Cherry Tomatoes Seeds (Yellow)

This easy to grow crop can be grown in any containers, but requires direct sunlight throughout the day. Potting mix and other manures may help better production.

How to grow Cherry Tomatoes (Yellow) from Seeds:

Introduction and Uses: Use Cherry Tomatoes to get an instant burst of color and flavor. This extremely versatile variety of tomatoes is used to lend a sweet juicy flavour to salads, salsa, pizza and pasta. Cherry tomatoes are easiest to grow and are the first to fruit. They include both bush and climbing varieties, and all bear prolifically. Botanical Name: Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme Sowing Season: Throughout the year Sowing method: transplanting Because the seeds are small, Cherry Tomato plant is grown by transplantation method. Seeds are first sown indoors in seedling tray or outdoors on seed beds. Later the seedlings are transplanted into containers or in raised beds. First harvest: 10 to 12 weeks Growing container: Seedling trays/ seed cups/ small polybags/ Seed bed. Growing medium: Coco Peat (Indoors), Fine soil (Outdoors)

Steps for seed sowing (Seed starting) in a container:

Take a seedling tray with medium sized cells & drainage holes at the bottom.

Fill the cells/cups with a moist coco-peat medium.

Hold the Cherry Tomato seeds on your left palm & sow 2-3 seeds per cell/cup. Since Cherry Tomato seeds are small, avoid sowing them very deep.

Sowing Technique:

Place the seeds on the surface of the medium & push each seed a little inside the medium by using pencil tip, so that seeds are not visible on the surface anymore & cover it with more coco-peat.

Or make small, shallow depressions on medium with pencil bottom. Put the seed in that depression & sprinkle more coco-peat on the top to cover the seed.

Keep the seedling tray indoors till the seeds germinate.

Covering: Keep the seed tray in a box or cover it with paper for first 4-5 days to encourage faster seed germination. Watering:

Water the seed cells with a spoon in the first week. Provide 2 tablespoons of water every day.

Or keep the seedling tray in another tray full of water for half an hour, so that water will seed cells will absorb the water from the bottom, via drainage holes.

If the seed beds are made outdoors, protect them from heavy rain or direct sunlight. Use well sieved fine soil as a sowing medium & make a nice raised bed from it. Cover the bed by making a temporary roof of the plastic sheet. Water it in the form of a light shower by watering can.

Growth stages of Cherry Tomatoes (Yellow) Plant:

Sprouting Stage: Seeds will germinate within first 6-8 days or so & tiny sprouts will be visible. Once seeds germinate, put the tray in an open partially sunny spot near the window. Don’t cover the tray anymore. Cotyledons: The early two leaves will emerge from the second week of germination. These are false leaves called as cotyledons. First leaves: First leaves will emerge above cotyledons at the end of the second week. These are Cherry Tomato's original compound leaves. Seedling stage: Second week onwards, seedlings will start growing into a small plant. At this stage exposé the seedlings to more & more sunlight for leaf growth. Thinning: After the second week, keep only single seedling per cell/cup. Cut off the weak, small & lagging seedlings with a pair of scissors. Transplantation:

Four weeks after the seed sowing, your seedlings will be ready to transplant in container pots or raised beds.

Ideal planting mixture for Cherry Tomato: 2 part garden soil & 1 part organic manure.

Or 1 part garden soil, 1 part coco-peat & 1 part Vermicompost.

Transplant the seedling along with root ball of a medium, without disturbing its roots. Unlike other plants, Cherry Tomato seedlings can be transplanted deeper into the soil, so that little portion of the lower stem & leaves can be buried inside. This encourages more root formation.

Spacing: Plant the seedlings minimum 2 feet apart (60x60 or 60x45 cm) from each other on raised beds. Plant only single seedling at the centre of a single regular 8-12 inch pot.

How to take care for Cherry Tomatoes (Yellow) Plant:

Sunlight: Cherry Tomato plants require full sunlight. Therefore your raised bed should be made at a bright sunny spot. Keep the potted Cherry Tomato plant in sunlight. Watering technique: Water your potted Cherry Tomato plant every day in summer & every other day in winter. Water at the soil near the plant. Use a watering can and make sure that the plants get water in the form of a shower & not by a single flow. You can also make provision for watering by watering by drip irrigation system for your raised beds. Avoid overwatering. Manuring: Add good quality organic manure in the soil with 2:1 ratio before transplanting the seedling. Organic fertilizer can be well rotten cow dung manure, farmyard manure, compost or vermicompost. Plant care: Always look for the early signs of any insect/fungal infection/ any other infections. Spray appropriate medicines as soon as any symptoms of such diseases are spotted. Trellis: Cherry Tomato is a weak trailing plant that requires the support of a trellis, particularly at fruiting stage. Use locally available material like bamboo, wood sticks, wires, tapes, ropes to make trellis of your own. Pinching: Pinch off the unwanted extra side suckers (shoot buds) that develop on the main stems & keep the number of growing branches limited for better yield & bigger Cherry Tomatoes. Also pinch off any diseased leaves & branches immediately. Harvesting: Cherry Cherry Tomato plant will start flowering at the beginning of 3rd month, Cherry Cherry Tomatoes can be harvested 60-70 from the sowing of seeds & harvesting season can continue for next 3 months or so.