Imported Cherry Tomato Seeds (5 Seeds)

This imported yellow dwarf cherry tomato gives you bite-sized, golden-yellow fruits with a sweet, mild and noticeably low-acid flavour that is gentler than the classic red cherry types. The compact, dwarf habit keeps plants small and tidy, so they fit beautifully in pots and on balconies, while the cheerful golden colour makes them just as ornamental as they are delicious. Pop them whole into salads, scatter them over pasta and grilled dishes, or simply snack on them straight off the vine for a burst of sunshine-coloured sweetness.

Planting

Tomato is a warm-season, frost-tender crop, so start the seed indoors about 5 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost and only move plants outside once frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed. Sow about 0.6 cm deep in a sterile, soilless seed-starting mix. Keep the mix warm at roughly 24 to 29 C and the seeds will sprout in about 7 to 10 days; a heat mat helps hold that temperature until the seedlings emerge (a minimum of about 18 C is needed for germination). Once true leaves appear, thin or transplant the seedlings to about 5 cm apart, then harden them off over roughly a week before planting out. Set plants deep so only the top 2 to 3 sets of true leaves sit above the soil — the buried stem grows extra roots. Choose a warm, sheltered spot in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun a day, ideally 8 to 10. Space transplants about 45 to 90 cm apart within the row and roughly 90 to 150 cm between rows; bush or determinate types can sit closer while vining types need the wider end of the range. In Egypt, the main high-production window is a late-winter to early-spring transplant (around February to March) once frost risk has passed; in the cooler Nile Delta and around Cairo wait for February to March to avoid frost injury, with a secondary planting around September to October. In hotter Upper Egypt, lean toward autumn (October to November) and late-winter (January to February) plantings to dodge extreme summer heat. Mid-summer (July to August) transplanting is the hardest window for a home grower because of high-temperature injury and is best avoided or protected.

Fertilizing

At transplanting, use a starter fertilizer with an NPK ratio under 10, and avoid excess nitrogen, which produces leafy plants that are slow to fruit. Side-dress with nitrogen when the first fruits begin to enlarge — or about 3 to 4 weeks after planting using a nitrogen and calcium source such as calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0). If you are growing in containers, feed every 10 to 14 days with a high-potassium liquid feed once the first fruits start to swell.

Care

Keep moisture steady and even — aim for about 2.5 cm of water per week from rain plus irrigation — and avoid swinging between wet and dry, which causes fruit splitting and blossom-end rot. Container plants may need watering daily in hot weather. Watch for common pests such as tomato hornworms, aphids, flea beetles, cutworms, Colorado potato beetles and whitefly, along with diseases including early blight, late blight, Septoria leaf spot, bacterial spot, tomato viruses and grey mould; the physiological disorders blossom-end rot (linked to calcium and uneven water) and fruit splitting are also worth guarding against. Harvest when the fruit reaches full size and the colour begins to change or is fully coloured for the variety, leaving the stalk attached for the best flavour. The first ripe fruit usually arrives about 52 to 90 days from transplant depending on the cultivar, and any green fruit can be ripened indoors at about 21 C.