How to Grow a Cherry Tomato From the Seed
Cherry tomatoes are a great crop to grow. There are a number of varieties to choose from including, Sweet 100 Plus, Golden Nugget, Green Grape and Sun Gold. Cherry tomatoes are also easier to grow than any other type of tomato. If you plant them correctly, cherry tomatoes will give you a plentiful harvest year after year. You can buy seedlings or you can grow cherry tomatoes from seed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Planting the Seeds
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Pick up some cherry tomato seeds from your local gardening store or use your own. If you bought cherry tomatoes, take out the seed and rinse off any slimy material.
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Plant your cherry tomato seeds six to eight weeks before the last spring frost in your area. If you don't know the average date of your last frost, you can find it on the "U.S. Climate Normals" map available from the NOAA website. If it doesn't freeze in your area, you should start six to eight weeks before night temperatures are regularly in the 50s.
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Plant seeds ¼-inch deep in seed-starting soil. You can plant them in individual containers or in a larger container. If you plant in a large container, plant your seeds two inches apart.
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Water seeds so the soil is moist, but not soggy. Keep seeds in a fairly warm place, about 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Move your seeds to an area where they can receive sunlight or strong light all day. If you do not have a good window, use a grow light or some other bright, fluorescent light.
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Begin to "harden off" your cherry tomato plants once the threat of a frost has passed. You can do this by setting the plants outside during the day and bringing them back inside at night. Your plants should be four to six inches high at this point. Hardening off your plants helps prevent climate shock when you plant them outside.
Transplanting Outside
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Pick an area for your outside garden that has plenty of sunlight.
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Dig holes for your cherry tomato plants. Make the hole deep enough that, when covered, the soil will come up to the first set of leaves. Dig your holes two to three feet apart.
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Tip your container over and gently squeeze it to get the plant and its roots out. Use a fork to gently lift each plant out if you used a larger container.
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Place the plant in the soil and fill in the hole. Pat down the soil around the plant so it stands firm.
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Water your cherry tomato plants regularly. Make sure you water the plants enough that the water seeps deeply into the soil.
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Tips & Warnings
Fertilizers with calcium or a low nitrogen/high phosphorus mix will help your cherry tomatoes grow well and prevent blossom end rot.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Tomato image by Andrew Breeden from Fotolia.com
