Growing Cherry Tomatoes: Tips for Abundant, Flavorful Harvests

Few summer pleasures rival eating sun-warmed cherry tomatoes straight from the vine. These bite-sized gems pack intense sweetness, thin skins, and vibrant colors—red, gold, pink, even chocolate—into packages under 2 inches. They're also nutritional powerhouses, rich in calcium, iron, lycopene, and vitamins A and C. Many varieties resist diseases that trouble full-sized tomatoes, and some fruit in under 60 days from transplant.

Cherry tomatoes come in a dazzling array of colors!

Growing in Containers

No garden? No problem. Compact varieties like 'Terenzo', 'Lizzano', and 'Tumbling Tom' thrive in large nursery pots or hanging baskets. Newer introductions like 'Rambling Rose' (a pink cherry bred for containers) expand options. Standard cherry tomatoes also work in containers—use a 5-gallon bucket with drainage holes and a trellis.

Most cherry tomatoes are indeterminate, meaning they grow, flower, and fruit until frost.

Supporting Vigorous Vines

Standard tomato cages quickly fail. Get creative: the author uses rebar stakes and baling twine in a "Florida weave" to create a living fence, training vines up to 7 feet and beyond.

Top Varieties to Try

• 'Sungold': Early, prolific, incredibly sweet gold fruits; thin skins may crack.
• 'Sun Sugar': Similar flavor to 'Sungold' but more crack-resistant.
• 'Isis Candy': Marbled red-gold fruits with exceptional flavor.
• 'Chadwick' & 'Fox': Heirloom red cherries with tangy true tomato taste.
• 'Chocolate' & 'Black': Dark-skinned varieties with rich, complex flavor.
• 'Sweet Treats': Deep ruby red, disease-resistant, phenomenal flavor.
• 'Honeydrop': Amber fruits, sweet as honey.

Even one cherry tomato plant will reward you with weeks of fresh, flavorful harvests.