Learn what techniques and varieties will lead to the greatest success in our unpredictable climate
Though technically a yield , thetomatois the most popular homegrown veg , with G of tasty assortment available for the kitchen gardener to choose from . Tomatoes can range from big beefy slicers down to petite , pea - size , soda - a - handful - in - your - mouth morsels . Vine - ripened tomatoes fresh from the garden are an incredible dainty , and they ’re quite soft to grow ! Sometimes it can be crafty to get the perfect craw of cherry red tomatoes inNorthern California , however , with our cool , foggy summers delaying ripening , or an unexpected rainfall rain shower bring on blossom - end rot . If this happens where you live , or if you ’re new to gardening , try growingcherry tomatoes . Not only are they easier to grow than with child tomatoes , but they ’re exceedingly generative , quicker to harvest , delightfully tasty , and perfectly sized for snacking .
Your climate will determine how and when you grow cherry tomatoes in Northern California
Like all Lycopersicon esculentum , cherry tomatoes are frost tender but can be start indoors up to six weeks before your last medium frost date . The seedlings can be transplant into the garden as presently as all frost danger has passed . insensate soil stunts a tomato plant ’s growth , conduct to pitiable yields , so for best winner program on transplanting when land temperatures are systematically above 60 ° fluorine . hold back online or with your local nursery or Master Gardener program for this vital information . I celebrate Earth Day ( April 22 ) by plant my tomato garden , but always keep an eye on weather story if you plant this early in pillowcase a recent Robert Frost is betoken . A timely draping of frost cloth has rescue my tomatoes more than once over the retiring 20 years .
Planting tips for cherry tomatoes
A full - sun placement and full-bodied , well - amended , well - drained ground is significant . When planting a unseasoned industrial plant , sink the stem all the way up to the top bent of leaves so that most of the bow is in the basis . The stalk will steady down along the buried portion , and with more roots , more nutrients will reach out your plant . This will lead to a stronger flora and lots more tomatoes . tauten the grease around your flora , and water system in well . Keep in mind that in hotter inland areas of Northern California you might want to shade your plants during more - intense heat waves .
Watering tips for cherry tomatoes
uniform , deepwateringis urge , with a reduction in frequence as the fruits mature to intensify their flavor . Though cerise love apple do not by and large bear from blossom - end rot ( a Greco-Roman result of discrepant tearing in larger tomato varieties ) , overwatering or erratic lachrymation can leave in flavourless - tasting , washy Lycopersicon esculentum or stock split - skinned yield .
Spacing tips for cherry tomatoes
Space out your plants to control they have way to turn . I know thoseseedlingsare only 4 - inches tall , but many indeterminate motley ( ‘ Sungold ’ , for example ) reach 8 to 10 foot tall and 4 to 5 base wide at maturity . stake , trellis , and cage are all great support option and ensure better aviation circulation and wanton picking at harvest metre . A determinate cherry tomato stays smaller , is much comfortably behaved , and is the consummate selection forsmaller gardens , squiffy blank , orcontainers .
Tip: Learn the difference betweendeterminate and indeterminate plants
Determinate love apple plants are small vines and produce tomato that all mature around the same time . Indeterminate plants are larger and rangy , and they continue to produce new increase and tomatoes throughout the uprise season .
Top-performing cherry tomatoes in Northern California
NorCal summertime temperature can be quite varying calculate on locating and conditions design , but these incredibly generative cherry tomatoes reliably produce exceptionally delicious crop no matter where you grow them .
‘Indigo Cherry Drops’ cherry tomato(indeterminate)
71 days to matureness
Each long airy truss of this plant carry up to a XII beautiful , indigo - toned cherry red tomato . The fruit is extra full of antioxidants due to the high anthocyanin subject matter . Ripening to a gorgeous , deep rosy Marxist with an attractive royal blush , ‘ Indigo Cherry Drops ’ are beautiful even when green , and mouthwateringly pleasant-tasting when quick to eat . This is an imposingly vigorous , highly generative , somewhat gangly industrial plant .
‘Sakura’ cherry tomato(semi-determinate)
70 daytime to maturity
This is definitely my favorite crimson cherry red tomato . ‘ Sakura ’ is an early change with up to a dozen little bright red , lustrous , rich , and honeyed tomatoes per cluster , and so many clusters per tidy plant that it ’s hard to keep up . The juicy , flavorful fruit hold well on the vine without cracking , allowing the whole truss to be harvested all at once . This is an ideal plant for lowly spaces or container .
‘Lemon Cherry’ cherry tomato(indeterminate)
58 Clarence Day to matureness
A delightfully productive variety , this muffin produces abundant clusters of lusciously sweet , fruity , lemon yellow - chickenhearted , half - ounce cherry tomatoes . The vigorous vines develop these full - flavored snacking tomatoes betimes , abundantly , and over a long period . ‘ Lemon Cherry ’ is tolerant of the wide range of temperature and conditions often experienced in a NorCal summertime .
‘Rosella’ cherry tomato(indeterminate)
These little smoke - crimson , deep pink to purple cherries assess hardly ½ inch across and are lusciously fat and fruity in feeling . The yield tastes like a blend of Bronx cheer and blackberries . swash the gross counterbalance between sweetness and acidity , ‘ Rosella ’ tomatoes are practically seedless , induce them extra good for nosh yet still solid enough to prepare up into a fat , deep red Lycopersicon esculentum sauce .
‘Sunsugar’ cherry tomato(indeterminate)
62 daylight to adulthood
Though the mixed bag ‘ Sungold ’ is much adored , its habit of cracking after a rainwater shower can be unsatisfying . This deep golden - yellow jewel of a tomato — with its rich , angelic , tangy “ true tomato ” flavor and superb texture — is the perfect fissure - insubordinate option . ‘ Sunsugar ’ is a vigorous , grievous , early producer , and the dainty little tomatoes practically taste like candy .
— Fionuala Campion is the proprietor and director of Cottage Gardens of Petaluma in Petaluma , California .
Photos : Fionuala Campion
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Lee Valley Mini Garden Shear Set
Fine Gardening receives a commission for token buy through links on this site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Chapin International 10509 Upside - Down Trigger Sprayer
Get our latest tips , how - to article , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .
Signing you up …
Related Articles
Tips for Growing Tomatoes in the Southeast
5 Terrific Tomatoes for Northern California
A Complete Guide to Growing Cherry Tomatoes
Cooking with Cherry Tomatoes
Join Fine Gardening for a free employ bouncy webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned flora pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental proficient managing director …
When I spot a special moxie dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I knew I was in bother . With a delicious color pattern …
When we only prioritize flora we desire over plants our landscape pauperization , each season is filled with a never - ending list of chores : pruning , pinching , lacrimation , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a pair …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access members get more
Sign up for afree trialand get access to ALL our regional content , plus the ease of the member - only depicted object program library .
set about Free Trial
Get complete internet site access to expert advice , regional content , and more , plus the print magazine .
Start your innocent trial run
Already a member?sign in
Although they are small in size, many cherry tomato varieties are big in flavor.
Start your cherry tomato seeds indoors to get a jump on the season and to harvest fruit as early as possible.
Whether you grow your plants from seed at home or buy them from a garden center, bury them deeply into the soil so that just the top set of leaves is left exposed. This leads to stronger plants.
For indeterminate vines that get quite large and rangy, a sturdy tomato cage or trellis is ideal. This helps support the wild plants, especially when the fruit begins to weigh stems down.
Don’t be fooled by its weird coloring. ‘Indigo Cherry Drops’ cherry tomato has a delicious flavor and a high antioxidant level to boot.
When this immature ‘Lemon Cherry’ fruit fully ripens, it will turn bright yellow.
The fruit of ‘Sunsugar’ looks like orange Skittles and is almost as sweet as that popular candy.
