20 Best Cherry Tomatoes to Grow in Your Garden

Cherry tomatoes are a favorite in home gardens everywhere. With more than 100 varieties to choose from, and more being developed every year, there’s got to be one your family will love! Let’s look at the best cherry tomatoes to grow in your garden this year, so you can enjoy adding delicious flavor and beautiful colors to your summer salads.

Best Cherry Tomatoes to Grow

There are 2 types of cherry tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate plants. But there are also many different varieties of cherry tomatoes (and new varieties coming on the market every year), in a wide range of colors.

Determinate cherry tomato varieties

Determinate tomato plants have a shorter growth period, are compact, and produce a limited amount of fruit, making them perfect for areas with a shorter season, and great for small spaces or containers.

Here are some favorite determinate cherry tomato varieties:

1. Tiny Tim – this dwarf variety of cherry tomatoes grows to about 12″ and doesn’t need staking: perfect for indoor gardening, hanging baskets and tiny gardens.
2. Yellow Indoor Dwarf Tomatoes – produces an explosion of yellow balls the whole family will love!
3. Red Robin Dwarf Bush Heirloom – produces loads of sweet/tart scarlet miniature cherry tomatoes that are about 1″ in diameter
4. Golf Nugget – a prolific golden cherry tomato

Indeterminate cherry tomato varieties

Indeterminate tomato plants will continue to grow and produce high yields of fruit throughout the growing season, until you cut their tops, or the first frost kills them. Check out these popular indeterminate cherry tomatoes:

5. Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes – this is one of my favorite cherry tomatoes: sweet, prolific, and very reliable
6. Sun Gold – orange colored, sun golds are the sweetest cherry tomatoes you’ll ever taste: they are perfect for eating off the vine.
7. Black Pearl Hybrid – a nice surprise of two tomato tastes in one fruit: must try this!
8. Sugar Sweetie – extra sweet, and low acid, these heavy producing tomatoes are perfect for families with kids
9. Sweetheart of the Patio
10. Black Cherry Tomatoes – candy sweet and a beautiful contrast to the other tomato colors for your salad
11. Rainbow Cherry Tomato Mix – a bright and colorful mix of cherry tomato varieties with gold, orange, light cream white, yellow, pink, green, purple, and red, and some dual colors cherries.

Grape tomatoes

While technically not cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes are a delicious addition to the garden and make the perfect companion to other types of tomatoes.  They are slightly larger than cherry tomatoes, and oblong in shape. Here are some of the most popular grape tomatoes:

12. Juliet Grape Tomatoes
13. Yellow Plum Grape Tomatoes
14. Rio Grande
15. Jelly Bean Red & Yellow Tomatoes

Pear shaped tomatoes

Another favorite that goes really well in salad and is full of flavor, are the miniature pear shaped tomatoes. Kids adore them, so if you have picky eaters, might be worth giving them a try.

They come in both red and yellow.

16. Yellow Pear Organic Cherry Tomatoes

Heirloom cherry tomatoes

Unlike hybrid varieties, heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated, meaning their seeds can be saved and planted to grow the same variety year after year. These tomatoes are often prized for their rich, sweet flavor and their unique appearance, which can range from deep red to golden yellow to striped and mottled.

Because they are often grown using traditional, non-industrial farming methods, heirloom cherry tomatoes are sometimes more expensive than their conventional counterparts, but many people consider their superior taste and texture well worth the cost.

17. Chocolate Cherry Heirloom Variety
18. European Black Cherry
19. Snow White Cherry Tomato
20. Heirloom Black Cherry Tomato Seeds

Best Conditions For Growing Cherry Tomatoes

How To Make Tomato Plants Grow Faster

When to plant

Make sure to wait until the final frost has passed in your area before planting any tomatoes outdoors. The temperatures should remain above 60°F for tomatoes to thrive.

Plant in a sunny location

All tomatoes love heat! Plant your cherry tomatoes in full sun for the best results. They need at least 6 to 8 hours in the sunshine every day.

Use the right soil mix

Cherry tomatoes will thrive in slightly acidic, rich, loamy, and well-drained soil. It’s important to test the soil to determine its pH and nutrient levels. Learn more about the best soil mix for tomatoes.

How much water do cherry tomatoes need?

Cherry tomatoes require regular watering to grow well. Making sure the soil remains consistently moist, but not waterlogged and using a nutrient-rich fertilizer or compost will give your tomato plants the perfect environment to grow and produce. Tomato plants need between 1 and 1.5 inches of water every week, so plan accordingly. It’s better to do a deep watering every few days than water a little every day. And if possible, use drip irrigation so that the lower leaves of the plant don’t get wet and attract diseases.

Too much water at once can cause your tomatoes to split. Learn more about why tomatoes split and how to prevent it. And if it rained too much and you end up with split tomatoes, don’t worry: you can still use them. Here’s what to do with split tomatoes.

How far to plant tomatoes from each other

As cherry tomato plants can grow big and bushy, it’s important to give them enough space to grow and ensure proper air circulation. This helps to prevent diseases and promotes healthy growth. It also makes it easy to maintain the plants and harvest without having to struggle through the many tangled branches.

Learn more about how far apart to plant tomatoes for a bountiful harvest.

How to Plant Cherry Tomatoes

Start from seeds if you want to save money

If you want to save money, or just love growing plants from seed, sow your seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Plant the seeds in a seed-starting mix, keeping the soil consistently moist and warm, ideally between 70°F-80°F. The seeds will usually germinate within 5-10 days.

Place the seedlings in a sunny spot, providing them with at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. You can also use a grow light to ensure proper light exposure. Remember to rotate the seedlings to ensure even growth.

If you missed the window to plant your seeds early enough, buy from your local garden center, Walmart, Loews, Home Depot, etc.: whichever store offers plants for sale in your town.

When to transplant tomato seedlings

Wait until after the last frost and when nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 60°F. Gradually introduce the seedlings to the outdoors by moving them outside for a few hours each day, increasing the time spent outdoors over the course of a week. This process, known as hardening off, prepares the seedlings for their new environment and reduces transplant shock.

When your cherry tomatoes are ready to be transplanted, dig a hole in a location with well-draining soil and a pH balance of 6.2-6.5. Be sure to space seedlings at least 3 feet apart to ensure proper airflow and room for growth.

Cherry tomatoes do great in containers!

If you plan to grow cherry tomatoes in containers, choose a pot that is at least 12 inches deep and has good drainage. A container with a diameter of 18-24 inches will provide enough room for the roots to grow. Fill the container with a high-quality potting mix, and ensure that the soil remains consistently moist.

Container plants dry out a lot faster than plants grown directly in the garden soil. Check your containers often in the beginning to learn how often you need to water them. Most plants grown in containers in full sun will require watering twice a day: morning and night. 

It might be a good idea to buy a self watering container. Of course, don’t forget that hothouse containers need to be filled with water too.

Container-grown cherry tomatoes will need staking to provide support as they grow.

How To Support Cherry Tomatoes

Supporting your cherry tomato plants is essential for healthy growth and an abundant harvest.

For determinate tomatoes, a tomato cage works best, since these tomatoes don’t grow too tall and the cages are shorter.

For indeterminate tomatoes, trellises and staking to a fence are best. This way you can train the plant to grow upwards and tie it to the stake or trellis.

Tomato Cages are easy to install, ideal for small gardens, and provide good support for the plant.

Stakes (also called T-posts) are durable and will last you for many years. Best used for determinate tomatoes, since they stop growing.

Trellises are better for larger gardens, make it easier to harvest, and allow for efficient pruning and airflow.

How to Prune Tomatoes For Bigger Fruit And Healthier Plants

It’s important to keep up with the pruning needs of your tomato plants if you want them to put their energy into nurturing the newly formed fruit, rather than growing bushy leaves. Pinch the suckers that appear in between where the main stem and branches meet.

If you do it regularly (my husband does it weekly), it’s easy to break it off with your fingers. If you forget, and they grow more than 3 inches or so, it’s best to use sharp garden scissors, so you don’t hurt the plant.

As time goes on, prune the bottom leaves, and any other part of the plant that looks dead, or attacked by pests or disease. Your garden will be healthier and look tidier if you keep your plants pruned.

Learn more about pruning tomatoes.

Common Tomato Pests and Diseases

Here are a few of the most common tomato pests:

• hornworms – these can completely defoliate your plants overnight. Check out these tips for getting rid of hornworms
• aphids
• deer
• squirrels
• groundhogs

Check out these other tomato plant problems and learn how to fix them.

There are also a few diseases that tomatoes can suffer from early and late blight, blossom end rot, verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and tobacco mosaic virus. Take the following steps to minimize the risks:

• choose disease resistant varieties
• give tomatoes enough space to grow
• rotate crops
• remove diseased plants
• plant companion plants (here are the best companion plants for tomatoes)

Harvesting Cherry Tomatoes

I can’t tell you how exciting is to go to the garden and see delicious, ready to harvest tiny tomatoes! Don’t get me wrong: I love the large tomatoes too, but mostly for cooking (they are too acid for me. The cherry tomatoes (especially the yellow varieties), including those small pear shaped tomatoes just hold a special place in my heart and in my taste buds.

I love eating sweet 100 and sun-gold tomatoes right there, in the garden. Of course, once they start producing, I need a container to pick them into. Last August, I picked my sungolds 3 weekends in a row: 700 one week, 900 the following, and 1000 the third weekend. I ended up roasting them with garlic and freezing them for later.

Being gentle when picking your cherry tomatoes ensures that the delicate skin does not get damaged. Your freshly harvested cherry tomatoes can be used in salads, juice, or salsa for a burst of flavor.

Preserving Cherry Tomatoes for Later

After harvesting your cherry tomatoes, it is important to store them properly to maintain their freshness and flavor. Keep in mind that tomatoes should not be refrigerated, as cold temperatures can negatively affect their texture and taste. Instead, store your tomatoes at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, and use them within a few days.

If you have a larger harvest and cannot consume all of your cherry tomatoes immediately, there are other ways to preserve them, such as:

Freeze them

Wash and dry the tomatoes, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer, and freeze them. Once frozen, transfer them to airtight containers or freezer bags for long-term storage.

Can them

Cherry tomatoes can be canned in juice or water, and then processed in a boiling water bath canner, following safe canning guidelines.

You can also pickle cherry tomatoes. YUM!

Dehydrate them

Dehydrating cherry tomatoes is another excellent way to preserve their flavor. Place them in a single layer in a dehydrator, oven, or even under the sun, until they are fully dried. Then you can use them as is in soups, or make tomato powder (check out these 10 ways to use tomato powder).

How to Use Cherry Tomatoes

Serving cherry tomatoes can be as simple or as creative as you’d like. Here are some suggestions to enjoy these nutritious, sweet treats:

• Salads: Toss cherry tomatoes with leafy greens, cucumber, and your favorite vinaigrette for a vibrant and refreshing salad.
• Salsas: Combine cherry tomatoes with finely chopped onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice for a zesty homemade salsa perfect for dipping.
• Kabobs: Thread cherry tomatoes onto skewers along with your choice of protein, such as chicken or tofu, and grill for a fun and tasty meal.
• Pasta: Saute cherry tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, then toss with cooked pasta and fresh basil for a quick and easy dinner.
• Snacking: Enjoy cherry tomatoes on their own or pair them with other healthy snacks like hummus or cheese for a nutritious, bite-sized snack (or for a midnight snack if hunger hits you then).

Here’s a list of 41 easy and delicious cherry tomato recipes.

So, hopefully, this list of the best cherry tomato varieties will get you inspired to try a few new ones this year.

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