How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes for Market

Cherry tomato plants often have high yields, making them ideal for selling.

Though the tomatoes themselves are smaller in size than traditional tomatoes, cherry tomato plants can grow to be very large. In areas with the best growing conditions, cherry tomato plants may grow to 6 or 8 feet tall. Plants of this size provide a large tomato harvest that can be beneficial if you want to grow tomatoes for market.

Things You'll Need

• Cherry tomato seeds
• Pot
• Potting mix
• Compost or fertilizer
• Stakes and ties

Instructions

1. Plant cherry tomatoes. Like many tomato varieties, cherry tomato plants can be established and grown from seed. To plant the tomatoes, get a pot that can hold at least 5 gallons of soil, add potting mix, cast four or five seeds on the top of the soil and lightly brush soil over the top of the seeds or till the area in your yard where you want to place the cherry tomato plant, cast the seed and lightly rake the soil over the seeds.

2. Make sure the cherry tomato plants get eight hours of sunlight daily. Add compost or fertilizer at least once throughout the growing season. Generally, this should be done early in the growing cycle to provide the plant with nutrients needed to grow.

3. Provide only an inch of water to the tomato plants each week, according to the Tomato Tips website. If you live in an area with plenty of rain, you may not need to water the plants at all.

4. Stake the cherry tomato plant once it starts to grow. Since cherry tomato plants grow so tall, they can bend due to the weight, which destroys the tomatoes.

5. Get certified if you want to be able to label cherry tomatoes as organic. It can be difficult for a small farm or independent gardener to get certified organic, but you can still grow the fruits organically by using no chemical fertilizer, no pesticides and following all other rules of organic gardening. You cannot legally label the cherry tomatoes as organic without being certified, but you can tell anyone who asks your growing technique that you don't use pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers on your plants.

6. Find a place to sell your cherry tomatoes. You can always sell your produce on the side of the road or at farmer's markets, but Hobby Farms also recommends checking with local and high-end restaurants and grocery stores in your area to see if they want to buy produce directly from you.

References

• Tomato Tips: Growing Cherry Tomatoes
• Hobby Farms: Heirloom Tomatoes Growing and Selling

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish