Large Red Cherry tomatoes are one of the best producing tomatoes for our climate in San Antonio. The heat of our summers is too harsh for most large and extra large tomatoes. Once the temperatures hit the 90’s and higher, fruit production is essentially shut down. Not so with Large Red Cherry tomatoes. These little orbs of deliciousness grow on an indeterminate vine that, as long as treated well, continue to be available for harvest through summer (possibly into fall). Read on for a little more info on Large Red Cherry tomatoes (on sale this Saturday through Monday only. (May 8th – May 10th 2021).
Large Red Cherry Tomatoes
Large Red Cherry tomatoes are indeterminate tomatoes which means that they grow on a vine and put out their fruit gradually, a little bit at a time. This is opposed to determinate tomatoes which put out all of their fruit at one time and then they are done. The fruits on
At maturity, Large Red Cherry tomatoes are about 1″ to 1 1/4″ in diameter. They develop into a beautiful scarlet-red hue when ripe and explode in your mouth in a burst of sweet flavor. (If you’re a fan of the taste of green tomatoes, these are great when pickled.) Fruit production is plentiful on the hardy vine.
If you’ve read any of our blogs on tips for growing tomatoes successfully, you’ll have seen that we always suggest choosing small to medium sized tomatoes for our area. You just get the best results with them due to the short growing seasons we have in San Antonio.
But just because the tomatoes are smaller in stature, this doesn’t mean that the plants themselves necessarily are. The vines that Large Red Cherry tomatoes grow about 6′ plus in length. Make sure you have plenty of room to keep these vines growing to their full potential. You will need some good support for the vines to prevent them from breaking, a couple of large tomato cages or a DIY trellis will suffice.
When planting later in the season than normal, always look for the largest sized plant. These most likely will have already developed some healthy roots and with attentive care, will tranplant more successfully.
Always plant tomato plants deep and water them deeply to make sure their roots are being targeted. Large Red Cherry tomatoes are no different from other tomato plants in that they are heavy feeders. Offer them an environment rich in organic material (compost, peat moss, etc…) and fertilize your tomatoes every 3-4 weeks (we still like FoxFarm Tomato and Vegetable Food or Espoma Tomato-Tone).
Make sure to offer Large Red Cherry tomatoes consistent watering. this not only keeps your plants growing vigorously, but can also defend against the dreaded blossom end rot which develops when tomatoes are getting too little or too much water at inconsistent intervals.
Watch for increased pest activity through the summer months. Early detection is key for successfully preventing a full blown invasion (which can happen very quickly).
Large Red Cherry tomatoes are a delight to include in your vegetable garden repertoire. You can walk right outside and harvest a few off the vine to add to a summer salad, a fresh ingredient pasta dish (plant some basil while you’re at it), or enjoy them at their best, when they are sun-kissed and warm straight off the vine. Nature’s candy is so much better for us!
~The Happy Gardener, Lisa Mulroy
