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Grow Cherry Tomatoes Inside
It may be the end of the growing season, but the cold shouldn’t stop you from getting your tomato fix. With the right setup and a little patience, you’ll soon be munching on your own juicy, organic homegrown cherry tomatoes. Follow these steps and tips to grow your very own cherry tomatoes inside.
Grow and cultivate your favorite fruits, vegetables, and herbs — year-round, with minimal care and effort. No gardening experience required; your Gardyn does all the work for you. Shop now!
DAYS TO SPROUT
7 - 28 DAYS
MATURE IN
60 DAYS
TASTE IT FOR
8 - 16 WEEKS
Table of Contents
Care & Harvest
🐝 Pollination
Tomatoes necessitate pollination. Expect flowers to appear 4-6 weeks following sprouting. To foster robust root and foliage growth, remove the initial set of flower buds. Facilitate hand-pollination by mildly shaking the plant as a whole, mimicking the action of the wind, or gently swirling within the blossoms using your finger or a small brush.
✂️ Pruning
🔎 Plant Health
While fruit-bearing plants might attract various pests, there’s no cause for alarm! Familiarize yourself with the identification of common pests and apply our prevention and treatment techniques to maintain a pest-free environment.
🍅 Harvest
Choose from 100+ tasty varieties
Why Grow Cherry Tomatoes Inside?
Not everyone has access to a large outdoor space, so it’s nice to know that you don’t need a yard to enjoy fresh, crisp home-grown produce. Here are some pretty compelling reasons to give indoor tomato farming a try:
You get to harvest more, sooner
It saves time and effort
Container plants require less water, fertilizer, and weed control than their outdoor counterparts. With cherry tomatoes, the benefits reach further. These delicate plants will appreciate being protected from harsh outdoor elements like heavy rain and snow, as well as most dangers associated with pests and disease.
More nutrients and flavor
Cherry tomatoes grown indoors and picked ripe from vines will retain more flavor and nutrients than those shipped from far away and picked early for transport. Adding to the appeal is the knowledge that no nasty chemicals or pesticides have been used in its production. You’re in complete control of what goes into your body!
They lighten up your home
Cherry tomatoes grow in small clusters, but they come in a huge variety of different colors. These bright fruits can be red, yellow, green, or even black! Display the colorful plants in window boxes, hanging baskets, or directly on the kitchen counter or windowsill — they’ll add a fresh pop of summer color to any space.
You produce less waste
Growing your own food means fewer resources used for transportation and packaging. Plus, by avoiding commercially grown produce, you actively reduce the harm caused by chemicals seeping into our planet’s water and soil. It’s a low-cost, high-impact way to reduce your ecological footprint.
Grow Microgreens, Too
Bite sized superfood packed with nutrients and loaded with flavor. Go from seed to harvest in just one week.
What Do You Need To Grow Cherry Tomatoes Inside?
No matter how cold it gets outside, a warm indoor climate can still be enough to grow something amazing: cherry tomatoes! All you need is the right materials, along with lots of natural light — and you will have plenty of delicious produce to keep you going throughout the year.
Light
Aim for at least 8 hours of direct sunlight per day for your indoor tomato plants, with 8 being the bare minimum. A south-facing window would be great for this. If your environment isn’t providing enough light for your plants (in winter, for example), consider investing in LED or fluorescent artificial grow lights. Place them a few inches above your plants, for at least 16 hours daily.
Temperature And Humidity
To grow cherry tomatoes inside, keep temperatures between 70 to 85°F. Humidity-wise, these plants fare pretty well under normal household conditions. If, however, your air feels too dry, a simple fix is to place a tray of water beneath the plants. For even better germination results, wrap your seedlings in plastic wrap or other material. This will create a small terrarium-like environment that will further lock in the humidity.
Plant Containers
Your seedlings will likely thrive in just about anywhere, including terra cotta clay pots, planter boxes, and even Tupperware containers (as long as you’ve made some drainage holes). Once they mature enough to be transplanted, use a pot that’s at least 12 inches wide and 15 inches deep.
The Right Variety
Steps To Grow Cherry Tomatoes Inside
These plants are summer annuals, which means they stop producing fruit when the weather turns cold. In a typical garden setting, a cherry tomato plant will only have one growing season: it’ll bloom, ripen, produce seeds, and die within a year. But indoors, under careful conditions, it can be coaxed into producing fruit all year round.
Grow Cherry Tomatoes From Seed
Get a jump on the germination process by introducing some extra heat to your seeds. Place your seed trays on a heat mat or over a refrigerator for steady warmth. This will help the seeds sprout more quickly. The faster you can get your seeds sprouting, the sooner you can harvest.
- Premoisten your potting mix in a tray or container.
- Sprinkle the seeds (about one or two per container) and lightly cover with a layer of soil, approximately ¼ inch deep.
- Wait about 4-10 days for your seeds to germinate.
- Once they sprout, move your seedlings to a place with full sun.
- Transplant: When your plant reaches several inches tall with 3-4 true leaves, it’s time to move it to a larger container.
- As you remove the seedling from its container, gently brush its roots. Remove the lower leaves from the stalk and bury it deep.
- Daily watering. Cherry tomatoes grown indoors in a container will require a lot of water, especially if they’re exposed to direct sun.
- You should see the first ripe fruits within two months of planting.
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How To Care For Your Cherry Tomatoes
Regular pruning can make all the difference — particularly with indeterminate tomatoes. By regularly trimming back your plants, you’re encouraging them to redirect their nutrients to producing more flavorful produce with better yields.
Pruning
Using a clean pair of clippers, prune away any suckers that have grown in the leaf axils (the area where leaves come together with the stem).
Removing unhealthy leaves
Always remember to nourish your plants
Water your seedlings every two to three days, then daily once they begin to produce fruit. When you water, it’s best to water the soil (not the plant itself) deeply and gradually. This helps encourage deep roots and discourage fungal disease.
Promote optimal root growth
Also, cherry tomatoes are heavy feeders, so fertilize weekly. A good fertilizer should be low in nitrogen, but higher in potassium and phosphorus. Aim for a 10-20-10 ratio, which will encourage your plant to grow stronger roots and more fruit. With luck, a well-cared-for plant can continue to produce until frost.
Pollination Assistance
And since you’re growing your cherry tomatoes inside, you’ll have to help pollinate their flowers. You can use a soft brush or your finger to gently move the pollen from the base of the flower to the stigma in the center. If you don’t want to do this by hand, a small electric fan can work too. Do this once every couple of days to ensure optimal fruit production.
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Harvesting And Using Your Cherry Tomatoes
Harvesting
Cherry tomato plants usually flower a month after planting. Afterwards, small green fruits will begin to appear. In a few weeks, these will eventually ripen and turn red, meaning they’re ready to be harvested.
Once ripe, cherry tomatoes should come off the stem easily. Carefully detach the fruit from the stem, making sure not to damage the foliage. Check the fruit daily and harvest ripe tomatoes at regular intervals to encourage further fruit production. If left too long, the fruit may become overripe, split, or rot.
Using Your Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are incredibly versatile. You can eat them straight off the vine or use them in salads, sauces, pastas, pizzas, or in roasted recipes. If you have leftovers, simply refrigerate them and enjoy later. They also make great treats to share! In any case, cherry tomatoes also compost very well and can be used to help your other plants thrive.
