How To Grow Cherry Tomatoes In Pots: 15 Top Tips In 2022 -

I used to wonder how to grow cherry tomatoes in pots when I don’t have a green thumb?

But, it turns out I did it. And if I can do it, you can too!

Gardening is my anti-stress therapy, and there is no other thing I look forward to more than those juicy round red tomato pearls.

If you’re looking for a delicious and nutritious way to add excitement to your gardening, consider growing cherry tomatoes in pots all summer.

Cherry tomatoes are perfect for those new to gardening, as they are relatively low maintenance and can thrive in small spaces.

With a little bit of care, you’ll enjoy homegrown cherry tomatoes in no time!

In this article, I will guide you step by step from how to plant a cherry tomato plant in a pot to how to care for cherry tomatoes in a pot.

This straightforward guide will show you how to get started.

How To Grow Cherry Tomatoes In Pots-15 Tips

Choose The Correct Variety
Use The Correct Pot
Use The Correct Soil
Water Correctly
Feed Tomatoes Regularly
Mulch To Enrich The Soil
Fertilize Regularly
Support With Cages
Choose The Best Spot
Beware of The Yellow Leaves
Keep Bugs Away
Prune Continuously
Harvest At The Right Time
Prepare For The Frost
Clean The Soil At The End Of The Season

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How To Grow Cherry Tomatoes In Pots: 15 Tips

1. Choose The Correct Variety

Determinate tomatoes are ideal for cherry tomatoes that grow in pots.

The plant stops growing when fruit sets on the top bud, and all fruit ripens at or near the same time (usually over two weeks), and then the plant stops producing fruit and dies.

Gardeners who want to extend the cherry tomato season may want to consider growing an indeterminate variety instead of a determinate one.

Indeterminate cherry tomato plants continue producing fruit until frost kills them.

Indeterminate cherry tomatoes will not ripen at once, but they will last a few weeks more.

Finally, indeterminate cherry tomatoes do better if you have a large barrel or container. You need to stake them too.

They grow at a maximum of 4 feet tall, which is a good size for the average plant that grows in a container.

Here are some great varieties for growing pots: bing cherry; black cherry; gold nugget; peacevine cherry, etc.

2. Use The Correct Pot

Before preparing to plant them, please consider how big of a pot do cherry tomatoes need.

The perfect pot or container for the highest production should be 15 inches in diameter.

It should hold at least 5 gallons of water. The more, the better.

Cherry tomato pots should be at least one foot deep.

This is all you need to know about how big of a pot for cherry tomatoes is.

3. Use The Correct Soil

For a 14-inch diameter pot, you will need 5 gallons of soil. This will also answer the question of how much soil do cherry tomatoes need per pot.

The soil must not be from the typical garden as it is heavy and can damage tomato production.

You need to look for quality organic soil for pots. Choose the soil made for veggies. Like Coast of Maine Store potting soil, for example. It is the best I have used so far.

Commercial soil for pots has all the nutrients your tomatoes need to get the right start. But you may add some scoops of compost to give them a nice boost.

Mix the soil with the compost; this will be the base for your tomatoes to grow well enough in pots and have a nice starting boost at the same time.

4. Water Correctly

Water your tomato plants frequently.

As they are still seeds growing, try to water them every day early in the morning.

Don’t use as much water as if to fill all the pot. Water the first centimeters of the soil. Water your pots until water runs freely from the bottom.

If you put your finger on the soil, it should feel moist, not soaking in water.

In addition, as temperatures increase in mid-summer, water your tomato plants twice a day – early in the morning and afternoon.

It is time to water again if you feel like the soil is dry about 1 inch below the surface.

5. Feed Tomatoes Regularly

The first food your cherry tomatoes will need is soil.

Make sure you buy organic soil that is organic and rich in nutrients.

After that, placing your pots in a south-facing window will help them grow.

Continuous watering is also essential for your tomatoes to grow well.

Two weeks after you have planted your seeds, ensure your water has some soluble balanced fertilizer.

After plants start blooming, opt for a high-potassium fertilizer.

A 20-20-20 general-purpose fertilizer will work, though you may want to invest in a fertilizer specifically for tomatoes. I use Peter’s Profesional fertilizer, and so far it has helped my tomatoes keep healthy.

At the time of flowering or when the plants start to produce fruit, consider adding more fertilizer to the soil.

Cherry tomatoes prefer fertilizers rich in potassium and phosphorus; some calcium can help prevent blossom end rot.

This is how to care for cherry tomatoes in a pot.

Follow the recommendations on the packaging.

6. Mulch To Enrich The Soil

As any cherry tomato grower knows, mulching is an essential part of the care and maintenance of these delicate plants.

Mulching holds moisture in the soil, regulates soil temperature, and prevents weed growth.

A 1-2 inch layer of wood chips, dry leaves, pine needles, sawdust, coco coir, or tree bark around the base of each plant can make a big difference in the health and yield of your cherry tomatoes.

In addition, mulching helps to keep the fruit clean and free from mud and debris.

Tip: Try not to use hay when mulching. Hay contains seeds, which, when they get water, sprout.

7. Fertilize Regularly

Plant your tomatoes deep. 2/3 should be under the soil.

How many cherry tomatoes seed per pot or how many cherry tomatoes per pot? Plant one seed per pot for a 14 – 15 inch pot.

If you have a bigger pot, you may consider planting more than 1.

However, this depends on the variety that you have. The dwarf’s space is 1-2 feet away from one another. Larger varieties will want larger spaces, 3-4 feet away.

8. Support With Cages

Unlike other fruits and vegetables, cherry tomatoes are delicate, and their stems are not sturdy enough to hold the weight of the fruit.

This means that cherry tomato plants will bend and tip over unless you provide some support.

Fortunately, this is easy to do using a tomato cage. Tomato cages come in all shapes and sizes, so you can easily find one that will fit your cherry tomato plants.

If you’re growing cherry tomatoes in pots, you may need to use a slightly smaller cage than you would for plants grown in the ground.

Once you’ve selected a cage, place it around your cherry tomato plant and secure it in place. Your cherry tomatoes will thank you for it!

When you are ready to transplant your cherry tomato plants into their pots, setting up the cage support beforehand is crucial.

If you are wondering how to stake cherry tomatoes in pots, choose a stake 1-2 feet long (at a max of 0.61cm). It should go to the bottom of the pot and stick out of the soil.

Once the stake is in place, tie the stem to the stake. Don’t tie it tightly.

Doing it later may harm the roots and make it difficult for the plant to take hold. The cage support also makes the plant grow faster and spread its branches faster in all directions.

As a result, your cherry tomato plants will be healthier and more productive. So be sure to set up cage support before transplanting your cherry tomatoes into their pots.

9. Choose The Best Spot

Tomatoes love the Sun and they die in the first frost.

Needless to say, the best spot to grow your potted cherry tomatoes is a South-oriented window.

However, high temperatures can cause blossom drops in cherry tomatoes. As a result, they may not give you any fruit at all.

So, be careful to keep your cherry tomatoes in a happy temperature range where they can thrive.

10. Beware of The Yellow Leaves

It is frustrating in gardening when plants start to show signs of a fungus infection.

Yellowing leaves with brown bullseye spots are a telltale sign of blight, and cherry tomatoes are especially susceptible to this disease.

If you see these symptoms on any of your plants, it’s important to take action immediately.

Cut all the infected branches and dispose of them in the trash.

If the infection has spread too far, you may need to throw out the entire plant. Dumping any affected pots at the end of the season and starting fresh next year is also essential.

11. Keep Bugs Away

Cherry tomato plants in pots are not usually a significant problem for bugs and pests.

Even if you have placed your pots on the patio or in the garden, bugs can still fly there.

The good news is that bugs hate neem.

This will help keep the bugs away from your plants and allow them to focus on their work instead.

Make sure to add a few tablespoons of neem cake to your potting mix. This will help to kill any larvae or pests that may be in the soil.

Neem cake also acts as a fertilizer, so it benefits the plant in multiple ways.

If there are any pests on the plant leaves, spray neem oil diluted with water onto the leaves once a week for a few weeks.

This will help to get rid of the pests permanently.

12. Prune Continuously

Cherry tomato plants can quickly become overgrown and produce too much fruit.

Pruning is vital to them. If you skip it, there is no way you know how to grow a cherry tomato plant in a pot.

When pruning cherry tomato plants, aim to remove any suckers growing in the bottom two-thirds of the plant. These suckers compete with the main stems for nutrients and can decrease yields.

You should also remove any excess stems from the base of the plant.

Once you have removed the suckers and excess stems, you should be left with one or two main stems. The top 1/3 of the plant should be left untouched, as this is where the flowers and fruits will develop.

13. Harvest At The Right Time

Indeterminate varieties of cherry tomato will produce fruit all summer long. Start harvesting as the cherries ripen so that you can enjoy them at their peak of flavor.

Determinant types will fruit all at once, with all tomatoes ripening around the same time.

Have a plan beforehand on how to preserve your harvest, but it can also be a challenge if you’re trying to avoid overripe fruit.

Picking your tomatoes before they overripe, will help avoid unwanted attention from bugs.

With a bit of care and attention, cherry tomatoes can be a delicious and hassle-free addition to your garden. Enjoy them fresh off the vine all summer long!

14. Prepare For The Frost

One of the best things about cherry tomatoes is that they will continue to fruit well into fall, beyond the first frost.

Bring your plant inside during cold spells if you want to continue producing.

Otherwise, collect all the green fruit before the frost and place them in a box with a piece of paper separating each row.

They will still ripen over the next few weeks.

15. Clean The Soil At The End Of The Season

First, dig compost or manure into your beds. This will give the roots of your tomato plants a boost of nutrients to help them grow strong and healthy.

Second, use aged or composted manure when amending the soil in the springtime. That will improve the quality of the soil, making it more conducive to growing tomatoes.

Finally, remember that roots will grow out and down, so make sure to dig an area at least three feet in diameter and two feet deep.

FAQs

Do Cherry Tomatoes Grow Well In Pots?

Yes, cherry tomatoes are perfectly suited to growing in pots. Cherry tomatoes are one of the beginner vegetables you can start your gardening journey with.

How Deep Do Containers Need To Be For Cherry Tomatoes?

Curious as to how deep the containers need to be for cherry tomatoes? The basic rule says that a pot should be 14 inches wide and deep enough to hold five gallons. The container should be at least one foot deep. It’s best to have holes in the bottom.

How Long Does It Take For Cherry Tomatoes To Bear Fruit?

If you’re wondering how long it takes for cherry tomatoes to bear fruit, it takes 55 days to 65 days for them to bear fruit. In some cases they are ready to harvest in 45 days, and it may take up to 80 days as well.

How Much Sun Do Cherry Tomatoes Need?

So, how much sun do cherry tomatoes need? Cherry tomatoes need six to eight hours of sun every day, direct sun. The best thing about growing tomatoes in pots is that you can move them everywhere until you find the perfect spot for them.

Cherry tomatoes are a great choice for growing in pots. They are relatively easy to care for and can be prolific producers.

With the right soil, sun exposure, and watering schedule, your cherry tomato plants should thrive in a pot on your patio or deck. These bits of effort, you can enjoy homegrown cherry tomatoes all season long.

Just be sure to keep an eye on them and harvest the fruit regularly so they don’t get overgrown!

Have you grown cherry tomatoes before? What tips would you add?

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How To Grow Cherry Tomatoes In Pots: 15 Top Tips In 2022