Tomatoes are no doubt one the most popular and most versatile crops out there. Most gardeners love to grow tomatoes in their kitchen garden. Tomatoes are not very easy to grow but they are very rewarding if you take care of plants in a good manner.
Usually, tomato plants are very big and not all of us have that kind of space in our kitchen garden. For gardeners with space problems, cherry tomatoes are like a treat. They can grow in small space as well as in containers or grow bags.
Here are 5 best varieties of cherry tomatoes that you can grow in pots.
Varieties Of Cherry Tomatoes For Container Gardeners
These 5 varieties are best to grow in pots or containers but you can also grow them in the ground or raised bed garden. I will explain how you can grow them later in this post.
- Bing Cherry: They are very beautiful and juicy tomatoes. They grow best in hot climates. They are very tolerant of drought which makes them ideal for hot climates.
- Gold Nugget: This variety also produces very juicy fruits. Fruits will be very skinny and yellow in color. The plants of “gold nugget” are bush-like, which makes them perfect to grow in containers.
- Bartelly F1: This is a very popular variety of cherry tomatoes. This variety is resistant to several diseases of tomatoes like tomato mosaic virus. Fruits of Bartelly F1 will be beautiful and red in color.
- Black Cherry: This is a beautiful heirloom variety of cherry tomatoes. As the name suggests, fruits will be black when fully ripened. The growing period of black cherry is 15 days longer than other varieties: 75 days usually.
- Tiny Tim: This variety of cherry tomatoes can grow in small containers too. You can even grow them in hanging baskets or planters. The fruits of “Tiny Tim” are very small in size as compared to other cherry varieties.
Note: I always encourage my readers to grow the most popular variety of local areas at first. The local variety will grow best and encourage you to grow more. Then you should try each and every variety, so you can pick one or two varieties that work for you.
Make Some Slices
Select some healthy and fully mature cherry tomatoes and cut them in pieces. Each piece should be half-inch thick. This thickness will ensure the seeds in slices have direct contact with the soil.
Plants Slices Of Tomatoes
After making slices, it’s time to plant them in containers. Select some containers according to your need. You can also choose a big container for planting more slices of cherry. You can plant slices as much as you want because, after germination, we will thin them and replant them in their final location.
Fill your container with a good kind of soil like potting soil or seed starter soil. Normal garden soil is not good enough. You can also mix these ingredients to make good soil for seeds in slices:
- 50% organic compost
- 50% coco coir or coco peat
After filling your pot, put slices of tomatoes on the top of the soil and cover them with the same soil. Give them water and put them in front of a window. Sunlight is necessary for their germination.
If there is no sunlight in your home or apartment, you can give them alternative light by using LED grow lights. Click here to learn which LED grow light is good for you.
Transplant Seedlings In Final Location
The seeds in the slices will germinate in just 2-3 weeks. When seedlings grow to 5-6 inches in height and have a few sets of leaves, you can transplant them in their final location. The final location could be a container, a grow bag, ground, or a raised bed garden.
Transplant Seedlings In pots
Now you will need a good size pot. A pot of 10 inches in diameter will be enough for one plant. Click here to check this beautiful pot to grow cherry tomatoes on Amazon. Potting soil will require to grow tomatoes in pots. Learn how to make your own potting soil at home.
Transplant Seedlings In 5 Gallon buckets
A single 5-gallon bucket will be enough for one cherry tomato plant. Potting soil is also a requirement in this growing system. Click here to buy a good Potting mix from Amazon. You can also buy 5-gallon buckets from Amazon.
Transparent Seedlings In Grow Bags
I always encourage people to grow veggies in “grow bags”. Grow bags are cheap and very easy to carry. Grow bags also have tiny numerous pores in their fiber for air transportation between soil and environment. Potting soil is required in this system too. Check the latest price of grow bags on Amazon.
Transparent Seedlings In Raised Garden Beds
Before transplanting your seedlings in your raised bed, make some amendments to the soil. Add some organic compost on the top and mix it with raised bed soil. If you are new in raised bed gardening, here are a few guides for you to make your own raised bed garden:
- How To Start Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening For Beginners?
- Best Raised Bed Gardening Soil Mix Recipe
- Plastic Raised Garden Beds On Legs – How To And What To Grow In Them
Watering
Tomato plants are very sun-loving plants, they require at least 6-8 hours of sunlight. This also means they drink a good amount of water. In hot summer days, you may have to give them water on a daily basis. Learn how to give water to your tomato plants in the raised bed garden.
In pots, plants usually require an extra amount of water. But you should always check the moisture level of soil before watering. If the top 2 inches of soil are dry, you should water your plants. Over-watering or less watering is not an option.
Fertilizers
When it comes to fertilizers, we should always give our best to use as organic as possible. When plants start producing flowers, add some organic compost or organic manure in the soil. Or you can use all-purpose plant food if needed. Click here to buy plant food on Amazon.
Mulching
Mulch is a great tool against weeds and over evaporation of water. Use organic mulch like grass clippings, dead leaves, and wood chips. Mulch will stop weeds to grow, reduce evaporation of water in hot summer days. Organic mulch will eventually decompose and add a good amount of fertilizers in the soil.