Choosing Which Cherry Tomatoes to Grow in Your Garden

16 Sep

Tomatoes are amongst the most rewarding veggies to grow in your own home garden – although strictly speaking they are a true berry, and therefore a fruit. This is probably why so many different tomatoes have generically fruity names: for instance plum tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and of course, much-loved cherry tomatoes.

About Cherry Tomatoes

Native to South America, tomatoes (or rather one particular species, Solanum lycopersicum) were taken to Mexico where it is believed they were first domesticated. Interestingly, there is a school of thought that believes the first domesticated tomatoes were grown by the ancient Aztecs in Central Mexico. It is thought that they were yellow in colour, and the size and shape of our most common cherry tomatoes.

However, it is known for a fact that cherry tomatoes, as we know them today, have only been cultivated since the early 1970s. Two Israeli scientists, Haim Rabinovich and Nachum Kedar, wanted to stop tomatoes in general from ripening so quickly in hot climatic conditions. Having identified tomato genes that would do this, they also discovered a way to produce small cherry tomatoes.

Varieties of Cherry Tomato

Three of the earliest cherry tomatoes were:

Santorini, a Greek tomato that is well known for its wonderful flavour.
Tomaccio, an Israeli variety bred from wild Peruvian tomatoes.
Selke Biodynamic, an exceptionally prolific type named after the 20^th century biodynamic researcher, Margrit Selke, who was a leading pioneer of bio-dynamic composting.

Today cherry tomatoes come in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes, albeit that the main factor they have in common is that they are small (roughly cherry-sized). You are sure to find suitable seed in your local nursery, but if you like the idea of being boggled for choice, search out some of the amazing catalogues put out by international producers of seed. There is so much choice you could devote an interior veggie garden to cherry tomatoes!

Here are some favourites to look out for:

Red Robin Lovely sweet red tomatoes that can be grown in your veggie garden or in pots. Determinate.
Supersweet 100 A darker red than Red Robin, and super-sweet. Produces tomatoes in clusters, like grapes. Indeterminate.
Sungold An English variety that is extremely sweet and ideal for growing in a greenhouse. Not quite yellow and not quite red.
Sweet Chelsea Round and larger than most, this variety is resistant to drought and it produces particularly high yields. Indeterminate.
Sweet Million Even though these plants take a bit longer to produce their fruit, one plant can give you as many as 500 sweet, flavourful tomatoes. Indeterminate.
Isis Candy Pretty yellow-gold fruit with red streaks. They will grow all year long provided there is no frost. Indeterminate.
Snow White Ideal for mixing with red and yellow tomatoes in an unusual salad, these are very sweet. Indeterminate.
Dr Carolyn Not as white as the previous variety, these turn from green to ivory-white, and then to a pale yellow as they mature. Like most of the other types, they are very sweet. Indeterminate.
Brown A good producer that will also add colourful oomph to any salad. Indeterminate.

And this is just the beginning of a list that seemingly goes on forever. There is no doubt that everyone will find their own perfect cherry tomato if they want to!