The Best Place To Grow Cherry Tomatoes Might Not Be Your Garden

A single cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. Cerasiforme) plant provides enough pint-sized produce for the average family of four. Perfect for a quick snack fresh off the vine or roasted for a pasta sauce, the antioxidant-rich fruit has been part of human's diet for at least 7,000 years. Cherry tomato's popularity begs the question – what could be more convenient than having a plant or two growing in the kitchen? Given enough sun and a little attention, the plants happily adapt to container growing, producing an early and long-lasting crop that provides meal and snack time ingredients for months.

Just because the tomatoes on cherry tomato plants are small, you shouldn't assume that all cherry tomato plants are compact. They can grow up to seven feet tall. To grow the best type of tomato for a container garden, choose varieties that don't grow too tall or have a tendency to sprawl, like the 'Tiny Tim' or 'Patio Choice'. You also need to decide between indeterminate and determinate varieties. Indeterminate tomatoes produce fruit over a long period of time; determinate plants only yield one crop. If you have the space, consider growing more than one variety in shared or individual containers.

The amount of light the plants get each day is critical to development. Tomatoes require at least six hours of direct sun daily, ideally in a west or south-facing window. The temperature shouldn't drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 for fruit to set. If the window doesn't get enough sun, supplement the light with cool white fluorescents placed 3 to 6 inches from the tops of the plant. There's no need to buy expensive grow lights, standard 100-watt equivalent bulbs will do.

Consider size first when you're buying a growing container. A one-gallon container suffices for the smaller cherry tomato varieties; use a two to three-gallon pot for larger plants. Tomatoes have extensive root systems, so If you're growing more than one plant per pot in your kitchen, use a bigger container. As inelegant as it may seem, a five-gallon plastic bucket is an expensive choice that suits the container size needs of indoor tomatoes. Remember to drill drainage holes if you're using a container without them. Choose a soilless potting medium. Soilless mix is lighter and holds water and nutrients better than garden soil. There's less of a chance a soilless mix will have diseases or pests hiding in it.

Water and fertilizing are the final pieces to the indoor container puzzle. The plants may drop their fruit before they're ripe if you let the soil dry out between waterings, but avoid overwatering to prevent root rot in your tomato plants. Consider setting the container in the kitchen sink when you water it so you can water the plant until the liquid runs out of the drain holes. Add a soluble, balanced fertilizer once a week.