How to Grow Cheery Red Cherry Tomatoes

Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes.
~Author Unknown

This is the season to show some tomato love. Tomato recipes aside, you can grow this cherry beauties nice and fast before the winter chill sets in. Just toss over some seeds in sunlit soil and keep the soil moist. That’s it. Seriously! No big post.

But for doing it right and blogging it nice, here are some tips and tricks on growing bunches of cherry tomatoes, just about anywhere.

Your deeds with seeds: Sow your cherry tomato seeds in a small container as done in any nursery. The seeds take time to germinate so patience is the key. Place your seed-laden container in a sunlit area/ window sill.

“In every gardener there is a child who believes in The Seed Fairy.”
~Robert Brault

Baby your plants: Little fellows emerge in their best of greens. This stage requires good amount of sunlight. It is also said that these little plants need a lot of movement around them to gain strength and develop strong stems. A breezy window, a fan or gentle strokes with your hand will keep them active and help them become strong. Im sure they love the hand love more.

Time to transfer: The growing plantings now need more soil, sun, and me-space for the roots to grow. Usually the best time to transfer is when the second sets of leaves come out. Water the seedlings well before the transfer to help loosen the soil around their roots. Gently pick up the plants with soil intact and plant them at site. Spread them well apart ensuring good drainage and staking options for future.

“Apart from painting and gardening, I’m not good at anything.”
~Claude Monet

Soil matters: Soil should be rich so put your kitchen waste to good use by composting and using the organic treasure. The best soil for tomatoes is the deep loam soil with good irrigation, good drainage and which receives plenty of sunshine. Use any local manure such as dung, neem cake, etc.

“You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.”
~Author Unknown

Watering: Watering is an important growth requirement as tomatoes have shallow roots. Water till the soil gets soaked fully. The more the soak, the better it is for the roots to remain nourished.

“Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.”
~Lou Erickson

Extend you support: As tomato plants grow, they need support of sticks, twigs or wires on which you lead the plant to grow. This helps avoid tomatoes lying on the ground and getting squashed or spoilt rot. The stalk help the tomato vine grow longer and improves the yield.

“Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts.”
~Anonymous

To prune or not: Pruning of side stems is important as it helps contain the plants strength and nutrients. The main stem can be maintained at any desirable height and you can prevent it from becoming bushy by keeping few stems intact and pruning the rest. My personal preference is to do nothing and let nature decide what it wants to do… but then when you want the yield, you got to yield as well.

“Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise.”
~Michael P. Garafalo

Patience again: Tomato plants take more than two months to mature, bloom and fruit. Wait patiently without compromising on water, sunlight and love they need.

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.”
Abraham Lincoln

The colors that Tomatoes reward with are incredible. Reds, scarlets, ochres, oranges, yellows – all pulsating with life.
Colorful Feast for the eyes.
Grand Feast for the soul.