If you have a small garden, or at least a place on the terrace, balcony, patio… where you can plant something, how about we teach you how to plant cherry tomatoes? They are small and very sweet tomatoes. But, also, very easy to grow.
So, if you have a little time and would like to eat healthy, enjoying growing your own tomatoes and eating them is sure to be quite an experience. Especially for your palate.
When to plant cherry tomatoes
You should know that each species of tomato has an appropriate time to plant. In the case of cherry tomatoes, it is best to do it between one and two months before the end of the cold. That is to say, that by February-March you could already sow them. Even in April you would be in time to do it.
The reason is that, in this way, it is achieved that both the flowering and the development of the fruits coincide with the summer season (and we already warned you that these tomatoes are going to love the heat).
How to plant cherry tomatoes
If you are not yet decided to grow cherry tomatoes, let us ask you a question. Do the tomatoes you eat now really taste like tomatoes? When a vegetable or fruit is grown in a home garden, by not having to use pesticides or chemical products, and giving nature time to come out as it should, a better flavor is obtained as a benefit.
We are not going to tell you that it will always be like this, but at least you can know what you eat.
That said, here we give you the keys to plant cherry tomatoes and that everything goes well until the end so that you can enjoy them.
Get cherry tomato seeds
There are two ways to have cherry tomato seeds:
Buying cherry tomatoes and removing the seeds. You need several because being small they do not have too many seeds. Also, in most cases, these tomatoes have been picked too early and the seeds are not fully ripe, so it could happen that they do not turn out well (it is one of the reasons why they do not taste like anything).
Buying seeds directly. With these you can have a better chance that they are ripe and germinate well.
Preparing the location of your “garden”
The next step is to know where you are going to plant your seeds. That is, if you are going to plant them in an orchard in the garden, in a planter, in some pots… And if they will be in the garden, balcony, terrace…
You should put it in a fixed place and not move it, mostly because as soon as you add the soil the pot will weigh more (and if it’s in the garden you won’t be able to move it even if you want to).
Another option is to use the portable gardens that are sold in some supermarkets and stores that allow you to have a garden without it being directly on the ground. Or with special drawers for orchards.
If it helps you, we will tell you that it is best to put it in an area where it receives as much direct sun as possible. If it is very hot where you live and the sun burns during the most intense hours, then bet on one where it gets a lot of sun in the morning or in the afternoon, but is protected during the highest incidence.
Once you have determined where you are going to plant cherry tomatoes, the next thing is to get a good substrate. Tomatoes need a soil that is very nutritious because throughout their short life they consume a lot. For this reason, the best soil that we recommend is one that has a somewhat acidic pH and also retains water. Of course, it does not mean that you do not mix it with some drainage, it would be the best (for example with pumice or perlite). In this way you will avoid accumulations of water and rotting of the roots.
With all this done, we go to the next step.
Prepare the cherry tomato seeds
This is optional, but the truth is that it works so well that we must tell you. It is about adding the tomato seeds to a glass of water. It does not have to be completely full, half a glass is enough.
Now, you must leave them there for about 24 hours so that they hydrate and thus begin the germination process. In fact, you will get them out much faster.
After that time, you may see seeds that have remained floating on the surface of the glass and others that have sunk. Those that remain floating are said to be “hollow” seeds, which will not germinate. While the ones in the background are the ones that are already ready. Just in case, and because we may think that some of these seeds are later, we advise you to plant them all and it will be seen at the end.
How to sow cherry tomato seeds
We do not believe that you will have any kind of problem planting cherry tomatoes because the truth is that it is very easy. To do this, it is best to make a hole in the ground and put two to four seeds. Then, with your hand, cover with the earth and that’s it. Of course, we recommend that you leave space between them (if you are going to plant them in a planter, box, in the garden… because each plant will need its space).
If, on the contrary, you are going to plant them first in training pots (so that they grow a little until you can put them in their final location, then there will be no problem.
Once plants spray a little water (do not add it directly because it will lift the seeds) and do it like this to add water until they germinate and start to grow. Until they are about 20 centimeters you will not have to transplant them to their final place.
How long do cherry tomatoes take to ripen?
The next thing that will be missing is to take care of them so that they become good tomato plants, they flourish and the fruits fatten so that you can collect them. In this process, one of the most important care that you must give is the subscriber. Use a fertilizer every 15 days because tomato plants are very demanding in nutrients and with this you can meet their needs.
Approximately 3 months after planting them you will have the cherry tomato harvest.
As you can see, planting cherry tomatoes is not complicated and the result will be worth it as soon as you put it in your mouth and taste it. Why don’t you try it and see what happens?
