11 Best Cherry Tomato Varieties to Grow in 2024

One of my favorite things about growing tomatoes is the diversity present within the crop. Along with large slicing tomatoes, I also like to grow a few different types of small cherry tomatoes.

While all cherry tomato plants produce smaller fruits, you can find a big variation between varieties. Fruit color, growth habit, fruit size, days to maturity, fruit taste, and disease resistance can all vary between varieties!

And there are A LOT of different cherry tomato types to choose from!

If you’re finding it difficult to determine what type of cherry tomato to grow, check out this list of the best cherry tomato varieties.

Best Cherry Tomato Varieties

If you want to start growing cherry tomatoes, you’ll have hundreds of different varieties to choose from! Since these choices can be overwhelming, I’ve rounded up some of the best cherry tomato varieties.

1. Sungold

Color: Orange

When it comes to cherry tomatoes that are a favorite across the board, the Sungold might top the list. I’ve found that it’s the most sought-after variety at Farmers’ Markets—customers just can’t get enough of the sweet, fruity taste!

I remember one customer writing me an email to say that those “little orange tomatoes were better than candy!”

Not only are Sungolds delicious, but these hybrid cherry tomatoes are also quite prolific. I find they can produce hundreds of tomatoes over the course of one growing season.

These plants are an indeterminate variety, so they benefit from trellising and/or staking. Pruning off lower leaves and suckers can also help with fruit production and decrease the chances the plants will develop fungal diseases.

Their determinate form also means they will provide you with tomatoes over a period of a few months. I like to pick Sungolds twice a week, as long as the weather is good.

If storms are coming on the day I plan to harvest, I like to harvest before the rain arrives, even if that means harvesting a day or two early. Ripe sungolds are prone to splitting, especially with fluctuations in soil moisture.

Check out my article if you want to know more about how I grow Sungold cherry tomatoes.

2. Sunorange

Color: Orange

While the Sungold is delicious, its proneness to splitting makes these tomatoes frustrating to pick on a large scale. This is especially true if you are looking to pick the tomatoes one day and sell them a few days later.

That’s why I was so excited to find Sunorange. While I was a bit skeptical about whether or not the flavor would be as good as the Sungold, I found the Sunorange to be just as sweet, fruity, and crowd-pleasing.

The Sunorage fruits are bright orange in color and appear in large clusters on the plants. They’re a bit bigger than Sungold fruits which makes them easier and faster to pick!

However, what really makes them a winner is their resistance to cracking. Rather than tossing out one out of every three or four tomatoes due to cracking, I’ve found fewer than 10% of Sunorange fruits crack.

That said, a higher percentage of fruits may split after a heavy rain. Therefore, you should aim to harvest your tomatoes before any storms arrive.

The plants have resistance to leaf mold, Fusarium wilt, and tobacco mosaic virus.

3. Sunpeach

Color: Pink

These are some of my favorite pink cherry tomatoes to grow. They’re prolific, relatively disease resistant, and have good flavor.

The first time I grew Sunpeach, I was in awe of the large clusters of fruit it produced. As soon as I picked the lower tomatoes in a cluster, another truss had begun ripening. In the height of the season, I was picking more than 25 tomatoes from each plant per week.

It can take some time to learn when Sunpeach tomatoes are ripe. If you’re used to red tomatoes, these ones may look underripe when they’re actually ready to pick.

The fruits are firm in texture which allows them to hold well off the vine. As the season goes on, the tomatoes may become smaller and the skin may begin to peel off some ripe fruit.

They are sweet with a touch of acidity, and I find the flavor quite nice. However, I’ve had others report that they aren’t astounded with the flavor.

It is important to remember that growing conditions can impact the flavor of tomatoes. While variety definitely plays a role, so does watering, fertilizing, and sunlight.

4. Black Cherry

Color: Purple

The Black Cherry has gained a large and enthusiastic following over the years. Growing this heirloom variety will help you determine if you’ll join the list of lovers! – Read my article about growing Black Cherry tomatoes.

The plants are indeterminate and grow quite quickly and wildly. This means that staking and/or trellising is essential if you don’t want to deal with a mess of vines and fruit every time you pick the tomatoes.

As long as the tomatoes are well cared for and supported well, you can get ready to pick loads of fruit for multiple months! Each plant can produce hundreds of fruits over the course of the season.

The fruits are not truly black, but a dark purple-maroon. They are a bit on the larger side as far as cherry tomatoes go.

Many people rave about the flavor, which is a combination of sweet and acidic. Although the fruits are rather firm, they are prone to splitting after heavy rain.

5. Supersweet 100

Color: Red

The Supersweet 100 is a hybrid variety that has been around for years, and it remains popular to this day. It’s an improved variety of the older Sweet 100.

It produces lots of red cherry tomatoes that have a flavor that’s extra sweet—that’s right, the name holds true!

The plants are indeterminate, so you can expect to harvest tomatoes over the period of a few months. This growth habit also means that the plants will benefit from staking or trellising.

They are also one of the quicker cherry tomato varieties to begin producing fruit. You can expect to pick your first ripe tomato about 60 days after you transplant the seedlings in the ground.

As far as disease resistance goes, Supersweet 100 is resistant to Fusarium wilt and Verticillium wilt.

6. Sakura

Color: Red

Sakura is a super heavy producer and also yields fruits that hold up well in transit and storage. Those are two reasons why I like growing it.

The fruits are tasty, with a balance of sweetness and acidity that’s often found in red tomatoes. They aren’t quite as sweet as some other types of  red cherry tomatoes, but I find them delicious nonetheless.

You can also expect the fruits to be on the larger side of cherry tomatoes, which makes for quick picking. However, this could be a disadvantage if you’d like a tomato you can easily pop in your mouth in one bite.

The trusses are long and loaded with fruit—I’ve found each cluster can have over 20 tomatoes!

And since the plants are resistant to a wide variety of diseases, they often continue to produce clusters well into the late summer. Their disease resistance package includes Fusarium wilt, leaf molds, tomato mosaic virus, and nematodes.

Many growers plant Sakura in high tunnels or greenhouses since protected culture helps them thrive. While you won’t get as big of a harvest if you plant outdoors, the plants can still produce a healthy amount of fruit.

Although the plants are indeterminate, they’re a bit more tidy than other types of cherry tomatoes. This can make them easier to manage via trellising.

7. Matt’s Wild Cherry

Color: Red

If you’re looking for a red cherry tomato with excellent flavor and supreme sweetness, give Matt’s Wild Cherry a go. These indeterminate plants produce small red tomatoes that are great eaten plain, mixed into salsa, or used in salads.

The plants were first found growing in wild areas in the Mexican state of Hidalgo located just northeast of Mexico City. Teresa Arellanos de Mena collected seeds and then brought them to her home in Maine where she shared them with Matt Liebman who worked in the Agriculture Department at the University of Maine.

While the fruits are delicious, these plants retain many of their wild characteristics. The fruits are small and soft, which can make them time-consuming to pick and difficult to store.

I’ve found that wild these plants can be a great choice for a home garden, growing on a larger scale means you’ll spend lots of time pruning the plants and picking the fruits

Additionally, the plants have a supremely sprawling growth habit. This makes proper trellising and/or staking essential for keeping the plants tidy.

8. Purple Bumble Bee

Color: Red and green streaked

While most cherry tomatoes are solid in color, you can also find multicolored options. The Purple Bumble Bee is one choice if you’re looking for something that looks a bit different.

The Purple Bumble Bee is just one variety in the Bumble Bee series. You can also find pink, sunrise, and green options.

All of these tomatoes are on the bigger side when it comes to cherry tomatoes. They are also all indeterminate plants, so you can expect to harvest over the course of a few months.

While the tomatoes are striking to look at, reports about the flavor are mixed. I personally find they aren’t quite as flavorful as solid varieties, but some people love them.

The Purple Bumble Bee fruits do have a thicker skin than other cherry tomatoes, which not everyone likes.

9. Tiny Tim

Color: Red

If you have a small space to work with—and I’m talking a really small space—you can still grow cherry tomatoes! All you have to do is pick up a Tiny Tim plant.

This dwarf plant maxes out around a foot tall. Yet it still manages to produce an impressive amount of one-inch red cherry tomatoes.

The fruits are a good blend of sweetness and acidity, but they lack the flavor punch of other varieties.

Since the plants are so small, they are the best option if you’re looking for a large harvest. However, they are a good choice if you want to sneak a tomato plant into a window box or planter.

They work great if you’re limited to container gardening on a patio or porch. And as long as they have access to lots of bright light, they can even be grown indoors.

Read my article if you want to know how I grow Tiny Tim tomatoes from seed to harvest.

10. Washington Cherry

Color: Red

Most cherry tomato varieties are indeterminate. While that means they will produce fruits continuously over a few months, it also means they need to be staked and/or trellised.

The determinate Washington Cherry lets you avoid the work of containing tomato plants. The plants rarely grow over six feet tall, so a simple tomato cage is enough to properly rangle them.

Washington Cherry plants are quick to produce, with a days to maturity of 60 days. Since they’re a determinate variety, you can expect the plants to produce their fruits within the span of a few weeks.

The fruits are a classic tomato red and extra meaty. Their thicker skins make them great for storing and cooking but not necessarily the best for fresh snacking.

11. Chadwick

Color: Red

In my opinion, both hybrid and heirloom crops have their place in the garden. If you’re looking for a great-tasting heirloom option, check out Chadwick.

This variety is named after plant expert Alan Chadwick.

Although the red fruits look just like many other cherry tomato varieties, they are bursting with flavor! They are acidic with a touch of sweetness, making them a favorite of many gardeners.

The plants are indeterminate and benefit from trellising or staking. Pruning excess leaves can also help with airflow and prevent the emergence of disease.

You can expect a large and extended harvest, as long as you provide your plants with the proper care.

This variety is a bit later to mature than other varieties, so you’ll have to practice patience. You can expect Chadwick to begin producing ripe fruits about 80 days after you transplant the plants outdoors.

Are Cherry Tomatoes Determinate or Indeterminate?

It depends on the specific variety!

The majority of cherry tomatoes have an indeterminate growth habit, which means they will continue growing until they die. These types of tomatoes also produce small amounts of fruit over multiple months.

Indeterminate cherry tomato plants require trellising and/or staking. If you let the plants grow without support, you’ll find they turn unruly and harvesting becomes a pain.

While most cherry tomatoes are indeterminate, there are some determinate varieties. These types max out at a certain height and produce all their fruit within a few weeks.

My Tips for Growing Cherry Tomatoes

Once you’ve picked a cherry tomato variety or two to grow, keep these tips in mind.

Harvest Regularly

Once cherry tomatoes begin to ripen, I find it’s best to harvest at least twice a week. This will provide you with a continuous supply of fruits and also keep the plants tidy.

If you let the tomatoes over-ripen on the vine, they may crack or rot. I can tell you that sorting out oozing, foul tomatoes from delightful fruits is not a fun task.

Keep the Weather in Mind

While any size tomato can crack, some varieties of cherry tomatoes are especially susceptible to splitting.

Changes in soil moisture are one factor that can lead to cracking. Therefore, cherry tomatoes often crack if they receive water from a heavy summer storm.

With this in mind, harvest the ripe cherry tomatoes of your plants before an expected storm arrives.

Look for Hidden Fruits

Harvesting cherry tomatoes can take some time. While you may just need to pick one or two slicing tomatoes, cherry tomato plants often produce 20 or more ripe tomatoes at once.

I’ve found that cherry tomatoes like to hide behind the plant’s leaves, so it can pay off to spend a bit of extra time searching for ripe fruits. Don’t be afraid to push the vines aside to look for tomatoes—the plants can handle a bit of pressure.

Read our in-depth guide on everything related to growing tomatoes in your garden.