Rising cherry tomatoes: vital suggestions for rising them

Growing cherry tomatoes is a great place to start growing all types of tomatoes. Most gardeners grow tomatoes at some point. The choice is huge, with over 100 established varieties of cherry tomatoes. In the scheme of all varieties of tomatoes, cherries are easy to grow.

Cherry tomatoes or Solanum lycopersicum were grown from wild tomato fruits from the Andes for centuries. The Inca peoples chose them for their sweet taste and ability to snack. Anyone with the privilege of eating a ripe cherry tomato straight from the plant knows why this happened.

If you are stocking up on tomato seeds for spring, consider growing cherry tomatoes. Whether you're interested in heirloom seeds, black cherry tomatoes, definite or indefinite seeds, cherry tomatoes make it easy to produce something of value throughout the growing season. Grow them, eat them fresh, you can pick them and enjoy a sweet taste with the sun all year round! Forget about other tomatoes; Let's grow cherry tomatoes!

Good products on Amazon for growing cherry tomatoes:

Brief instructions for care

Cherry tomatoes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Source: photofarmer

Everything about cherry tomatoes

Unripe tomatoes should ripen a little before picking. Source: Nordmal

Solanum lycopersicum var. Cerasiforme is also known as cherry tomato, as well as a wide variety of cultivar names ranging from Tomaccio to Sungold to Dances With Smurfs. They come from wild tomatoes that were grown by Inca peoples in the Andes around 80,000 years ago. Tomato plants have trichome-covered leaves and fruits that cluster together. The difference between cherry tomato plants and other tomato plants is that cherry tomato fruits and seeds are smaller.

These tomatoes grow from flowers that bloom on branches covered with green serrated leaves that connect to a central stem. Tomatoes are externally pollinated, but they are self-pollinators. The yellow tomato plant has five petals. After the flowers die, fruits form.

The edible part of a tomato plant is the fruit. Leaves can be eaten but are toxic to humans in large quantities. Like other nightshade plants, tomato leaves contain the hard-to-digest alkaloids solanine and tomatine. Still, there is a lot of debate about whether tomato leaves can be cooked.

There are innumerable varieties of cherry tomatoes to choose from. I am currently growing Cherokee Purple Cherry Tomatoes, an indefinite variety that has exploded since spring turned into summer. They have purple skin, red inside, and great taste. Traditional red varieties are a great way to start your tomato journey. If you're bored of a red tomato, there are many varieties of tomatoes to choose from, including yellow and orange varieties.

Planting cherry tomatoes

Certain varieties are easier to grow in containers or raised beds. Indeterminate varieties grow wild in the garden and require a lot of space and care. Plant them in prepared soil. Leave at least four feet between each row of these plants. However, choosing the right variety will affect how you plant your tomatoes.

Transplant summer varieties after the last frost. If you are starting your tomatoes with seeds, start those tomato seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. Plant autumn varieties a few months before the first frost. Tomato plants need deep holes, at least 10 inches deep. Plant your tomatoes in deep holes to allow for solid root growth and nutrient absorption.

Add a tomato grid early on instead of a tomato cage that cherry tomatoes will quickly grow out of. The trellises or stakes (instead of cages) give you vertical space to work in your yard. This also prevents heirloom tomatoes from getting disease. Cages and stakes are great supports for your plants, but because of the clustering, consider using a trellis for your tomatoes. Cages are a no-go here unless you have extremely tall cages that can handle indefinite growth.

maintenance

The fruit grows in tight clusters. Source: quinet

Caring for a cherry tomato plant is easy when the right conditions are met and cared for on a daily basis. Here are the most important things to look out for.

Sun and temperature

These plants prefer full sunlight to partial shade, with at least 6 to 8 hours of sun per day. They are hardy in zones 3 to 10 and enjoy temperatures of 70 to 85 degrees. Certain varieties experience flower drop at temperatures above 90 degrees. Fruits fall off the plant at 56 degrees or below. There are cold-resistant varieties that bear fruit in the spring and heat-tolerant varieties that produce throughout the summer. Some varieties need shade cloths when it is very hot, others appreciate frost cloths in cool spring.

Water and moisture

Water every morning in warmer areas. For those blessed with a summer that hits around 90 degrees, water cherry tomatoes a couple of times a week. Water once a week in autumn. Drip irrigation is best for cherry tomatoes. Set the line on the soil surface and water until 6 to 8 inches of soil is soaked. If you don't have a drip line, use a regular garden hose and let it trickle slowly into the garden. If you are growing your tomatoes in a saucepan, you are pouring more than those in the bottom. Water in pots will wash away nutrients, but containers will get hotter. Tomatoes deep in the ground hold water better.

In contrast, too much watering, especially during fruiting, creates problems like flower end rot. Irregular watering leads to split fruits. In a cool and rainy spring, there is no need to water as often. Better to move containerized cherry tomatoes inside if excessive rain is predicted.

ground

These prefer fertile, loose, well-drained soil. To plant them in the ground, prepare the soil before planting. Keep enough space between the prepared areas to avoid overcrowding while your plant is growing. Provide the plants with a mixture of good soil, compost, and bone meal that will encourage flowering and fruit production.

The soil pH for tomatoes should be slightly acidic, around 6.2 to 6.8. Avoid soil mixes that are high in nitrogen as they encourage leaf growth, but not flowers and fruits. Container mixes should be the same but need more fertilization as they grow. While it is possible to produce delicious bite-sized fruit on your cherry tomato plant in clay garden soil, it is more difficult to get a successful harvest with the right flavor.

Fertilize

Tomatoes need fertilizer when planted and throughout the fruit cycle. Before planting your cherry tomato plant, dress the container or hole in the ground with a slow-release organic variety that is high in phosphorus. Extra calcium also helps with healthy fruit production. Check the package for a mix of around 5-7-3 NPK, which is ideal, and see if it contains calcium. Ground eggshells can also be used during planting.

Since tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes) produce fruit, they offer additional feedings via a homemade compost tea or regular applications of grainy ferts. While foliar fertilization is fine, tomato leaves are delicate. If you are unsure of the feed you choose, try soaking the soil around your tomato or adding additional slow-release fertilizers. Bone meal can encourage further flowering.

If you've mixed your tomatoes in a pot in potting soil with compost, you'll be adding nutrients more often. Water transports nutrients through the container faster, and in the summer the heat makes it necessary to water plants in a pot more often.

clipping

Certain cherry tomatoes require less pruning than indeterminate plants. All tomato plants must be cared for and pruned throughout their season. Pinch off the first blossoms of your cherry tomato plant to encourage more flowering. When your plant grows to about 12 inches, trim off the lower leaves that slope toward the surface of the soil. This will prevent moisture from adhering to them, which can spread disease to the rest of your garden.

Remove tomato vacuums as soon as they appear. Tomato suckers are small plants that sprout from the knot where a twig meets the stem. Use these to propagate or compost more plants. You could leave them on plants if they are determined. However, indeterminate ones become unwieldy with suction cups. Cut these off to give your tomato a little relief. Cut off any yellow or diseased leaves, leaving enough green leaves to support your cherry tomato plants.

Multiplication

The best way to propagate tomatoes is to germinate tomato seeds in the spring and transplant the seedlings after the last frost. You can collect cherry tomato seeds and keep them for the next season. In all honesty, I was very proud when I managed to grow cherry tomato seedlings from seeds that were saved the previous year. When you have an heirloom strain, it's important to save tomato seeds to keep this genetic line going.

Tomato vacuums are another way to get more miles out of your cherry tomato plant or vine. Combine these with seeds and you may have enough seedlings to share with friends or a nearby plant stand. After you've pruned them, put them in water and let the roots grow. You will quickly have tons of seedlings if you use tomato vacuums to propagate your cherry tomato plant.

Harvest and storage

Store tomatoes at room temperature until just before use. Source: lynn.gardner

Harvesting cherry tomatoes is easier than harvesting larger varieties because you don't have to let the vine ripen the fruit. Just pull ripe cherry tomatoes straight.

harvest

Certain ripe cherry tomatoes set their fruits at once and give you big harvests. If you don't have enough friends to support a particular crop, try canned foods. Indefinite fruits produce one after the other, giving you that fresh, ripe cherry tomato flavor throughout the season. If you are interested in all the pros and cons of vine ripening, read this article.

Pick red cherry fruits from the vine or plant when they are almost ripe. Make sure you know the end point of the strain you are growing. If you are growing a yellow tomato, look for an almost golden color. If you're looking for some orange, wait until the tomatoes are just orange enough. If you are unsure whether the color is right or not, it's okay to choose one and try it to see if the taste is right. If you don't want fried green tomatoes, wait for them to turn their green color to try them.

storage

Cherry tomatoes aren't the kind of tomatoes that are great for canning or gluing, although both can be. Peeling tomatoes for canning requires extra work. It is best to harvest cherry tomatoes from the stem and either eat them straight away or store them at room temperature until you can eat them. Fresh cherry tomatoes in early summer are unbeatable.

In the long term, cherry tomatoes can be halved and frozen so that they can later be made into sauces. They can also be dehydrated and stored at room temperature for at least six months. One of the most delicious ways to store cherry tomatoes is to dry them in direct sunlight and eat them with or without olive oil. Unopened sun-dried cherry tomatoes can be kept for up to two years.

Troubleshooting

Tomatoes may not all ripen at the same time, as this shows. Source: sameold2010

Although cherry tomatoes are productive, if you are not looking, they will attract pests and diseases. Some are more resistant to pests than others, but none are resistant to the elements. Keep a close eye on your cherry tomatoes (especially heirloom varieties) and you will have a great harvest.

Growing problems

Tomatoes with irregular watering can split on the vine. This often occurs when inconsistent irrigation is associated with compacted soil. Blossom end rot occurs when plants appear healthy but the ends of your cherry tomatoes are rotten and mushy. This is due to an insufficient amount of calcium in the soil. Both problems are resolved with proper preparation and fertilization of the garden soil.

Flower drops occurs when the weather is a little too hot. If you provide shade for your cherry tomatoes, the temperature should drop slightly in scorching weather.

sunburn occurs when tomatoes are left in direct, hot sun for too long. Provide sufficient support for larger branches in trellises so that they shade the fruit and prevent sunburn.

Leaf curls can be a symptom of a variety of things, from environmental pollution (too much heat, too little or too little water, etc.) to disease. If your leaves are curling, see if they are curling up to the top of the sheet or down to the bottom, as this may indicate your problem.

Flower end rot is common with all types of tomatoes. This is usually caused by the plant not being able to absorb calcium from its soil, usually because it is watered infrequently. Calcium fertilizer application should be done while planting, and if it is small amounts of calcium in combination with your standard NPK fertilizer, it can be used all season. Make sure the soil around the tomatoes stays moist, not wet or dry, so that your plants can absorb their calcium and other nutrients well.

Pests

Tomato hornworms are known tomato pests. They eat the leaves and fruits of your cherry tomato plant. Control them in an environmentally friendly way with lacewings, ladybirds or Trichogramma wasps – their natural enemies. If time is of the essence, spray or dust Bt on plants. Pyrethrins also kill tomato hornworms. Row covers prevent the moths that produce tomato hornworms from getting to your cherry tomato plants.

Aphids, Leaf pod beetles, and Whiteflies are sap-sucking insects that devastate plants if not treated quickly. Neem oil is an effective pesticide to help fight them. However, do not spray neem on plants when they are in bloom or within a few weeks of being picked. Insecticidal soaps work in this case too. Spray the sprays at least seven days apart in the evening or early in the morning.

Spider mites Spin webs around your plants while they enjoy the leaves. Horticultural oil or neem oil works on spider mites. First, remove the mites with a damp cloth, then spray on oil as needed to kill any scattered eggs. This process also works in pod beetles.

Diseases

Early rot attacks tomato plants from the base upwards. Spots appear on the leaves, and then concentric rings are formed, forming a target-like shape. This disease is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, and the cause is often built up in the soil by planting nightshades in the same place for consecutive seasons. Either remove the affected plant and throw it away, or treat it with a copper fungicide about every two weeks.

Bacterial stain appears on tomato leaves as a small dark green spot surrounded by a yellow ring. This disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv will not necessarily stop fruit production. It must be prevented culturally through correct crop rotation.

Tomato rossa-eye rot is caused by three types of fungus: P. capsici, P. drechsleri and P. nicotiana var. parasitika. It looks like flower end rot, but instead the rot is all around the fruit. Prevention is the only way to control horse chestnut rot.

In warm, humid conditions, cherry tomatoes can have a fungus called. to get gray leaf spot, which begins on leaves and spreads to stems and fruits. Prevention is the best control. Spray fungicides or switch plants to prevent this completely.

frequently asked Questions

As they ripen, tomatoes gradually take on their true color. Source: Relocated Librarian

Q: do cherry tomatoes need a trellis?

Answer: yes. Since cherry tomatoes grow in clusters, they need adequate support from a trellis or other support.

Q: How long does it take to grow cherry tomatoes?

A: Cherry tomatoes take about seven to nine weeks to grow from seeds.

Q: How many cherry tomatoes can you get from one plant?

A: Certain plants produce between 20 and 90 cherry tomatoes. Indefinite ones can produce more, although it depends on the size of the mature plant.

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