You need kids to be active and helping on the vegetable plot or in the garden?.
Then try growing Cherry tomatoes in a container. It’s never too soon.
Cherry tomato is a type of small round tomato believed to be an intermediate between wild currant-type tomatoes and domesticated garden tomatoes.
You will also encounter cherry tomatoes varieties that are ideal for growing in a container.
There are two general shapes of cherry tomatoes i.e round and elongated.
Both are the same plant, Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme.
Here we will learn step by step on how to grow Cherry tomatoes in a container,
1.Choose the varieties of Cherry tomatoes that are ideal for container growing
These varieties are called patio tomatoes and they include; Red Cherry, Sweet Chelsea, Sweet 100 and Sweet Million
Sweet 100
It is an indeterminate plant that produces sweet tomatoes well through the summer. The variety is resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and nematodes.
Red Cherry
This is the small ‘Red Cherry’, not the ‘Large Red Cherry’ commonly used as a salad tomato.
Very dependable, full-flavored salad tomato.
Grows so vigorously and is resistant to fruit worm and high temperatures
Sweet Chelsea
Red, Sweet flavored, Indeterminate Cherry tomato
Its resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt Race 1, Nematodes and Tobbacco Mosaic Virus
Sweet Million
This variety of Cherry tomato is easy to grow and adapt well to many climates.
This extremely vigorous plant needs support for climbing habit, pruning may be required for containment in smaller areas
2.Choose the right Container for growing Cherry tomatoes
If you want to grow Cherry tomatoes in a container, be sure to choose one large enough and use a rich, well-drained potting media.
A five-gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom is an easy and affordable option that will be large enough to prevent the soil from drying out.
3.Planting Cherry tomatoes in a container
Ideally, each plant needs at least a 30cm pot, or space them 35-45cm apart along a deep window box or trough, or in a growing bag.
Add extra nutrients to multi-purpose compost – either mix garden compost into the bottom half of the container or add slow-release fertilizer.
Put containers in a sunny sheltered spot.
Fill containers to within 2-3cm of the rim with moist compost.
Plant late in the evening
4.Watering
Proper watering is a big key to success for growing Cherry tomatoes in a container.
Keep soil consistently moist, but not saturated. Failure to do so you will pave way for blossom end rot.
Use the finger test to see if a plant needs water: If the top inch of soil is dry when you push your finger into it, it’s time to give it a drink.
5. Add a layer of mulch
Add a layer of mulch to help keep soil moist; like straw, shredded bark or chopped leaves.
6.Cultural practices
Support your plants immediately after planting.
Carry out pruning whenever necessary and water regularly.
Do regular scouting for pests and diseases and act accordingly
7.Harvesting
Pick cherry tomatoes when they are green, but it’s important to note that they should be at the “mature green” stage for best results.
This means they have reached their full size but have not yet started to change color.
After picking, green cherry tomatoes can be ripened off the vine at room temperature.
To accelerate the ripening process, you can put them in a paper bag with a ripe banana.
Finally. Cherry tomatoes have a tendency to develop a crack under certain circumstances.
One cause of cracking is too much water. The tomato fruit can become swollen from an abundance of water. This can cause the skin to burst.
If you overwater your cherry tomato plants, you may see this happening to many of the ripe fruits.
Happy gardening!