Cherry Tomatoes
Updated June 2026
The best sweet varieties to grow in New Zealand, from Sungold to Tommy Toe, plus picks for pots and kids
Cherry tomatoes are the easiest, sweetest and most rewarding tomato you can grow. They crop early, they crop heavily, and they are forgiving of imperfect care, which makes them the perfect first tomato and the best one to grow with children. Most people eat half the harvest standing in the garden, warm off the vine.
This guide covers why cherries are worth growing, how to grow them well, and which variety to choose for sweetness, colour, pots or productivity. Use the cherry tomato picker below to narrow it down.
Cherry Tomato Picker
There is no single best cherry tomato, only the best one for what you want. Tell the picker what matters most and which colour you fancy, and it will recommend a variety to grow.
Which cherry tomato should I grow?
Every variety in the picker is a real one grown in New Zealand gardens. See the full list in the varieties table further down.
Why Grow Cherry Tomatoes
- Sweetness. Cherry types are the sweetest tomatoes you can grow. Sungold in particular is often named the sweetest tomato of all.
- Heavy yields. A single healthy vine throws out hundreds of fruit over a long season.
- Earliness. They are among the first tomatoes to ripen, often weeks ahead of the big slicers.
- Forgiving. They shrug off conditions that would stress a fussy beefsteak, which makes them ideal for beginners.
- Pots and baskets. Trailing types like Tumbling Tom thrive in a hanging basket with no staking at all.
- Great with kids. Sweet, bite-sized and fun to pick, they turn children into gardeners.
How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes want full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day, and rich, well-drained soil. Dig in plenty of compost and aged manure before planting, and plant seedlings deep, burying the stem up to the first set of leaves so they grow extra roots.
Most cherry tomatoes are indeterminate vines that keep growing and fruiting all season, so they need a tall, sturdy stake or frame at planting time and regular tying as they grow. The exception is Tumbling Tom, a determinate trailing type bred to cascade over a basket or pot with no staking needed.
Water evenly and consistently, and mulch with straw or pea straw to keep soil moisture steady. Feed with compost at planting, then switch to a potassium-rich tomato fertiliser once the first flowers appear, feeding every one to two weeks through fruiting.
Pots and Hanging Baskets
Cherry tomatoes are the best tomato for containers, and Tumbling Tom is purpose-built for the job.
- Tumbling Tom for baskets. Plant one per hanging basket of good potting mix and let it spill over the sides. No staking required.
- Tommy Toe in a tub. A large pot of at least 40 cm suits an upright cherry like Tommy Toe, staked to a single cane.
- Water daily. Containers dry out fast in summer, and uneven watering causes splitting and blossom end rot.
- Feed weekly. Potting mix runs out of nutrients quickly, so feed weekly once flowering starts.
Common Problems
Splitting
Splits in the skin are caused by irregular watering, where the fruit takes up water fast after rain or a heavy soak following a dry spell and the skin cannot stretch quickly enough. Water evenly and consistently, mulch to buffer the soil moisture, and pick fruit promptly once ripe, especially before forecast rain. Crack-resistant types like Sweet Million help in wet districts.
Flowers but no fruit
If plants flower but do not set, heat is the usual cause. Above about 30 degrees Celsius pollen fails and flowers drop. Keep the water up in heatwaves. Too much nitrogen also stops set, so ease off and switch to a potassium-rich feed.
Harvesting
Pick cherry tomatoes when they are fully coloured and slightly soft, ideally warm from the sun, which is when they taste sweetest. They ripen fast and in waves, so check the plants every day or two at the peak of the season. Snip whole trusses for a fruit bowl, or pick individually for snacking straight off the vine.
When to Plant in New Zealand
Cherry tomatoes are frost-tender, so plant them out only after the last frost in spring, once the soil and nights have warmed, roughly September to December depending on your region. The warm north can start early, while the cold south should wait for warm soil and may prefer to start seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost for a head start.
| Region | Best planting window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warm north (Northland, Auckland) | Sep to Dec | Long warm season, can start early under cover |
| Central (Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Nelson) | Oct to Dec | Plant out once frost risk passes |
| Cool south (Canterbury, Otago, Southland) | Late Oct to Dec | Short season, but cherries are early so they suit it well |
Grow Cherry Tomatoes in the App
Add your cherry tomatoes, pick the variety from the in-app dropdown, and get reminders for feeding, staking and harvest tuned to your New Zealand region.
Open the App →Best Cherry Tomato Varieties
Every variety below is a real one grown in New Zealand gardens. Days are a rough guide from transplanting to first ripe fruit.
| Variety | Colour | Habit | Days | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sungold | Orange-gold | Indeterminate | 65 | Widely named the sweetest tomato of all. Glowing fruit eaten by the handful straight off the vine. |
| Sweet 100 | Red | Indeterminate | 65 | Long trusses of very sweet red cherries. Reliable and wonderfully prolific. |
| Sweet Million | Red | Indeterminate | 65 | Improved Sweet 100 with better crack resistance and even sweeter fruit over a long season. |
| Yellow Pear | Yellow | Indeterminate | 75 | Mild, sweet, pear-shaped yellow fruit. Pretty in salads and very heavy cropping. |
| Tommy Toe | Red | Indeterminate | 70 | Heirloom cherry, tangy-sweet and incredibly productive. Great for beginners and pots. |
| Black Cherry | Dark | Indeterminate | 70 | Dusky purple cherry with a deep, complex, almost smoky flavour. A standout for fresh eating. |
| Tumbling Tom | Red | Determinate (trailing) | 70 | Bred for hanging baskets and pots. Cascades of small sweet-tart fruit, no staking needed. |
Plan Your Varieties in the App
This guide helps you choose a cherry tomato. The Planting Season app helps you grow it. When you add a tomato to your garden you can choose your variety from the in-app dropdown, and the app tracks it from sowing through to harvest with reminders tuned to your New Zealand region. Grow a Sungold for snacking, a paste type for sauce and a beefsteak for sandwiches, all on the one plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the sweetest cherry tomato to grow?
Sungold is the cherry tomato most often named the sweetest of all, a glowing orange-gold fruit with an intense tropical sweetness that is eaten by the handful straight off the vine. Sweet 100 and the improved Sweet Million are the sweetest red cherries, and Tommy Toe is a beautifully balanced sweet-tangy heirloom.
What is the best cherry tomato for pots?
Tumbling Tom is bred for pots and hanging baskets, cascading over the edge with masses of small fruit and needing no staking. Tommy Toe also does very well in a large tub. For a hanging basket, use a good potting mix, water daily in summer, and feed weekly once flowering starts.
Are cherry tomatoes determinate or indeterminate?
Most cherry tomatoes are indeterminate vines that keep growing and fruiting all season, so they need a tall stake or frame and regular tying. The exception here is Tumbling Tom, a determinate trailing type bred for baskets and pots that needs no staking at all.
Why are my cherry tomatoes splitting?
Splitting is caused by irregular watering, where the fruit takes up water fast after rain or a heavy soak following a dry spell and the skin cannot stretch quickly enough. Water evenly and consistently, mulch to buffer soil moisture, and pick fruit promptly once ripe, especially before forecast rain. Crack-resistant types like Sweet Million help too.
How long do cherry tomatoes take to grow?
Cherry tomatoes are among the fastest tomatoes, with most types giving their first ripe fruit around 65 to 75 days after transplanting. That earliness, together with their forgiving nature, is why they are the best tomato for beginners and for short-season southern gardens.
Are cherry tomatoes good for kids and beginners?
Yes. Cherry tomatoes are the best tomato to grow with children and as a first crop. They are sweet enough to be eaten like lollies straight off the plant, they crop early and heavily, and they are forgiving of imperfect care. Sungold for sweetness and Tommy Toe for reliability are the standout choices.
When should I plant cherry tomatoes in New Zealand?
Plant cherry tomatoes out after the last frost in spring, once the soil and nights have warmed, roughly September to December depending on your region. The warm north can start early, while the cold south should wait for warm soil and may prefer to start seed indoors for a head start.
See also: How to Grow Tomatoes and Tomato in the Plant Library