe-shaped Cherry Punch tomatoes mature in just under seven weeks. "This variety stays compact at 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide, making it suitable for container gardens and small spaces," says Mercer. "The fruit tends to ripen more quickly than other varieties and packs 30 percent more vitamin C and 40 percent more lycopene than other tomatoes."

When to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes starts should be planted after the last frost date and when temperatures during the day are consistently above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, says Mercer. If you plan to grow your plants from seed, start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before you transplant them.

How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes from Seed

Starting cherry tomatoes from seed is easy if you start ahead of time. You'll likely want to start the seeds indoors. When seedlings sprout, you can plant them outside directly in your garden or in containers on your deck or patio.

Materials Needed

• Seed trays or small containers
• Seed starting mix
• Tomato seeds
• Plastic wrap or dome

Instructions

• Six to eight weeks before the last frost date, fill seed trays with seed starter mix and place seeds into the mix.
• Use a dome or plastic wrap to cover the tray, says Mercer.
• Expose the seeds to 15 hours of bright light per day, using LED or fluorescent lights if necessary.
• Plant the seedlings outdoors when they are at least six inches high with two to three sets of true leaves, says Mercer.

How to Care for Cherry Tomatoes

Like other tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11, growing as a summer crop in cooler areas. Use a stake, trellis, or cage to support the plants as they develop and produce fruit.

Sun

Tomatoes are full-sun plants, requiring six to eight hours of exposure each day to provide the best-tasting—and most productive—yield.

Soil

Plant tomatoes in a rich, loamy soil. Choose a spot with good drainage and a slightly acidic soil pH between 6 and 7.

Water

Tomatoes should be watered thoroughly and regularly. "Water tomatoes deeply, allowing the top 1 to 2 inches of soil to dry in between waterings," says Mercer. "Consistent watering keeps tomatoes from cracking when fruits are forming." (If you're growing tomatoes in a container, wait to see water seep out from the drainage holes, she says.)

Fertilizer

Optimize your soil with aged manure or compost when you plant the tomatoes. "Apply an organic feed, like fish emulsion, every two weeks until flowers appear," says Mercer. "Switch to a high-potassium feed or balanced formula when the plant is flowering until the end of the season (when the plant stops producing)."

How to Propagate Cherry Tomato Plants

To multiply your cherry tomatoes, follow these instructions to successfully propagate your existing plants.

1. Cut a six-inch-long section from a plant stem with no flowers on it, and remove the lower leaves.
2. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone and plant it in moist soil, says Mercer.
3. Place the cutting in indirect light.
4. Moisten the soil consistently to prevent it from drying out.

How to Harvest Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are ready to pick when they are fully grown—typically about one inch in diameter, says Mercer; yield to a gentle press; and are uniform in color: "Mainly red, but some varieties are yellow, purple, green, and even black at maturity," says Mercer. Pull the tomatoes gently from the vine, being careful not to pop them—or cut a branch full of ripe clusters at once.

Like all tomatoes, store them on the counter instead of the refrigerator.

Common Problems with Growing Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are at risk from multiple types of pests. While some—like fruitworms and cut worms—can be removed from the plant by hand, others (like hornworms, aphids, whitflies, and nematodes) may require an insect spray. Use organic neem oil or products with the OMRI—Organic Materials Review Institute—to deter those tiny aggressors.