Cherry tomatoes: the best varieties

‘Sweetbaby’ cherry tomato, children's favourite

Sweetbaby cherry tomato is undoubtedly children’s favourite candy tomato! Among many cherry and cocktail tomato varieties, it is the most aromatic and sweetest. Originating from the Andean Cordillera, its foliage is dark green and its fruits, gathered in panicles, take the form of small, round, homogeneous pearls. Scarlet red, they weigh on average between 10 and 15 grams each. However, small fruits do not necessarily indicate a dwarf variety. With rapid growth, Sweetbaby plants reach up to 1.5 m in height with 50 cm spread.

Parents use Sweetbaby to introduce children to pleasure of eating tomatoes. Eaten raw as an aperitif accompaniment, but also in salads and made into jam.

Growing characteristics of Sweetbaby tomato

Sweetbaby is a very productive tomato that can produce up to 250 fruits per plant. It is also an early variety, which allows you to enjoy extended harvests over a long period running from early July to October. This cherry tomato thrives both in open ground and in containers placed on a sunny balcony or terrace. Plant must be staked and pruned if grown in a pot. Sow Sweetbaby tomato under cover between February and May.

Tomato 'Black Cherry', a variety with almost-black fruits

‘Black Cherry’ is a variety of cherry tomato originating from the Andes that produces small round fruits, of a colour ranging from deep purple to black. Fruits with a very mild, sweet flavour, weighing on average between 15 and 30 grams, and measuring 2 to 3 cm in diameter. With indeterminate growth, the ‘Black Cherry’ tomato has dark green foliage and can reach up to 1.60 m in height at ripeness, with a spread of 40 cm.

Texture very crisp allows us to enjoy them as they are as an appetiser, or in summer salads.

Growing characteristics of ‘Black Cherry’ tomato

Relatively tall, Black Cherry requires staking from planting. It therefore makes a very decorative addition to the vegetable garden. This variety of cherry tomato is sown under cover between February and May, for a harvest between the months of July and October. ‘Black Cherry’ tomato is not very susceptible to late blight, and so adapts to relatively humid regions, although it needs a sunny, warm position to thrive.

Tomato ‘Green Doctor’s Frosted’, a variety with exceptional flavour qualities

Tomato ‘Green Doctor’s Frosted’ is a mid-season cherry tomato variety originating in North America. Vigorous, bushy young plant bears very dense foliage, and can reach up to 2.40 m in height at ripeness, although it more commonly reaches 1.50 m. It is grown for its small round fruits with a shiny epidermis displaying a yellow to light green colour.

Often likened to candy, this cherry tomato offers firm, juicy and very sweet flesh. It is eaten raw as an appetiser and used in salads, on skewers and as a garnish because of its excellent flavour.

Tomato ‘Green Doctor’s Frosted’ © La Ferme de Sainte-Marthe

Cultivation characteristics of tomato ‘Green Doctor’s Frosted’

Green Doctor’s Frosted must be staked at planting because of its height. Sow under cover between February and April, and harvest from June to September.

Tomato 'Orange Berry' and its trusses of vivid orange fruit

Orange Berry tomato is a cherry-type variety, early and productive. With dark green foliage, it can reach up to 2 m in height with a 50 cm spread. With rapid growth, Orange Berry tomato produces fruits very similar to berries, with a shiny epidermis and bright orange flesh. Fruits are arranged in clusters forming strings of small fruits averaging 15 to 30 grams.

Orange Berry tomato offers a sweet and tangy flavour perfect for enhancing salads and appetisers. It is also cooked as clafoutis and jams.

Growing characteristics of Orange Berry tomato

Orange Berry tomato needs staking due to its sprawling growth and height. This variety, early and very productive, is sown under cover between March and April, for a harvest running from June until first frosts.

Cherry tomato 'Brin de Muguet', a variety with distinctively shaped fruits

Tomato ‘Brin de muguet’ is a cocktail-type horticultural variety, both early and very productive. With a compact, bushy habit, it reaches on average 1.20 m in height at ripeness, with a 50 cm spread. Brin de Muguet produces large fruits compared with other cherry-type varieties, weighing between 30 and 40 grams. Oblong in shape and dark red in colour, these unusual fruits finish with a pointed tip. They also keep well.

Tangy flavour and quirky silhouette of the cherry tomato ‘Brin de Muguet’ make it the perfect companion for summer aperitifs.

Cherry tomato ‘Brin de Muguet’ © La Ferme de Sainte Marthe

Growing characteristics of ‘Brin de Muguet’

Brin de Muguet needs staking at planting in vegetable garden. It can also be grown in pots or containers, and benefits from good resistance to disease and damp conditions. Sow under cover between March and April, for a harvest from June to September.

Tomato ‘Yellow Pearshaped’, a pretty yellow pear-shaped tomato

Also called Yellow Pearshaped tomato, the ‘Yellow Pearshaped’ variety is an heirloom cherry-type variety originating from Italy. A cocktail tomato with dark green foliage, forming bushy young plants that are very compact, covered in long clusters made up of around ten fruits. Orange-yellow, pear-shaped fruits measuring 5 cm long by 2–3 cm in diameter. With indeterminate growth, young plants reach between 1.20 and 2 m in height at ripeness with a spread of 50 cm.

Flesh of ‘Yellow Pearshaped’ tomato is both firm, sweet and very slightly acidic, perfect for eating as is with an aperitif. Shape and flavour of this cocktail tomato make it one of the varieties children enjoy most when learning about taste.

Cultivation particularities of the Yellow Pearshaped tomato

Tall up to 2 m, this cherry tomato must be staked from planting, thereby forming a very decorative feature in the vegetable garden. ‘Yellow Pearshaped’ variety is a very early and rewarding variety that offers a good yield from June through to September. Sow under cover between February and April.

Tomato 'Barbaniaka' — tangy cherry tomato

Tomato ‘Barbaniaka’ is a Hungarian variety, both highly productive and relatively early. This fast-growth tomato can reach up to 1.60 m in height at ripeness. It tends to spread laterally rather than upwards. Barbaniaka produces very small currant-type fruits, measuring barely 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, which form long clusters of 10 to 14 fruits.

Their flavour is relatively tangy and pairs wonderfully with other, sweeter cherry tomato varieties.

Tomato ‘Barbaniaka’ ©La Ferme de Sainte-Marthe

Cultivation characteristics of tomato ‘Barbaniaka’

Easy to grow and rather disease-resistant, Barbaniaka can reach up to 2 m in height in some cases, and therefore needs staking once established in vegetable patch. Early variety, sow under cover between the months of February and March, for a harvest from June to September.