How to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are a remarkable source of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and several other nutrients that promote excellent health. Your local grocery store is not the only place where delicious ripe tomatoes are found. Learning how to plant cherry tomatoes in your backyard is easy when you know what to do.

Cherry tomato plants require special conditions in which to plant and grow. We provide you with the simple steps to take for homegrown tomato plants.

There are several benefits to growing cherry tomatoes. Planting cherry tomatoes in your backyard saves money on grocery expenses, reduces food waste, and decreases your family’s environmental impact.

Some people assume that producing a bountiful harvest of tomatoes is difficult. However, we show you that with the correct planting and fertilizing techniques, growing an abundance of cherry tomatoes on your own is easy.

We show you the proper locations to plant, how to avoid destructive parasites and the best way to achieve a successful harvest.

Planting Cherry Tomatoes is Inexpensive and Environmentally Friendly

Although growing your food requires a little more effort than going to the grocery store, the long-term benefits are worth it. Planting cherry tomatoes is a money-saver compared to buying them at the store and is one of the easy to grow vegetables in containers or the yard.

Additionally, you avoid the consumption of pesticides and insecticides used by farmers. When you grow-cherry-tomatoes on your own, you also help the environment along the way because of the reduction of fossil fuels used to import foods.

The Correct Cherry Tomato Plant Spacing

Planting tomatoes in a bucket is a simple and convenient way to grow these veggie favorites. Using the right planter and spacing for your cherry tomato seeds is pivotal to producing a bountiful harvest. Purchase a round bucket that holds at least five gallons to plant your cherry tomatoes.

Also, make sure the bucket is at least 12 inches tall and 12 inches in diameter. A large enough bucket ensures there is enough cherry tomato plant spacing.

Before planting red cherry tomato seeds or any other tomato varieties, ensure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the planter. If you don’t have any cherry tomato seeds, grape tomatoes are a great substitute for cherry tomatoes. Drill ¼ inch holes around the bottom edge of the pot. Space the holes out so they are three inches apart.

Drainage holes help your tomato plants guard against blossom end rot and other significant damage from excess water.

Use a Cage When Planting Cherry Tomatoes

When you need to grow grape tomatoes, one of the best ways to grow tomatoes is by using a planter cage or a trellis. Learning how to plant cherry tomatoes is simple when you utilize the tomato cage in your planter.

When planting cherry tomatoes or Sungold tomatoes, a tomato cage assists the produce’s weight. Tomatoes have heavy branches that require quite a bit of support when growing.

Insert the pointy ends of your tomato cage into the potting soil. Make sure the cage is inserted as deep into the planter as possible.

We recommend placing the tomato cage inside the planter before dumping the potting mix inside to make it easier to grow cherry tomatoes. Without a tomato cage, your cherry or heirloom tomatoes topple over from lack of support to the main stem.

Knowing How to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Understanding the correct amount of potting soil to fertilize your cherry tomato plant is integral when transplanting a tomato plant. Leave about a ½ inch of space below the rim of your planter when putting the potting mix inside.

When transplanting a cherry tomato plant, dig a small hole in your planter’s center and gently place the plant inside. Let only four to six of the tomato plant’s leaves emerge from the surface after covering it with soil.

Planting cherry tomatoes is simple when you know how much soil, water, and fertilizer your plant needs. Transplanting a smaller cherry tomato plant is a great way to transition your produce.

Ensure you have enough potting mix in your bucket, so your tomato plant has enough moisture and nutrients to provide a healthy growth pattern.

Successfully Maintaining Your Cherry Tomato Plants

Whether you are planting cherry or Sweet Million tomato plants, maintaining a consistent watering schedule is essential to make sure you produce a bountiful harvest. Most tomato plant growers water their plants every three days.

Water your tomato plant daily if you reside in a hot and dry area. Pour enough water in the planter so the soil is moist but not overflowing. Overwatering results in root disease because the plant cannot breathe.

Additional tips when planting cherry tomatoes are to add fertilizer in your potting mix once every week. Fertilizer assists in providing your plants with nutrients to grow faster.

It is also necessary to prune the lowest leaves on the plant so the main stem gets enough oxygen. We recommend spreading a small amount of mulch around the plant’s base to help prevent any diseases.

Knowing Where to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomato plant spacing and location are essential to ensure the plant grows and produces as much as possible. Knowing how far apart to plant cherry tomatoes from each other as well as other plants benefits all the vegetables.

Place your planter in a well-lit area that receives at least eight hours of full sun each day.

Cherry tomato plants require a lot of sunlight to grow and produce. The best way to ensure your cherry tomato plant grows as big as it can is to place the planter in an area with direct sunlight.

How much space do cherry tomatoes need to grow? A typical location with tons of direct sunlight is a balcony or back porch. When planting a cherry tomato plant next to a balcony, a tomato cage is not called needed because the railings support the plant.

If you use a tomato cage, place the planter at least a foot away from any other objects so the vines do not get tangled.

When are Cherry Tomatoes Ready to Harvest?

Learning how to plant tomatoes in a pot or the garden, whether they are cherry tomatoes or another variety, is just as important as knowing when is the correct time to harvest the tomatoes. The first step in harvesting is to see if you have an indeterminate or determinate plant.

Determinate types of cherry tomatoes stop producing once there are flowers on the end of the shoots. Indeterminate varieties form flowers along the sides of the shoots and take longer to grow.

A cherry tomato is ripe when it is red and is easily picked off the vine. We recommend waiting an extra day when you believe a tomato is ripe because it adds more flavor.

Most tomato plants produce fruit up until the first frost. If temperatures are unseasonably cold, place an old sheet over the plant at night to prevent it from freezing.

Avoiding Destructive Parasites

Caterpillars and hornworms are harmful parasites that eat the nutrients in your cherry tomato plant. There are simple steps to take to avoid these pests from ever taking over your tomato plants.

Till your soil once every two weeks to kill the larvae that reside in the ground. Another easy way to prevent hornworms is to take advantage of companion planting tomatoes with dill, basil, or marigolds.

Learning what to plant next to each other allows you the advantage of these plants giving off an undesirable odor to hornworms.

You can also easily make a homemade tomato leaf spray with neem oil to repel worms and insects that try to destroy your tomatoes.

If your tomato plant is located where wasps, ladybugs, or green lacewings frequent, hornworms avoid the area because they are prey to these bugs.

Should you find aphid bugs on tomatoes, give the plants a hard spray with the water hose to dislodge and kill them.

Like most other plants, disease can be a problem, as well. What causes tomato plant leaves to curl? It may be inappropriate watering or a tomato disease like verticillium wilt.

What causes brown spots on tomatoes? Usually, brown spots on leaves or tomatoes is another sign of disease that must be handled quickly to keep it from spreading.

The Correct Time to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Direct sunlight and warmth are keys to producing a plentiful harvest of cherry tomatoes. Understanding when to plant cherry tomatoes so they grow best is simple. The growing season begins after the last frost.

A tomato plant does not survive when there is an overnight frost. We recommend planting your tomato plants in the late spring or early summer to see the best results.

In an area with a warmer climate with temperatures that do not reach a frost overnight, plant your tomatoes earlier than the late spring. Plant cherry tomatoes with a starter plant and not with seeds, so they grow faster.

Understanding the Ideal Soil to Plant Cherry Tomatoes in

One reason learning how to plant cherry tomatoes is so easy is that the plant is not picky regarding soil. The one ingredient that must be in your soil is phosphorus.

Phosphorus promotes cell division and plant growth and is vital at the beginning of their life cycle. Adding a small amount of mulch at your plants’ base also aids in the nutrients your cherry tomato plant gets.

If you do not have access to mulch, only using soil is enough to produce a generous harvest from your tomato plant. The best part, though, is knowing when to pick cherry tomatoes so you can finally eat what you have worked so hard to produce.

Cherry tomato plant spacing, maintenance practices, and planter location are critical to ensuring you get the most out of your tomato plant.

The only tools required to plant a thriving cherry tomato plant are a planter and tomato cage to support the fruit’s weight because the vines alone are not strong enough.

If you learned how to plant cherry tomatoes with these tips and tricks, share this article on Facebook or Pinterest about planting cherry tomatoes with your family.