Grow a Rainbow Mix of Cherry Tomatoes
A Hensley's Seed Co. guide, drawing on advice from Lynn Byczynski, founder of Growing for Market
A rainbow mix of cherry tomato varieties sells well at farmers' markets, farm stands and grocery stores. Mixing colors turns the everyday cherry tomato into a gourmet item that begs for a side-by-side tasting. Customers who try a mix tend to come back, since the varieties truly differ in flavor as well as color, and every one is delicious.
A good mix uses cherry tomatoes of similar size that ripen at the same time. One well-matched combination is 'Black Cherry', 'White Cherry', 'Favorita', 'Sun Peach', 'Cherry Bomb', and 'Sun Gold'. All are indeterminate, start ripening 58 to 65 days after transplant, and bear fruit about 1¼" across. (That said, almost any combination of cherry or grape tomato varieties can make a great mix; picking your own lineup is half the fun.)
In a high tunnel, a planting like this can be grown with drip irrigation under landscape fabric to keep weeds down. Set plants 12–14" apart in the row and prune them to two leaders, or leaders, removing suckers as they grow. Tie strings to the tunnel purlins and train the vines up the strings with tomato trellis clips.
If you'll keep indeterminate tomatoes in a high tunnel all season, leave extra string when you tie it to the purlin. The plants can grow so tall that you'll need to lower the strings late in the season to reach the fruit, unless you like picking from a ladder. Or use the lower-and-lean trellising system, which keeps long-season vines productive and easier to manage.
High tunnel tomatoes like these typically have few pest or disease problems, and pollination is rarely a concern: simply brushing past the plants shakes them enough to self-pollinate. 'Sun Gold' tends to crack when it gets too much water, so consider putting its plants on a separate drip valve and watering them a bit less than the others. Another option is 'Citrine', an orange cherry tomato bred to closely resemble 'Sun Gold' with less cracking.
Labor is the main challenge with cherry tomatoes. For top yields they need picking every day or two, so they take much more time per pound than slicing tomatoes. In return they offer beauty, flavor, kitchen versatility and easy snacking, and they're an eye-catching item that draws shoppers to your stand.
Founder of Growing for Market magazine
She and her family have grown vegetables and cut flowers in Kansas since the late 1980s, selling through CSAs, farmers' markets, restaurants, grocers and florists.
Her books on market farming include The Flower Farmer and The Hoophouse Handbook.
