Cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are small-fruited tomatoes of the species Solanum lycopersicum, in the Solanaceae family. They share their botanical identity with larger tomatoes, but their size allows them to be eaten in one or a few bites. Cherry mainly describes a fruit type: it does not identify a single variety or imply a botanical relationship with cherry trees.
The fruits are often round, sometimes slightly oval. Other small tomatoes shaped like grapes or pears appear alongside them in mixed selections. Smooth skin surrounds juicy flesh and seed-filled chambers. Botany and cooking classify the product differently: it is a fruit, commonly used as a vegetable in meals. The familiar kitchen name does not change the structure of the fruit itself.
Colour is not limited to red. Depending on the variety, ripe fruits can be yellow, orange, pink or darker shades. Size, skin thickness, firmness and the balance of sweetness and acidity also vary. A yellow tomato is not necessarily less ripe than a red one, and a small fruit is not automatically sweeter than a large tomato. This diversity is part of their appeal rather than a guarantee of one particular flavour.
The plant bears divided leaves and yellow flowers that precede fruits, often arranged in clusters. Cherry tomatoes can come from indeterminate varieties, whose stems continue to lengthen, or determinate types with a bushier habit. Dwarf forms also exist. Small fruit therefore does not tell you how tall or spreading the plant will be, which makes its growth habit another useful part of its identity.
In the kitchen, you can serve them as snacks, in salads or with pasta. They also suit savoury tarts, roasted vegetables and sauces. Their size offers combinations of colours without needing large slices. Cooking changes texture and develops flavours differently from raw preparations, giving them uses beyond simply decorating a plate.
Usually grown over one season where frost ends its growth, the cherry tomato brings a succession of flowers and small fruits to the vegetable garden. The variety of plant forms and colours makes this group interesting for a collection of cultivars as well as summer cooking.
Cherry tomatoes
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Fruiting vegetables
- Botanical Family : Solanaceae
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
- Mature height : 150 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Recommended
- Sowing Depth : 0.5 cm
- Plant Spacing : 60 cm
- Row Spacing : 80 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing