Take care
Leaves, stems and green fruit contain solanine and tomatine — harmful if eaten in quantity, and toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Ripe fruit is safe.
Cherry Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme
Start cherry tomato indoors 4 weeks before your last spring frost, then plant out 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Space plants 24 in (61 cm) apart.
Photo: Friedrich Haag, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Indoor Start
From seedRecommended- Start indoors4 weeks before your last spring frost
- Begin hardening off1 week after your last spring frost
- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 70 days after planting out
Optimal Transplant
From seed- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 70 days after planting out
Growing cherry tomato
- Spacing in the row
- 24 in (61 cm)
- Between rows
- 42 in (107 cm)
- Planting depth
- 1/4 inch
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Soil
- Well-draining, organically rich loam, pH 6.0-6.8
- Germination
- 5-10 days at 70-85°F
- Harvest season
- Summer, Fall
- Mature height
- 3-8 feet
- Support
- Trellis, Stake, Cage
- Life cycle
- Annual
Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after all frost danger has passed.
Watering. Maintain consistent soil moisture, especially during fruiting. Avoid overhead watering to prevent disease.
Neighbours
The companion chart →
Basil
Carrot
Onion
Nasturtium
Borage
Asparagus
Cabbage
Broccoli
Fennel
KohlrabiFeeding
- Seedlings
- Diluted balanced liquid fertilizer (e.g., 1/4 strength) after true leaves appear.
- Growing
- Balanced fertilizer; shift to higher potassium for fruiting.
- Flowering and fruiting
- Higher potassium and phosphorus fertilizer to encourage fruit set.
- How often
- Every 2-4 weeks during active growth and fruiting.
- Note
- Avoid excessive nitrogen application once flowering begins to prevent overgrowth of foliage at the expense of fruit production.
Your cherry tomato, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.