Gardener's Delight cherry tomato

Sun

Full sun, ideally at least 6-8 hours daily; shelter from cold winds.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist, watering deeply at soil level. Containers may need daily watering in hot weather; avoid alternating drought with heavy soaking.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, ideally pH 6.0-6.8; use good-quality potting mix in containers.

Height

6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m), sometimes taller under cover

Spread

1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m) when trained as a single stem

Flowers

Small yellow flowers from late spring through summer, continuing into autumn in frost-free conditions.

Foliage

Green, divided leaves with toothed leaflets and a strong tomato scent when handled.

Growth

Fast in warm weather

Care needed

High

• Pollinators
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.8 ft (0.25 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant out after the last frost once nights are reliably above 50°F (10°C); harden off indoor-raised plants first.
• Install a sturdy stake or cord support at planting and tie the main stem loosely as it grows.
• Water at soil level and mulch once the soil is warm, keeping mulch clear of the stem.
• Feed container plants with a tomato fertilizer once the first fruits begin to set, following the label rate.
• Use a container holding at least 7 US gal (27 L) per plant, with clear drainage holes.
• Ventilate greenhouses and leave space between plants so leaves dry promptly.

Pruning. For a single-stem cordon, pinch out side shoots growing between the main stem and leaves while they are small, checking weekly. Where the season ends with cold weather, remove the growing tip about four to six weeks before the expected first frost so existing fruit can ripen.

Pick individual tomatoes when fully red, slightly yielding and easily detached; flavour is usually best when they ripen on the plant. Harvest regularly from summer until frost, roughly 65-80 days after transplanting in favourable conditions, though cool weather delays cropping.

Late winter

Sow indoors in warmth about six to eight weeks before your expected planting-out date.

Spring

Pot seedlings on into bright light and gradually harden them off before outdoor planting.

Late spring

Plant into warm soil after frost danger has passed, install supports and water thoroughly.

Summer

Tie in new growth, remove side shoots, water consistently and feed as fruit sets.

Summer to early autumn

Pick ripe fruit frequently and check leaves and fruit for pests and disease.

Early autumn

In frost-prone areas, pinch out the growing tip and protect plants from chilly nights.

Late autumn

Clear plants when cropping finishes; dispose of diseased material and clean supports before reuse.

• Train on upright supports in a potager to add height without taking up much bed space.
• Grow in large containers on sunny patios, with low-growing basil nearby.
• Plant along the sunny edge of an edible garden where ripe fruit is easy to reach.
• Train in greenhouse borders to make use of vertical growing space in cool climates.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Cottage garden, Edible landscape, Homestead, Small-space and Family-friendly.

Plant it with: Basil, Lettuce, Spring onions, French marigolds and Sweet alyssum.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen for bumblebees and other buzz-pollinating bees. Birds and small mammals sometimes eat ripe fruit; use taut, wildlife-safe netting if protection is necessary.

• Late blight causes rapidly spreading dark patches on leaves and stems and brown, firm fruit rot. Remove affected plants promptly, keep foliage dry and improve airflow; protection under a well-ventilated cover can reduce exposure to rain.
• Whiteflies feed beneath leaves, especially under cover. Inspect plants frequently, use yellow sticky traps for monitoring and consider greenhouse biological controls or a labelled insecticidal soap.
• Blossom-end rot produces a dark, sunken patch at the flower end of fruit. Keep watering steady and avoid root damage; adding calcium is not usually helpful unless a soil test shows a deficiency.
• Fruit splitting often follows heavy watering or rain after a dry spell. Maintain even soil moisture, mulch and pick ripe fruit promptly.

Ripe fruit is not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses in normal food amounts. Leaves, stems and green, unripe fruit contain glycoalkaloids and can poison people and these animals if enough is eaten, causing digestive upset and sometimes weakness or other nervous-system signs; substantial ingestion needs medical or veterinary advice.

• Sungold cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Sungold')

  Both are tall, indeterminate cherry tomatoes with similar foliage, but Sungold ripens orange rather than red; seedlings cannot be reliably distinguished by appearance.

The species name lycopersicum comes from Greek words meaning 'wolf peach'.

Propagation. Sow seed indoors at about 65-75°F (18-24°C), six to eight weeks before planting out. This is an open-pollinated cultivar, so seed saved from fully ripe fruit usually comes true if cross-pollination has not occurred; healthy side shoots also root readily as cuttings.

Accepted botanical name

Solanum lycopersicum

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Alaska, Hawaii, the lower 48 states, Pacific Basin, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

Native range

Peru.

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 7.5. Average height 19 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.