Why grow cherry tomatoes?

Cherry tomatoes are the easiest tomatoes to grow! They produce fruit faster, have better heat tolerance and offer a continuous harvest compared to most full-sized tomatoes. Everyone should be growing at least one or two cherry tomato varieties in their garden. There are a ton of different kinds of cherry tomatoes, too, so try growing some different ones each year in addition to your favorites.

Here are some of our top reasons to grow cherry tomatoes:

1. Faster Harvests: They start coming in earlier, and continue to produce all season long, so you'll have a nice long harvest of tomatoes to snack on.
2. Prolific: Cherry tomatoes are prolific producers, often out-performing larger varieties
3. Space Friendly: Some cherry tomatoes are designed specifically for pots, such as the wonderful Tumbling Tom Tomato which is a dwarf variety that cascades over pots. Tumbling Tom is our new favorite for for small gardens or container gardens!
4. Resilient and Forgiving: Cherry tomatoes can often tolerate crazy weather better than larger varieties.If you have an extremely hot and dry summer, for example, cherry tomatoes will often be your shining start in the tomato garden!
5. Better Flavor and Nutrition: Because they concentrate nutrients and flavor in a smaller package, cherry tomatoes often are the favorites of the garden! They are also packed with vitamins A, C, calcium and lycopene. If you haven't tried the Sun Gold cherry tomato, that is one of our absolute favorites as their flavor is exceptional and they are resilient to hot weather!
6. Convenient: You can pop cherry tomatoes into your mouth, no cutting or processing required. They are often so good that they don't make it to the kitchen! Cherry tomatoes are nature's garden candy. 
   
7. Great for Recipes & Salads: Cherry tomatoes are easy to add to salads or other recipes for a burst of flavor. They are also great for making sauces as you don't need to cut or peel them if you're in a hurry. Use cherry tomatoes in our No-Peel Tomato Sauce recipe or our No-Peel Salsa recipe.

Here are some cherry tomato recipe ideas:

1. Cut cherry tomatoes in half to let the juices mix with dressing.
2. Add cherry tomatoes to cold bean or pasta salads.
3. Cook whole cherry tomatoes in a hot pan with olive oil and garlic for a quick side dish treat, or to toss with pasta.
4. Roast whole cherry tomatoes on a cookie sheet, then gently smash with a masher for a quick sauce!
5. Roast or sauté cherry tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, and then serve them on top of crusty bread or crackers. Dice up some basil to sprinkle on top!
6. Roast cherry tomatoes with assorted other vegetables like onions, garlic, and squash for a delicious roasted vegetable dish!
7. Slice cherry tomatoes in half to use with basil for a quick Caprese Salad! Who says you need to have tomato slices, cherry tomatoes are just as good if not better due to their exceptional flavor. 

Happy growing!