Step-by-step guide to growing cherry tomatoes: follow the rules and get a great harvest

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Garden plants Published: March 12, 2019Last edits: January 06, 2021

Caring for cherry bushes in open ground

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Many gardeners love small cherry tomatoes: small but tasty, they are used for making salads, for pickling, and for decorating dishes. Cherries are an ingredient in some diets. In addition, growing these small tomatoes will not require heroic efforts on your part - cherry tomatoes are not capricious. However, this variety of tomatoes also has its own characteristics and requirements. That's what we'll talk about today.

Variety selection

Breeders have developed many varieties of cherry tomatoes, which can be grown in open ground under our climatic conditions. The gardener can choose a variety that produces fruits of the desired color, shape and size.

If you prefer your tomatoes to have a rich red color, you should pay attention to varieties such as:

• Cherry red;
• Bonsai;
• Punto;
• Sangella;
• Beads.

If you prefer orange fruits, take a closer look at the following varieties:

• Noon;
• Orange grapes;
• Amber.

For lovers of yellow , the following varieties have been developed:

• lemon;
• Golden Rain;
• Melon slice;
• Honey drop.

If you want to surprise your dacha neighbors and guests with unusual cream- colored tomatoes, the White currant and White cherry varieties will help you with this. The purple fruits of the Black Cherry variety look even more unusual the brown fruits of the Chocolate Pearl variety, and the light pink fruits of the Rose Quartz variety.

When choosing a variety, you should pay attention to how tall the tomato bushes will be and whether you will have to tie them to support pegs.

Tall include :

• Sweet cherry;
• Red cherry;
• Dessert.

Of the low-growing varieties, gardeners often give preference to the following varieties:

• Firework;
• Arbat;
• Arctic.

When choosing cherry tomato seeds, take the time to look at the information on the bag. It should follow from it that the plant can be grown in open ground.

Varieties and hybrids of cherry tomatoes

The group of tomatoes with small fruits includes a large number of items. They grow well in greenhouses and produce crops in urban environments, at the same time decorating balconies and window sills, and can bear fruit abundantly in open ground. There are acclimatized varieties for this purpose. Find out which varieties and hybrids of cherry tomatoes are best to choose for growing in open and closed ground or on the balcony.

For open ground

In the southern regions, these tomatoes can be sown directly on the ridges, and in the central zone and northern regions of Russia, small tomatoes are grown through seedlings. Having chosen a variety for certain conditions, it is important not to make a mistake, so when purchasing seeds, you need to make sure that the bag with them contains information confirming that the selected cherry tomatoes are intended for open ground.

Cherry red

The variety has been on the State Register since 1997. It is recommended for cultivation in open ground and film greenhouses in all regions of Russia. The fruits are used fresh or for canning in clusters.

The variety is early ripening: from germination to harvest from 95 to 102 days. The bushes are semi-spreading, medium-branched, indeterminate - up to a meter high. The fruits are from 15 to 30 g, round in shape, red in color. From the bush you get up to 1 kg of fruits with a delicious taste.

Cherry Negro F1

In the State Register since 2015. Suitable for cultivation in all regions of Russia. A garter and the formation of bushes are necessary. Hybrid salad, early ripening, indeterminate. The tomatoes are egg-shaped, brown in color, weigh up to 35 g. The taste is excellent. Resistant to verticellosis and fusarium wilt.

Octopus cherry F1

The hybrid has been in the State Plant Register since 2012. Allowed for cultivation in all regions under film covers and in open ground. Purpose: salad, as well as canning of whole fruits. The plant is indeterminate, the bushes need to be tied up and shaped.

The tomato is an early ripening tomato with rounded red fruits with dense pulp. Tomato weight is up to 40 g. The taste is good. Transportability is high.

Greenhouse varieties and hybrids

You need to select a variety of cherry tomatoes for growing in a shelter that will be most convenient for the conditions of a particular greenhouse. The fact is that tomatoes differ in the size and shape of the bushes, growth characteristics, as well as the degree of resistance to diseases and do not require exactly the same care. With the least difficulty in a greenhouse, you can get a harvest from hybrids, the seeds of which are designated F1 on the bags.

Varieties and hybrids of cherry tomatoes have different ripening periods, fruit shape, color, size and location on the branch. There are tomatoes that are red, orange, yellow, reminiscent of cherries or small cream. The height of the bushes and branching vary so much that some grow freely, while others require support and fixation on it.

Cherries were bred for different growing conditions, so the choice of their varieties and hybrids is wide. Both have their advantages, and preference depends only on the needs of the grower.

Cherry tomato varieties intended for greenhouses can be grown both in polycarbonate structures and under film covers.

Cherry Lisa F1

The hybrid was included in the State Register in 2010. It is recommended for growing in unheated film or polycarbonate greenhouses. Early ripening, indeterminate. The shape of the fruit is cylindrical, their surface is smooth. The color of unripe tomatoes is pale green, while ripe tomatoes are orange. Fruit weight is 10 g. Transportability and keeping quality are high. Productivity up to 12 kg/m2.

Cherry Kira F1

The hybrid was entered into the State Register of Agricultural Plants in 2010. Recommended for growing in all regions under film covers. The tomato is early ripening, indeterminate, for salad purposes. The fruits are round, smooth, orange in color. Productivity up to 7 kg/m2 of tomatoes.

We recommend reading

When and how to properly feed tomatoes with ash

How to properly tie tomatoes in a greenhouse and open ground

How to plant tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse

What causes tomato leaves to turn yellow in greenhouses and open ground?

Cherry Ira F1

Tomatoes were included in the State Register in 2010. The hybrid is recommended for cultivation in the Central Black Earth, Middle Volga, North Caucasus, Central, Northern, Volga-Vyatka and Northwestern regions.

The crop ripens 92 days after the seeds germinate. The plant is indeterminate. The shape of the fruit is cuboid. The color is red. The increased density of the vegetable provides it with good transportability. Weight up to 32 g. Productivity 5.4 kg/m2.

Sweet cherry F1

The hybrid is ultra-early ripening, from germination to fruiting it takes from 75 to 83 days. The clusters contain up to 50 fruits. The height of the bush reaches 2 meters. They need pinching and tying up. Round red fruits weigh from 20 to 30 g. Universal use. The taste is very sweet.

Cherry Amber

The variety has been in the State Register of the Russian Federation since 2015. Designed for cultivation in all regions. Mid-early tomato, intended for salad. The color of ripe fruits is yellow. Their weight is 20-25 g. The taste is high. Productivity 8-8.5 kg/m2.

For the balcony

Growing a number of varieties of cherry tomatoes is possible on a balcony or windowsill. They do not have a deep root and grow well in a pot or box.

Cherry nano

The variety was registered and included in the State Plant Register in 2010. The tomato is early ripening, determinate, standard. The shape of the fruits is flat-round, they are dense and bright red in color. The weight of the tomatoes is 10-15 g. The taste is high. The plant is resistant to root and blossom end rot.

Cherry strawberry

Salad, early-ripening hybrid of determinant type, which has been in the State Register of Plants since 2015. Tomato can be used raw in salads and for whole-fruit canning. The fruits are slightly ribbed, round in shape, red in color. Their weight is from 20 to 30 g.

Cherry fingers

The variety was registered and entered into the State Register in 2010. Its purpose is for fresh consumption and whole-fruit canning. The plant is early ripening with cylindrical, red fruits. The weight of tomatoes is from 15 to 20 g. The taste is high. They have good resistance to root and crown rot.

Landing dates

Growing cherry tomatoes without seedlings is a risky business. To prevent the seeds from freezing, they would have to be sown no earlier than May. It is important that by this time the air warms up to 20 degrees, the soil - up to 15 degrees. You may not have time to harvest before the cold snap, since the fruits need to be harvested before the average daily temperature drops to 8-10 degrees. At the same time, they cannot be removed until the fruits reach full ripeness, otherwise they will remain sour and tasteless. The ripening period for most varieties of cherry tomatoes is 100 days, plus another 10 days need to be allowed for the emergence of seedlings.

Less risky is growing cherry tomatoes in seedlings. It’s time to sow seeds for seedlings in March , so that by the time they are planted in open ground, the seedlings have time to form well, and this takes 1.5-2 months. Usually, seeds for cherry tomato seedlings are sown in the first or second ten days of March. Then, during the May holidays or a little later, the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground.

How to properly tie tomatoes in a greenhouse

Most often, greenhouses are used for breeding tall varieties of tomatoes that require special support, which is difficult to provide in large areas in the field.

In modern hydroponic technologies, the following support options are distinguished:

• On a trellis (horizontally or vertically).
• Using wire frames.
• Panel.
• Rope, fastened to a ceiling beam.
• Using a mesh (nylon).
• On stairs or gratings.

Growing seedlings

To grow cherry tomato seedlings, you need to prepare spacious boxes or cups with a depth of at least 10 cm.

The process of growing cherry tomato seedlings is not too complicated, but it has several nuances. The order is:

1. Fill the container with soil substrate (a universal one for seedlings will do). Moisturize it.
2. Place tomato seeds at one and a half centimeter intervals.
3. Sprinkle the seeds with a layer of soil of at least 0.5 cm, but not more than 8 mm.
4. Cover the container with film or glass and put it in a warm, dark place. Keep until germination at a temperature of 23 to 25 degrees.
5. After germination, move the container to light (for example, on a windowsill). The protective film can be removed.
6. In the first week, try to keep the seedlings at a temperature of about 15 degrees during the day, and about 10 degrees at night. Subsequently, the sprouts are kept at a temperature of about 20 degrees. Water with a spray bottle regularly, but not too much.
7. After the second pair of leaves appears, plant the seedlings in separate pots with a capacity of at least 0.5 liters.
8. Reduce watering to twice a week. At the same time, provide lighting: daylight hours should be 14-16 hours, otherwise the seedlings will begin to stretch.

From mid-April, begin to harden the seedlings, taking them out into the open air, first for a quarter of an hour, then for a longer period of time.

Preparing to grow tomatoes

Getting good results when growing cherry tomatoes is possible if you follow the rules of planting and growing. The first thing every lover of this crop starts with is preparing the soil for healthy seedlings. Of course, when growing on a balcony, large volumes of soil are not required; a packet of soil mixture for flowers purchased in a store is enough. But for large volumes, it is better to prepare the mixture yourself from garden soil with the addition of peat, the top layer of forest soil. If you have old abandoned anthills in mind, the soil from them is excellent for growing tomatoes. It is advisable to carry out soil preparation in the fall; during the winter the prepared mixture (which can be stored in bags) will freeze, thereby destroying some pests that overwinter in the soil. If necessary, the soil can be disinfected by calcining it in the oven.

Planting cherry seedlings.

It is necessary to determine the time of sowing seeds, starting from February and ending in April. This depends on the region of residence and the type of growing tomatoes (ground, greenhouse, balcony). Seeds can be planted dry without pre-treatment or soaking, or you can use growth stimulants; you can simply purchase them at any gardening store.

The second method is preferable, since the percentage of germination increases significantly, and with further cultivation such plants will be stronger and more resilient than untreated ones. You can simply verify this experimentally by planting a bed of treated and untreated plants next to each other and observing.

Before treating with a stimulant, the seeds should be disinfected by immersing them in a strong solution of potassium permanganate for twenty minutes. To do this, you need to take 0.1 grams of manganese per 0.5 liter of water. In order not to catch the seeds one by one, they should be placed in a fabric bag or in an old nylon sock. After disinfection, it can be treated with a stimulant.

So, the following growth stimulants/regulators are used to treat seeds:

Sowing tomato seeds and picking seedlings.

1. Baikal EM-1.
2. Agrophil.
3. Heteroauxin.
4. Humate.
5. Agrovit-Cor.
6. Athlete.

Seeds can be sown in prepared seedling boxes, but it is much more convenient to use special cassettes offered by gardening stores. If suitable sizes are not available, you can purchase plastic disposable cups or peat cups for seedlings. After filling the container for planting, the soil must be moistened; if there is any doubt about the quality of the soil, it can be disinfected with a solution of manganese.

The container for planting is only half filled with soil; in the future, this allows, by adding soil, to stimulate additional root formation.

Selecting a landing site and preparing the site

Cherry tomatoes cannot be planted in the same place where their close relatives grew last season or even the season before. These include all plants of the nightshade family: tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, physalis. They have common diseases and are attacked by the same pests. By planting cherry tomatoes in a place where their relatives previously grew, you risk being left without a harvest.

Onions, carrots, cabbage, beets, radishes, turnips, beans, peas and other legumes are considered good predecessors for tomatoes.

Great importance is attached to soil fertility: cherry tomatoes require a large amount of nutrients in the soil. When digging up the site in the fall, the soil is filled with organic fertilizers (4 buckets per square meter), as well as potash and phosphorus (a matchbox of each per square meter). In spring, the soil is loosened to a depth of about 10 cm, while adding nitrogen fertilizers (10 g per square meter).

How to care

Balcony tomatoes are not very demanding, but you need to develop the habit of inspecting the bushes every two days. Pests can fly in through open windows. The whitefly is considered the most dangerous for nightshades. The small butterfly lays larvae that devour the leaves and lead to the death of the plant.

Watering

After you have planted tomatoes on the balcony with seeds, you will need to organize a watering scheme. It differs from watering garden and greenhouse bushes. A stable temperature is maintained on loggias and balconies. The difference between day and night is small. Cherry must be watered as the top layer of soil in the container dries out, but at least once every two weeks.

Watering Cherry

If it's hot outside, the soil in the pots can dry out quickly, especially if the balcony is located on the sunny side. Water the bushes once every 7 days, giving up to 1 liter of water per bush. It is better to recharge along with watering. It is important to loosen the top layer of soil regularly.

Feeding

Step-by-step growing of tomatoes from seeds on the balcony includes a fertilizer application scheme. Required:

• urea;
• wood ash;
• superphosphate;
• nitroammophoska.

Treat the bushes with the preparation “Ovary.”
The first fertilizing is carried out on the 10th day after picking the seedlings. Further application of fertilizers is determined by the manufacturer's instructions. During flowering, it is recommended to treat the bushes with the preparation “Ovary” to stimulate fruiting.

Light

Additional lighting will help to grow tomatoes from seeds on the balcony at home. This is true for balconies on the north and west sides of the house.

It is enough to install two 75V incandescent lamps under transparent caps. During the period from 12.00 to 15.00 the lights may not be turned on. On average, a tomato plant should be illuminated 10 hours a day.

Air temperature

The optimal temperature for seedlings and adult bushes is 22-25 degrees during the day, 15-18 at night. At such temperatures, natural ripening of the tomato occurs and the vegetable accumulates all its beneficial properties.

Optimal temperature for seedlings

It is important to remember: if the temperature exceeds 32 degrees for 40 hours, the ovary may not form. Nightshade pollen becomes sterile at these temperatures. Therefore, if there is an abnormally hot summer, the bush must be shaded and the soil not allowed to dry out.

Bush formation

Cherries that grow in pots in the kitchen do not require additional bush formation. The plant rarely grows to 45 cm even with little light. A bush is formed more often for aesthetic reasons: the lower leaves are removed without touching the upper ones.

Pruning is carried out for low-growing (up to 1.2 meters) varieties that grow on a sunny balcony. After the bush has formed the third flower cluster, the top of the tomato is cut off or pinched off. The lower leaves are also cut off, this will allow you to properly water and feed the plant.

Cherry tomatoes are grown on the balcony not only for their tasty fruits. A decorative bush will be an original addition to the interior and will add fresh plant notes to the overall appearance of the room. Nightshade leaves are characterized by a high intensity of photosynthesis and are able to purify the air, which is important in urban conditions.

Planting seedlings in open ground

By the time the seedlings are transplanted into open ground, they must reach a height of at least 20 cm and have at least 3 pairs of true leaves. Even better if it reaches a height of 30 cm and has 4 pairs of leaves.

The technology for planting cherry tomato seedlings in open ground is as follows:

1. Prepare the wells. The distance between the pits in one row should be 35-40 cm. The optimal row spacing is half a meter. The depth of the holes should be approximately the same as that of the containers in which the seedlings grow.
2. Moisten the bed generously by pouring 1.5-2 liters of settled water into each hole.
3. Using the transshipment method, transplant the seedlings into the prepared holes.
4. Add dry soil and squeeze so that the bushes do not wobble.
5. Stick pegs nearby (they are needed for tall varieties).

All that remains is to mulch the beds with humus and provide the plant with the necessary care.

Ripening and harvesting

The ripening time of cherry tomatoes depends on the early maturity of the variety. They are able to bear fruit until the temperature drops below 8°. Usually the fruits are harvested before the end of September.

Cherries are loved by gardeners because their fruits ripen almost simultaneously and are of the same size. It is not recommended to pick tomatoes from the bunch until the last of them is ripe . The most convenient way to collect tomatoes is with brushes.

Caring for cherry tomatoes in open ground

Caring for cherry tomatoes in open ground consists of loosening the soil and watering, applying fertilizing, forming a bush, and protecting it from diseases and pests.

Watering

The soil under tomatoes should not dry out, as this will cause the fruits to form poorly and crack. However, you shouldn’t overfill them either, otherwise the tomatoes will become watery and tasteless, and they may also crack.

Water the tomatoes with settled water, pouring a bucket under each bush. It is recommended to do this after sunset.

It is recommended to loosen the soil in the morning after each watering.

Fertilizer application

It is recommended to feed cherry tomatoes three times a season.

The first feeding consists of a solution of mullein (10 percent) with the addition of superphosphate (a matchbox in a bucket). It is applied two weeks after transplanting the seedlings into open ground.

Subsequent feedings are applied at intervals of 2 weeks. They consist of 20 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium salt and 10 g of ammonium nitrate per square meter. Fertilizer granules are simply incorporated into the soil before the next watering.

Bush formation

Most varieties of cherry tomatoes need bush formation. This is due to the fact that they produce many stepsons, especially if the bush is pinched to form larger fruits. Stepchildren take away the plant's strength. They are used to form green mass, not fruits. To get a good harvest of tomatoes, stepsons must be removed in a timely manner.

Phytodiseases and pests

Despite care and immunity to fungal infections and rot, Cherry tomato plantings are susceptible to late blight. The plantings are sprayed every 2 weeks. Stop processing the bushes a month before harvesting the fruits.

Treated with Bordeaux mixture, which is prepared from:

• water – 10 l;
• freshly slaked lime – 100 g;
• copper sulfate – 100 g.

Note! Symptoms of tomato mosaic are a change in the shade of the foliage, the formation of dark green or yellowish spots. The foliage is characterized by wrinkling and curling, while the fruits are characterized by yellowness and drying out. Diseased plants will need to be removed and burned.

Manifestations of brown spotting of tomatoes include the formation of spots at the bottom of the leaves. Brown color and gray coating indicate disease. To prevent illness, tomato plant waste is carefully removed.

Cherry tomatoes are often affected by harmful insects:

1. Medvedka . The parasite makes passages deep in the soil, gnawing at the base of the tomato stem, causing wilting and death. Thunder is used for processing.
2. Wireworm. It injures the root system and climbs inside the tomato stem. As a result, the tomato dies. They fight wireworms by digging up the soil, collecting and destroying the larvae. In case of high acidity, the soil is limed.
3. Colorado potato beetle. Produces oviposition on the underside of the leaf. The larvae eat the leaves down to the trunk. Pests are collected by hand and destroyed. Prestige is a processing chemical.

Medvedka

Tomato planting scheme

To properly form a bush, you need to know what type it belongs to.
If you have written down what is planted and where, there are no problems. But what if you dropped everything off and threw away the packaging? There is a way to determine what type of tomatoes you have. In indeterminate varieties, the first peduncle appears no earlier than the 9th leaf, and subsequent ones grow strictly after three leaves. In determinants, the first peduncle appears after 6-7 leaves and subsequent ones after 1-2 leaves. There are semi-deets in which the first peduncle can also be after the 9th leaf, but if you see that the next ones appeared after 1-2 leaves, and not after 3, there is a semi-deta in front of you.

In simple words: the earlier and more often flower stalks appear, the greater the degree of determinacy of plants, the earlier they begin to bloom and ripen, and the smaller their height.

As I already said, there are three schemes for the formation of tomato bushes:

• in one stem or step
• in two stems
• three or more stems

Indeets are formed into one stem or step, into two or more determinants and superdeets. Look at the diagram on how to carry out stepsoning.

Indeterminate and semi-determinate:

in one stem:

All stepsons below the flower raceme and reaching 5-7 cm are removed.

step:

During the growth of the main stem, all shoots are removed except the stepson in the area of ​​4-9 leaves. A normal branch will develop from the stepson. When the first flower cluster appears on it, the main stem is pinched. From this moment on, the side branch becomes the main stem.

in 2 stems:

The second stem starts from the stepson between the 4-9 leaves. The higher the stepson for the new stem is, the more space there will be under the bush, this is useful for ventilation.

Determinant:

in one stem:

All stepsons below the flower cluster are trimmed.

in two stems:

Remove all stepsons below the flower cluster, except one, in the area of ​​4-6 leaves. A second stem will form from it. Subsequently, remove all shoots that appear on the stems.

in three stems:

The diagram shows two options for forming a bush. You need to leave two stepsons, from which one more stem will grow.

Friends, I want to summarize and say everything in simple words. As you can see, there are many options for growing tomatoes, but all of them have the goal of not just cutting off the stepsons, but of forming a bush to suit your needs. The point is not that the bush cannot bear many fruits, but that each new green branch delays their ripening.

The fewer shoots on the bush, the earlier the fruits will ripen, but the more shoots there are, the more fruits there can be. If you live in the southern regions of the country, then you can easily form tomatoes into several stems; over the long summer, all the tomatoes that the tomato sets will be able to ripen. But if your region is northern, then by the time you form 3 stems, summer will end.

I would like to add a little about determinate varieties. You can sometimes come across this kind of development.

Or like this.

Or a stepchild like this appears, which ends in a flower cluster and will no longer grow. By removing it as small as a stepson, you will remove future fruit.

To be fair, I would add that this only happens with determinants, and this becomes more pronounced the greater the degree of determinacy. In this case, we can advise you to carefully look at what you are removing - if the flower brush is clearly visible, and it is not yet August, it is better to leave it. Starting from mid-August, we remove everything that appears, regardless of whether it is a stepson or a flower brush, since there is almost no guarantee that the brush will have time to ripen.

This is the simple meaning of all the trimmings. Here in the Southern Urals, we usually plant indeterminate and semi-determinate varieties and form them into two stems. They have time to gain the required mass. When formed into three stems, the yield decreases. For us, the main thing is not the ripening period, but the yield per bush.

Despite the simplicity of forming a tomato bush, there is a fly in the ointment - you will have to do this all summer, about a couple of times a week, new stepsons grow so quickly. I don’t recommend it less than once a week; in a week the stepson can grow 15 centimeters or more.

Finally, I want to show you one of the tomatoes from our plot.

It was torn down at the end of September. I didn’t have time to ripen on the vine, but it turned red after about a week under the table.

Where are tomatoes used?

The use of cherry tomatoes in the diet helps the lymphatic and circulatory systems return to normal. To prevent cancer, delicious tomato fruits are included in the menu. Throughout the summer you can enjoy ripened tomatoes. Children especially love them.

Restaurateurs have long noticed that there is no better way to decorate dishes than cherry tomatoes. Tomatoes are either cut in half or placed whole on dishes with salads, meat, and fish. Tomatoes go well with rice, potatoes, and legumes.

Housewives pickle and salt small fruits for the winter. Dried vegetables are considered a tasty preparation. They are kept in a ventilated area, dry and warm, without direct sunlight. The dried fruits are placed in jars and filled with vegetable oil.