Growing cherry tomatoes on a balcony
No plant makes as much of an impression on a balcony as a cherry tomato. One plant in a ten-litre pot yields hundreds of tomatoes in a good summer. It also asks more than anything else in this guide: full sun, a big pot, and water on the day you forget.
At a glance
- Light
- 6 to 8 hours of full sun
- Pot depth
- Pot 30 cm deep, at least 10 litres
- Sowing
- Start indoors March to April, outdoors after mid-May
- Harvest
- July to October
- Water
- Daily in summer, sometimes twice
- Level
- Moderate
Starting indoors
Sow indoors in March, half a centimetre deep, at 20 to 24°C. After germination the seedling mostly needs light: too little produces a long floppy stem that collapses later.
Only move plants outdoors after mid-May. A single night at four degrees is enough to set growth back by weeks.
Pots and position
Ten litres is the minimum, fifteen is better. In a pot that is too small the root ball dries out every afternoon, and that is exactly what causes split fruit and blossom end rot.
Place the pot against a south- or west-facing wall. The heat the wall releases at night is often the difference between half a crop and a full one in a northern European summer.
Side shoots and watering
On cordon varieties, pinch out the side shoots that form in the joint between stem and leaf. Leave them and you get a bush full of leaves and little fruit. Bush and trailing cherry types are meant to branch — check the seed packet for which you have.
Water evenly, a little every day. Alternating bone dry and soaking wet splits the fruit even when the plant looks perfectly healthy.
Common mistakes
Putting plants out too early is the classic. Wait until mid-May, however tempting a warm April day looks.
Sunken black patches on the bottom of the fruit are blossom end rot: not a disease, but a calcium shortage caused by irregular watering.
Frequently asked questions
How big should the pot be for a cherry tomato?
At least ten litres and thirty centimetres deep, ideally fifteen litres. Smaller pots dry out too fast, which leads to split fruit and blossom end rot.
Can tomatoes grow on a north-facing balcony?
No. Tomatoes need at least six hours of direct sun. Facing north you will get a plant but barely any fruit — choose lettuce, mint or spinach instead.
When can I move the plant outside?
After mid-May, once night frost is no longer expected. Put it out for a few hours a day during the first week to harden it off to wind and direct sun.
Updated on 2026-08-25
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