How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes in Containers

Nothing says summer like picking a tomato right off the vine and popping into your mouth. Here's the good news--you don't have to spend the summer digging in the dirt to grow your own. Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow in containers on a deck or a patio and require minimal care, so they are perfect for a novice gardener. Cherry tomatoes also yield more, and often tastier, fruit than regular tomato plants, and you'll get hundreds from midsummer through the last frost. Read on to learn how to grow cherry tomatoes in containers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ties and stakes
• Organic potting mix
• 4 to 6 gallon pot
• Seedlings from a nursery

1. Use ties and stakes to prevent plants from flopping over and damaging the fruit. Place the stake at the same time you plant the seedling to avoid damaging roots down the road.

2. Use a pot that holds 4 to 6 gallons of soil. Plastic, fiberglass and foam all work well and these materials won't let water evaporate quickly from the roots, but any kind of container will do, from a terra cotta planter to a garbage can. Just make sure it has drainage holes in the bottom (use a hammer and a nail to create them in a plastic or metal bucket).

3. Buy organic potting mix instead of using dirt from the garden to avoid transferring diseases or pests to your plant. Check the soil daily to see if it's dry, and keep it consistently moist. Position the pot so it gets at least six hours of sun daily.

4. Start with seedlings from a nursery (instead of seeds), This will help shorten the time for fruit to mature. The time to plant them is early June. Purchase indeterminate varieties, which produce tomatoes throughout the season rather than all at once.