Cherry tomatoes are most beautiful vegetable that you can use in wrapped sandwiches or just as a snack. They are pretty small, very delicious, and very easy to grow, and produce a harvest quickly. There are a few verities of cherry tomatoes that can produce enough fruits for average family of four with just one or two plants.
Here are the basic things you need to grow cherry tomatoes from cherry tomatoes (that you bought from local supermarket).
Plantation Of Cherry Tomatoes From Cherry Tomatoes
After buying a few cherry tomatoes from supermarket or any store, pick some great looking tomatoes, cut them in half and separate seeds. Now Take a medium-size pot
and make sure it has bottom holes for drainage.
The soil mix that you need to sow cherry tomato seeds is mix of garden soil cocopeat and compost in equal proportion or simply use garden soil with cow dunk. Now fill the pot with soil mix and keep in mind that there should be a gap between the rim of the pot and the soil surface.
After collecting the seeds from tomatoes, place them on the soil. Avoid overlapping of seeds for better and more germination. Place them on the soil and cover them with the same soil mix, just a thin layer of soil.
Give them water, and put the pots in partial shade. Keep the soil a little moist. Not too wet and not too dry. The germination process will start in a few days (8-10 days).
During the germination phase water the soil with a spray bottle, when the sprouts pass through the soil, thin the plants and keep them in a per-position, and when the plants are a few inches high add stakes or training trails to keep them straight.
Repotting The Plants:
Repot the plants when roots come out from draining whole. Do it carefully because if roots break then it causes disturbance to the plant. Now if you choose a pot to grow plants then it should be 12 inches in diameter and 13 inches in depth.
Fill the pot with soil. Make sure that the soil will be two-inch below the rim of the pot. Dig a deep hole into the center of the soil and place the bottom root part into the hole.
Plant your tomato plant as deep as possible because tomatoes have a fairly deep root system so they tend to grow roots from the stem as well which will help plants to develop a strong root system.
Fill the hole with soil and water the plant because soil moisture is necessary for constant growth. Choose a location where the plant receives direct sunlight at least for 5 to 6 hours.
Conditions For Growth:
Like other tomato varieties, cherry tomatoes also require full and direct sunlight (If indoor placed in a window or use LED grow lights) and warm temperature (ranging from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit).
You will be able to grow cherry tomatoes if you mange to access best heat and light needs, access well-drained soil, and remember to water them frequently and according the need of soil, which is two inches of moist soil.
Care For Cherry Tomatoes:
Once the plants are established, care involves watering the plants and occasionally adjusting their support. Most varieties of tomatoes are largely grape varieties that can also be trained on wire trails.
As cherry tomato plants are bushy and are meant to walk along the ground in nature. This means they will be the heaviest, so plan not only to provide support but also spend some time on pruning as the plant grows. The lower stem of the plant should be cut or trimmed to prevent them from spreading and wasting plant energy.
Do not pinch or cut off the nonbearing limbs as they contain leaves that require catching the sunlight for growth.
How To Boost The Growth Of Cherry Tomatoes?
Use organic fertilizers to boost the growth of plants. Add organic compost after every 15 to 16 days for healthy growth such as cow dung mix it into the first few inches of the soil with the gardening tool and add water immediately after adding fertilizers to the soil.
Measures For Pests And Diseases:
Common tomato pests will also attack cherry tomato plants.
- They are susceptible to birds.
- So building a cage to enclose your plants is one of the most effective methods to protect your plants from birds
- Many growers spray their tomato plants with soap-based insecticides (it is a biodegradable and non-toxic way) to keep pests away.
- Overhead irrigation leads to molds on the underside of leaves so it can be easily controlled by being careful about watering.
- Apply appropriate fungicide if necessary.
Reaping Cherry Tomatoes:
Tomatoes will begin to ripe after 56-84 days depending on growing conditions. They can be picked when they are completely red and may not ripen on all plants at the same time.
Often, you can reap two or three times a plant in a four-month period so harvesting tomatoes as they are ripe encourages the plants to keep producing.
Hold the cherry just above the stem where it enters the tomato and pushes upward at an angle from the stem. There is a natural black point just as on full-sized tomatoes and will cut off keeping the stem intact with fruit.
Cherry tomatoes should be handled gently. Pick up the fresh ripe cherry tomatoes suitable for salad, snacks, and fresh eating.
Best Cherry Tomato Varieties For Gardening:
Nearly any kind of cherry tomatoes are best to grow in your garden. But if you wanted to grow them from start, you select only heirloom verities as you can save the seeds for next season and grow them with declining harvest each and every year.
So here are some heirloom varieties of cherry tomato
Tiny Tim:
An early maturing hereditary crop. Tiny Tim produces an abundance of deep red four-ounce fruits. Fruit matures in just 55 to 60 days. It is best for containers growing on the patio or in hanging baskets. It will tolerate a little shade. Seeds are easily available in the market.
Black cherry
It is an extremely ornamental variety of cherry tomatoes. Tomatoes have black-purple skin and dark red flesh. They have a wonderfully sweet and juicy flavor. They are perfect for eating raw in a salad or cooking with other summer vegetables.
Plants produce fruit consistently throughout the hot summer months. Plants get mature approximately in 64 days. This variety is naturally disease resistant seeds are easily available
Sweetie (organic heirloom)
Sweetie is known for its low acidity and high sugar content. It produces heavy yields of round cherry tomatoes that are grown in clusters. Fruit mature in 65 to 70 days. Plants show vigorous growth so it requires support. Seeds may be collected in late summer. It is naturally resistant to stem canker.
Yellow pear:
Yellow pear is highly productive and produces 1-2 inch bright yellow fruits. Fruits have a mild sweet flavor. Fruits are like a pear in shape and appear in abundance throughout the summer. The fruits are ripening in 75-80 days. Seeds can be collected and stored for propagation.