How to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are a great way to teach kids that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Whether grown in a garden or a container by the back door, cherry tomatoes can be picked and eaten right off the vine.Kids can help plant cherry tomatoes. The abundance this fruit will provide will be appreciated all season.

Things You'll Need

• Cherry tomato starter plant
• Garden cultivator
• Garden hand spade
• Compost or manure
• Garden gloves
• Plant starter food

Instructions

Planting A Cherry Tomato Plant

1. 

   Gather the tools needed to plant the cherry tomato starter plant int the garden or container.

2. 

   Prepare the soil for planting in the garden. Add any compost or manure to the garden at this time and wait a day or two before planting.

3. 

   Buy a cherry tomato starter plant at a garden center or, better yet, go to a farmer's market. Stay away from wilted or sun dried plants. They won't bear as much fruit.

4. 

   Using the hand spade, dig a hole slightly larger and deeper than the cherry tomato starter plant. Place the plant in the hole to test for the right depth. The edge of the pot should be slightly below ground level.

5. 

   Add any root starter or plant food to the hole. Read the directions carefully. Over-feeding or fertilizing will kill a young plant.

6. Back fill just enough dirt so that when the plant is placed in the hole it is at ground level.

7. 

   Place the cherry tomato plant in the hole if it is in a peat pot that will bio-degrade in the ground. If the plant is in a plastic pot, carefully remove it and spread the roots slightly before placing in the hole.

8. 

   Back fill around the cherry tomato starter plant, applying slight pressure to help set the new plant in the garden soil. Place a garden marker next to the new plant to show what it will yield.

9. 

   Water the new cherry tomato plant heavily the first day, then monitor the soil moisture daily.

Tips & Warnings

• Cherry tomato plants are bushier than regular tomato plants, therefore they need more room around the sides.

• One cherry tomato plant will yield dozens of fruit throughout the entire summer if harvested often.

• Always read precautions when using plant foods and fertilizers.