When i get asked about cherry tomato plant problems i find that usually one of the following issues is going on and has prevented the plants from thriving and producing as well as they should be.
Growing cherry tomatoes in pots nz.
Make sure your cherry tomatoes aren t shaded by other plants.
Growing tomatoes in containers is almost always an adventure.
Cherry tomatoes are one of the easiest vegetable plants to grow.
Let the sun.
We recommend tui tomato mix as it is a perfectly formulated specialist tomato potting mix.
Plant purchased cherry tomato seedlings or seedlings you ve started indoors.
Dwarf cherry tomato varieties mature at under two feet tall.
Plant plants not seeds.
Place your plant in a sunny spot where it will receive at least 6 8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
The best cherry tomatoes to grow in pots are bush varieties like baxter s bush cherry and varieties named for their excellent growth in containers such as patio princess and balcony cherry.
Greensmart tm pots are ideal for growing tomatoes as you can fit 2 3 plants in one of the large pots with a 40 litre bag of potting mix.
Sometimes epic failures can happen for reasons beyond your control like tomato blight or a ridiculously wet or cold summer.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about growing cherry tomatoes in pots.
Don t sow seeds directly into your containers germination and development will take too long.
Take extra care with watering throughout.
Cherry tomatoes do best when given enough room to grow.
Common mistakes growing cherry tomatoes in pots.
However if you avoid some common mistakes you will vastly increase your chances of successfully growing tomatoes in containers.
If you re short on space try tiny tim cherries.
Tomatoes are happy in containers or planter bags and can be easily cared for on decks and patios they just requiring staking and training as you would plants grown in the garden.
Wet leaves result in fungal growth.
Best tomato plant for hanging baskets though it also looks great in pots.
Choose your plant type.
Growing cherry tomatoes in pots is the most popular method and literally any type of pot or container will work as long as it has good drainage.
If you often forget to water bings are your best bet.
Pots come in a lot of sizes and materials.
They work well in small containers 5 gallons or less in size.
A container 14 inches in diameter is the minimum width necessary for growing cherry tomatoes in pots.
Plants only grow 20 30cm tall are perfect for pots or in small troughs and produce full flavoured mildly sweet bright red cherry tomatoes.
Choosing a pot for growing tomatoes.
It can be incredibly rewarding or flat out disastrous.
When looked after well each plant can produce around 2 5kg of tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes with their compact growth small fruit and early harvest times are a perfect variety to try.