As summer is right around the corner, the season for cherry tomatoes is just in sight. Cherry tomatoes are extremely versatile- eaten fresh, roasted, or even cooked in a sauce. The sweet, delicious fruit comes in a variety of colours such as red, orange, yellow and sometimes even black. If you are interested in growing your own fresh delicious tomatoes, make sure you know how to do so! Here at That Plant Shop, the leading online plant shop in Sydney, we grow hundreds of different plants and have vast experience in growing tomatoes. As such, we have provided some tips to grow cherry tomatoes.
When to plant
You want to plant your tomato plants in warm weather, so around early spring to middle spring is a great time to start your gardening adventures. If you plan on growing from your own seeds, start growing them indoors for roughly four weeks before your area’s projected frost date and then plant them outside when the seedlings are at least six inches tall. Before you plant your seedlings, be sure that there is no chance of frost throughout the lifespan of your plant. Cherry tomatoes require warm weather, around 15 to 18 degrees Celsius
Sunlight and soil
As you are planning your garden, make sure that the soil is well-drained with a pH level of around 6.2-6.5, where they can receive four to six hours of sunlight every day. The last thing you want is to plant your cherry tomato seedlings, only to realise they do not have enough sunlight. Choose a sunny spot- ensuring that no nearby plants will shade the tomatoes too much once the plants grow and leaf out throughout spring. Be sure to space your cherry tomatoes at least a meter apart to allow for them to spread and to ensure good air circulation. It is useful to sprinkle some limestone into the bottom of each hole for your tomato plants and use fertiliser to give your plants a strong foundation.
How to plant
When taking the cherry tomato seedling out of its container, pluck all the small stems and shoots from the bottom of the main stalk up to a few inches above the soil line. Once done, you should gently remove the plant from the pot- ruffling the roots. Ensure that most of the bare stalk is buried deeply in the soil, keeping the stem up right. This gives the plant a chance to grow extra roots. Make sure you water your tomatoes deeply and regularly- about once a week deeply, with frequent light watering.
Consider That Plant Shop
Our online plant nursery takes good care of all the plants we sell and ensure that they are all virus free and healthy. From our plant nursery, our cherry tomato plant- tomato cherry roma - produces an abundance of plum cherry fruits that burst with sweet fresh grape tomato flavour with a spicy undertone. To order from our online plant nursery collection, click here.
