How to Grow a Cherry Tomato Plant Inside or Outside

Cherry tomatoes are smaller plants and feature smaller fruit than standard tomatoes.

Tomatoes bound through outdoor gardens with their riotous growth, bushy foliage and bright fruit harvests, but require the right conditions to do so. Plant cherry tomatoes in appropriate outdoor garden sites for summer growing and blooming, and enjoy juicy harvests through the growing season. If you want to grow them during fall and winter, use pots instead, and keep the plants safely inside.

Things You'll Need

• Organic compost
• Garden fork
• Fertilizer
• Trellis or stakes
• Ties
• Pots
• Quick-draining potting soil
• Sphagnum peat moss
• Perlite
• Water-soluble fertilizer

Instructions

Outdoor Cherry Tomatoes

1. Plant outdoor cherry tomatoes after the last frost in spring. These plants fail in cold air or soil, and thrive in temperatures of 70 to 85 degrees F.

2. Put cherry tomatoes in garden sites with bright sun exposure and good air movement. Tomatoes produce their best harvest with 8 hours of full sun every day, and rot in standing water or still air.

3. Give tomatoes rich, quick-draining foundations for quick, successful growth. Break up the top 1 foot of soil to aerate it and add 5 to 6 inches of rich organic compost. This mixture nourishes tomato roots and holds moisture between waterings. Add 6-24-24 or 8-32-16 granular fertilizer to encourage quicker rooting.

4. Plant cherry tomatoes 12 inches apart in the row, with 24 inches between rows for gardening. Cherry tomatoes grow smaller bushes and don't need the generous spacing of larger tomato cultivars. Put a trellis behind each row of tomatoes, or a stake at each planting, for future support.

5. Water the tomatoes with 2 inches of water every week to keep soil moist. Lay 1 to 2 inches of organic mulch on the soil between the plants to keep soil moist and warm.

6. Feed outdoor tomatoes with 10-10-10 granular fertilizer after blooming to encourage fruit production. Fertilize the tomatoes again after you pick the first fruit. Follow manufacturer directions for fertilizer applications.

Indoor Cherry Tomatoes

1. Plant indoor cherry tomatoes at any time of year. Use 5- to 10-gallon pots with drainage holes to give the tomato plants room, balance and drainage in indoor situations. Use clay or stone pots to maintain moisture longer between waterings.

2. Mix potting soil with 1 part perlite, 1 part organic compost, 1 part peat moss and 1 part quick-draining potting soil. This mixture provides nutrition for the plants and maintains moisture longer than outdoor foundations to keep the plants from drying.

3. Fill your pots ¾ full of potting mix and put a stake at the back of each pot. Potted cherry tomatoes still require support during growth. Plant one cherry tomato seedling per 5-gallon pot. If you use larger pots, plant multiple plants in a single pot, but give each 12 inches of space.

4. Put the pots in sites with 8 hours of bright natural or artificial light every day. Keep the pots in areas with good air circulation, but keep them away from fireplaces or heating vents, which dry the plants.

5. Water the potted tomatoes with 2 inches of water every three to four days. Potted tomatoes dry more quickly than garden tomatoes, and need more frequent waterings. Feed potted tomatoes with water-soluble 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 fertilizer once a week, starting in mid-season. Mix the fertilizer per manufacturer directions, and use the fertilizer mixture as a standard watering.

References

• University of Missouri Extension; Growing Home Garden Tomatoes; David H. Trinklein
• University of Illinois Extension; Watch Your Garden Grow: Tomato; Ron Wolford, et al.
• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet; Growing Cucumbers, Peppers, Squash and Tomatoes in Containers; Pamela J. Bennett
• Ohio State University Fact Sheet; Container Vegetable Gardening; Karen Demboski, et al.