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Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes create an attractive hanging basket, especially if you add nasturtiums to brighten the pot. Not only are they pretty to look at, having juicy round fruits at your fingertips encourages snacking on healthy foods all summer. 


Soil mixture: Mix equal parts potting soil, moist peat moss and perlite in a large containers. Spray to moisten and mix thoroughly. Add one teaspoon of lime to offset the acidic nature of peat moss. Adding all purpose fertilizer at this gives your plants a good boost. Follow the recommended application rate in your fertilizer. Mix all ingredients well. 

Planting: Fill the hanging basket ½ to ¾ full with soil. Remove the tomato seedling from the pot and position it in the center of the hanging basket. Fill in around the roots with fresh soil mixture and firm it down to secure the plant. Continue to fill the container to within 1 inch of the top. Don't worry about covering the stem of the plant as new roots will form along the stem providing additional support. 

Add flowers or herbs: Plant nasturtium seeds to a depth if ½ to 1 inch spaced four to six inches apart around the perimeter of the basket. These plants will soon sprout and grow over the sides adding color and texture to your basket. Some prefer to add an herb or two, depending on the size of the basket. Miniature basil or creeping thyme works well. 

Location: Hang the basket in an area that receive full sun for 6 to 8 hours a day. 

Watering: Water your newly planted basket until water runs freely through the bottom of the container. Repeat whenever the soil feels dry to the touch. The amount of water needed depends on the weather and growth rate of your plants. Typically, tomatoes grown in containers require daily watering. 

Fertilizing: Apply water-soluble fertilizer to your tomatoes on a 10 to 14 day schedule. Because nutrients are easily leached from the soil when plants are grown in containers, replenishing nutrients is necessary for proper growth. I prefer Miracle Gro, but there are several other options.

Harvesting: Harvest cherry tomatoes as soon as they are ripe by plucking them from the stem with your hands. Use care not to damage the stem when picking the tomatoes. 

Serving: Add cherry tomatoes to garden salads or serve with low fat dip. They also make a colorful addition to kabobs cooked over the grill. 

Although cherry tomatoes can be sauteed or grilled, try placing a big bowl of these little gems on the counter to tempt kids and adults. Their flavor is more intense when served at room temperature - but if you wish to keep cherry tomatoes for more than a few days, place them in the refrigerator in a perforated vegetable bag.

Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables