Juliet Tomatoes have red ripened fruit with elongated, pointed ends shaped like a grape. It is a hybrid from the 1990s and now has a uniform fruit with a sweet, delicious flavor.
During the harvest season, you will be rewarded with tons of fruits every day because of the prolific nature of the vine.
The fruit will remain on the vine longer than any other tomato because of the crack resistance. You can directly eat the Tomato from the vine or add it to your salad and vegetable dishes.
You can even make salsa or ketchup with these yummy tomatoes.
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Juliet Tomato Plant Care
Juliet Tomato plants need a nutrient-rich, airy soil medium containing 50% compost under direct sunlight. Water it regularly while fertilizing it with a fertilizer having a 10-8-10 NPK ratio. Being a warm-weather plant, it requires 70 to 80 % humidity levels. Temperatures should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).
Soil
Like other tomatoes, Juliet must be grown in a nutrient-rich, healthy, and airy soil medium. If you are cultivating in a bucket or container, your soil medium should be very rich in nutrients.
A 50:50 compost mix or a high-grade soil medium will be preferred.
You can invest in buying a rototiller as it will help break your soil and allow it to breathe. If you can’t afford to purchase it, you can use a shovel to break the soil conveniently.
The pH of your soil for growing Juliet Tomato needs to be between 6 to7. You can also prepare your soil medium by adding 10-10-10 fertilizer.
However, after doing so, do not directly plant the tomatoes but rather water the soil and wait for 24 hours.
Water
Water it properly and regularly to make your Juliet Tomato grow and produce good fruits. Your Juliet needs water just like you need it to stay hydrated.
If you do not water your Tomato plant for a long time, it will reach a point where you will not be capable of reviving it, and it will ultimately die.
Watering Juliet Tomato at the right time during the day should also be considered when growing a healthy plant.
When you water your plant during the extreme heat of the day, the water gets collected on the foliage. This, in turn, attracts the heat from the sun leading to yellowing and burning of the leaves.
Water your Juliet tomatoes early in the morning, allowing the water to dry up during the rest of the day.
Another option could be to water it in the evening but ensure you do not overwater the plant.
Light
Your Juliet Tomato will enjoy full exposure to the sun to thrive. The tomato needs at least 6 hours of direct sun, but if you want better and faster results, provide it with 8 hours of direct sunlight.
Light is extremely important for your Juliet Tomato since it converts light into energy to use it. This energy is then used to produce fruit.
In short, the more sun you provide to the tomato, the more energy it will have, ultimately producing more fruit.
If you are developing Juliet Tomatoes, outdoor sunlight won’t be an issue since the plant will receive direct sun throughout the day to grow.
It is recommended to use some shade during the noon sun as the rays are intense and might burn your delicate tomatoes.
However, if growing the tomato indoors is your only choice, using artificial grow lights will be a good option. It will give your Tomato the same amount of light it receives outdoors.
Temperature
Juliet Tomatoes are warm-season tomatoes. Thus, it’s best to plant them after the last frost date.
The ideal temperature range for growing a healthy tomato is 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit (15-21 degrees Celsius).
During the germination period, provide the tomato with a temperature of about 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).
However, to grow faster and better, the fruit keeps the temperature between 68 to 75.2 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 24 degrees Celsius).
Juliet Tomato can, at some level, adapt to nighttime temperatures falling up to 56.3 degrees Fahrenheit (13.5 degrees Celsius), but below this, it won’t produce any fruit.
However, a daytime temperature below 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) for over a week will pose problems like stunted and poor growth.
Hence be very cautious about the temperature around your Juliet Tomato. Anything out of its range and you will end up with poor fruit.
Humidity
Like other cherry tomatoes, your Juliet Tomato needs 80% to 90% of daytime humidity. During the night, they can survive in the humidity range from 65% to 75%.
To increase the humidity around your indoor Juliet Tomato, place a humidifier near it. Avoid placing the plant in dry and cold regions since it is tropical.
Fertilizer
Fertilize your Juliet Tomato during its active growing period for better development.
To grow a healthy Juliet Tomato, apply a proper fertilizer at the right time and a proper rate. The best fertilizer for the Tomato contains all the necessary macronutrients and essential micronutrients like zinc, magnesium, and calcium.
The ideal NPK ratio for your tomato fertilizer should be 10-8-10. It has the appropriate nutrients your Juliet Tomato will need to prosper and produce nutritious fruit.
However, be careful when applying fertilizer to the plant, as overfertilizing and under-fertilizing cause severe issues. Under fertilizing leads to stunted growth, inhibition of fruit, and diseases.
Giving the excess amount of nitrogen to your Tomato will cause yellow leaves. You will also face lower leaf wilting.
Repotting
Report Juliet Tomato 6 weeks before the arrival of frost. Summer will be an ideal time.
For repotting, place your young plant in a pot with a good amount of fertile soil. Water your Juliet tomato, and it’ll soon begin to adjust to the new place.
Pruning
To increase the number and size of your Juliet Tomato, an easy trick is to prune it.
Prune the Tomato regularly to promote the bushy plant, keep it safe from disease, and eliminate the dead parts of the plant.
Start the pruning process by pinching the suckers. This will promote the production of healthier fruit on your plant.
Being a vining plant, Juliet needs to be pruned now and then to keep it thriving and not die of suffocation.
To control your Juliet Tomato vine, do not forget to prune it when it outgrows the area. However, do not prune more than 1/3rd of the vine, or there will be weak and stunted Tomatoes.
Thoroughly sterilize your pruning instruments and hands to avoid diseases from your Juliet Tomato.
Propagation
An easy way of doubling your Juliet Tomato through propagation is by rooting the suckers from one of your mature Tomato plants.
Rooting Suckers
You must find a sucker on your Juliet Tomato to start this process. Carefully examine your plant from bottom to top; you will surely find two branches forming a fork.
Close to this, find a third stem that must be coming out from the center of this fork. That new and tiny branch is called a sucker.
When you have identified the sucker on your plant, pinch it or cut it using clean pruning shears. A good size for a sucker is around 4 inches (10 cm).
Leave two sets of leaves at the top and remove all the leaves from the lower end of the sucker.
Put the sucker in a jar filled with water and allow it to produce roots. It’ll take about a week for the Juliet tomato to produce new roots.
Insert the sucker directly into the soil medium and water it thoroughly.
When roots develop in water, transfer it to the ground and water it well until it establishes a good and strong root system.
Your Juliet Tomato is a heavy feeder, thus providing them with a good amount of fertilizer throughout their growing season. Keep the cutting in a well-lit area where it will receive direct sun.
Blooms
The blooms of Juliet Tomato are yellow—the variety blooms in June and July.
Growth
Your Juliet Tomato will grow to about 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters). Since the plant is a vining variety, it’ll require a wide space for spreading.
It is preferred to leave 4 feet (4 meters) of space between each plant.
Several gardeners avoid pinching the buds from the Juliet as it is a high producer that can easily hold large bunches of 18 tomatoes in each cluster.
If you offer it proper water, light, and nutrition, it will keep maturing healthily.
It will take almost 60 to 70 days to fully mature in normal soil and water conditions.
Juliet Tomatoes are indeterminate, they will keep growing throughout their growing season, and you will be rewarded with many delicious cherry tomatoes.
Common Problems for Juliet Tomato
Early Blight
Early blight is a common Juliet Tomatoes disease caused by Alternaria linariae. You’ll notice tiny brown lesions on the mature leaves.
The spots eventually enlarge, forming a ring-like structure at the center of the affected area. The tissues that surround the affected area will start turning yellow.
If, during this time, humidity and temperature are increased, the foliage will die.
The preventive measures include using tomato seeds free of pathogens. Also, avoid applying water on the foliage of your Juliet Tomato, as this increases the humidity.
In case it needs fungicide treatment, do apply mancozeb.
Bacterial Wilt
Bacterial wilt is a very serious disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. The disease can survive in the soil of Juliet Tomato for a very long time and eventually enter the plant through damaged roots.
The disease will progress rapidly in hot and moist conditions. The bacteria will multiply rapidly in the tissues of the plant, leading it to wilt while the foliage is still green.
There is no chemical cure for this disease; the only solution is to throw away the affected Juliet Tomato.
Bacterial Spot
Species of Xanthomonas cause bacterial spots. The bacteria will infect your green Juliet Tomatoes rather than the red ones. Bacterial spot is very frequent in wet conditions.
The infected fruit and leaf of the Tomato will have spots on them. This then results in the sunburnt fruits’ poor growth and development. The spots are usually yellow-haloed and dry in the center.
Avoid watering your Juliet Tomato in an overhead manner. Frequently spray the plant with fungicides to have good control over the bacteria.
Always dispose of the severely affected tomatoes.
Tips for Growing Juliet Tomatoes
- Avoid placing the Juliet Tomato in a dark location, or you will have a poor plant yield.
- Frequently prune it to keep it bushy and disease-free.
- Spray the plant with fungicides as it will help keep bacteria away.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the Juliet Tomato take to ripen?
The Juliet Tomato will take around six to eight weeks to turn fully red. Providing good and optimum care will result in much brighter and tastier fruit.
What can I make using Juliet Tomatoes?
Juliet Tomatoes have a strong flavor. Hence, you’ll be able to enjoy them in several ways. Add them to your daily diet salad for sweet and tart flavor. Another way is to cut them in half, roast them and enjoy them with avocado over toast.
Conclusion
This delicious grape-shaped cherry tomato will be a delicacy for any gardener. If you are a cherry tomato lover and enjoy growing them, Juliet Tomato must be on your list.
Juliet Tomato will be an easy plant for individuals living in hot and humid areas.
Provide them with proper potting mix, an ideal watering schedule, and organic fertilizer to help it produce delicious fruit.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.