You’ll never get bored of growing tomatoes.
But if you want clusters of cherry tomatoes in your garden, try growing the Sweet Million Tomato plant. These bright red tomatoes can be enjoyed as an evening snack or in a salad.
This is one of the varieties that produce the highest yield throughout the season. The ripe tomatoes are crack-free and firm.
This plant reaches maturity fast and produces lots of tiny tomatoes that measure 1 inch or 2.5cm in size.
This plant is also awarded the Garden Merit award. The tiny tomatoes on this variety are so perfect that once the plant is loaded with fruit, it looks like red balls are hanging against a green background.
This is a hybrid variety and has excellent flavor. Also, because of the ease of growing, this variety is highly recommended for new tomato gardeners or children who want to experience gardening.
Table of Contents
Sweet Million Tomato Plant Care
Sweet Million Tomato needs sandy or loamy soil with temperatures from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 to 29 degrees Celsius). Ensure your sweet million tomato plant receives bright, direct sunlight for 6 hours. It thrives as an outdoor plant, but you can also grow it inside a greenhouse.
Soil
This plant prefers growing in moist soil that is rich in organic content and fertile. The pH should be 6 to 6.5. You should also add manure and compost to the soil mix for fertility.
Sweet Million Tomatoes do not enjoy growing in a heavy soil mixture; they need loamy or sandy soil.
They also love a bit of acidity in the soil. The soil should also drain well, meaning it should hold moisture without being mushy.
Sweet Million Tomatoes happily grow in USDA hardiness zones 2 to 12.
If you are starting this plant from seeds, the first step is to sow the seeds. Once fully grown, transfer the young seedlings to pots and harden off these young plants before planting them out in the garden.
This is a frost-sensitive plant, so make sure you sow the seeds 6 to 8 weeks before the frost date in your region.
If you have planted your tomatoes in heavy soil, it will take longer to warm up the soil, so these tomatoes need more time before transplanting compared to those grown in a light soil mixture.
Water
The fruit setting and development is the most critical stage for fruit-bearing houseplants. It’s crucial to keep the soil evenly moist in this stage.
In general, you should stop or reduce watering for this variety in late July to help the fruits ripen.
Overwatering should be avoided at any cost as it increases the size of the tomatoes but reduces the flavor. Overwatering can also drown the roots and lead to root rot.
You can reduce the risk of over-watering your favorite tomato plants by planting in well-draining soil.
Light
The Sweet Million Tomato plant needs full sun for about 6 hours to make sure the plant grows well, and the fruit ripens in time.
I would recommend using grow lights for young seedlings to avoid a skinny plant. Grow lights give you more control of the lighting conditions.
Temperature
The seeds need a soil temperature of 70 to 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 26 degrees Celsius) for germination.
Mature Sweet Million plant will thrive in temperatures ranging from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 to 29 degrees Celsius).
Humidity
This is a humidity-friendly tomato plant, so it enjoys moderate to high levels of humidity. The ideal range is 80% – 90%, but they can tolerate lower humidity at night.
Fertilizer
A newly transplanted Sweet Million Tomato plant needs food every 3 or 4 weeks.
An established plant is a heavy feeder. The best fertilizer type for this plant’s a complete fertilizer that provides season-long nutrition. This plant should be fed regularly in the growing months.
We have created a detailed buying guide about fertilizers for tomatoes.
Repotting
Transfer the young seedlings to tiny pots when they have grown the first set of true leaves.
You can transplant these young seedlings to an outdoor area once there is no risk of frost damage.
Pruning
Cordon varieties need regular pruning to keep the plant in the best shape. Pruning will also help your tomato plant in producing large fruits.
It protects the foliage and fruit from rotting as the airflow increases. Make sure you remove the suckers while pruning this indeterminate tomato variety.
Propagation
The tomato suckers that are removed while pruning this plant can be used to grow clones of this variety.
- Locate healthy suckers between the main stem and other branches. Make sure you take these stem or sucker cutting early in the season before the fruit set.
- The length of the sucker should be at least 3 inches. You can root these sucker cuttings in water or soil.
- If you choose water, make sure the glass or jar is kept in bright light, and the water is changed regularly. Use lukewarm, clean water to avoid shocking the roots.
- These suckers will grow fast in a moist, well-draining soil mixture. In fact, they can start rooting within just a week.
- Once the suckers have an established root system and the roots are about 1 inch long, transplant them into the garden soil.
- Harden off the seedlings before taking them out to your garden.
Blooms
There is no relevant information about blooms of this variety.
Growth
Although the plant doesn’t produce millions of cherry Tomatoes, a single harvest of this variety is enough to please any Tomato lover.
Sweet Million Tomato Plant takes 60 days to reach maturity. A mature plant is 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and 4 ft (1.2 m) wide.
These tomatoes are sweet in taste and bright red in color. They have glossy skin giving them a shiny look.
Each truss on this variety will produce about 40 tomatoes. On average, a single plant will produce 200 to 300 fruits. Each fruit is 1 inch or 2.5 cm in size.
This plant is trained to grow upwards; hence it’s a cordon-type tomato.
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Common Problems for Sweet Million Tomato
Blossom End Rot
If the fruit on your Sweet Million Tomato has a brown or black sunken area, it is infected with blossom end rot. The main reason behind this condition is uneven watering that causes calcium deficiency.
The infected fruit will soon turn mushy and wet. Using bone meal and organic fertilizers can help in preventing the Blossom end rot on Sweet Million tomatoes.
Blight
This is a nightmare for every Tomato gardener. Your tomatoes can easily fall prey to this disease if they are not given adequate support to keep the vines away from the ground.
Blight is an airborne disease that begins as regular spots on the leaves. Soon these spots will turn into watery lesions. The fruit on the infected plant has an unpleasant, fishy odor.
Regularly treat your tomatoes with sulfur and copper spray to protect them from blight.
Provide good air circulation around the plant. Crop rotation is another strategy to avoid harmful diseases like blight.
Tips for Growing Sweet Million Tomato
- You can water the young seedlings with Epsom salt water. The mixture is created by mixing 1 gallon of water and Epsom salt (1 tbsp).
- You need to water the Sweet Million Tomato regularly but never allow the soil to remain soggy for several hours or days.
- Avoid feeding the plant with a nitrogen-based fertilizer before the fruit set. This can impact fruit development.
- To transplant the young seedlings into the garden, bury the stems in the ground up to the first pair of leaves. This gives stability and room for root development.
- Using protective columns or cornmeal can protect your tomatoes from cutworms.
- Bottom heat mats can be used to maintain adequate soil temperature for seeds. With the right amount of warmth, the seeds will germinate in 1 or 2 weeks.
- If you want to increase the calcium content in the tomato soil, use glacial rock dust.
- If your Sweet Million Tomato is growing under a cover, I would recommend taping the stems every now and then to help the plant in fruit setting and pollination.
- Suckers are usually removed to keep the foliage in good shape but removing them can also help the plant in producing larger tomatoes.
- If you want to store the seeds for this variety, remember that the seed life for this plant is 3 years. So plant them in your garden within this time period.
- Maintain the right temperature is important for the overall fruit and plant development. This variety stops growing if the temperature exceeds the 95 degree Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) mark. On the other hand, the fruit will not achieve its perfect red color if the nighttime temperature is higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius).
- Use a Cal-Mag supplement mix to balance the calcium and magnesium content of your soil.
- Similar to other tomato varieties, this one also needs support throughout the growth. You can prepare a tomato cage or stake. Read more about tomato cages here.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sweet Million Tomato Plant Care
Can I grow the Sweet Million Tomato as a bush-type tomato?
This plant produces a good amount of fruit as a cordon or bush tomato. But when grown as a bush, the foliage will get crowded, and there is a lack of air circulation around the fruits. This increases the risk of fungal infections for the foliage and fruit.
Will the seeds of this plant reproduce the original plant?
Storing tomato seeds for the next season is the most common way to expand your collection. Sweet Million is an F1 hybrid, so it will not produce true-to-type fruit.
What type of growth habit does the Sweet Million Tomato plant have?
This is an indeterminate tomato variety that requires staking and produces fruit throughout the season.
What should be the spacing for planting Sweet Million Tomatoes in rows?
Individual plants should be spaced at 24 to 36 inches (0.6 to 0.9 m). If there is more than one row, they should be spaced at 36 to 48 inches (0.9 to 1.2 m). Proper spacing is important to ensure air circulation when the plant reaches maturity.
When should I pick the fruit from Sweet Million Tomato?
This plant reaches maturity in just 60 days, so the fruit is ready to pick at this point. You can pick the fruits the soonest they turn red and firm. Avoid leaving the ripe fruit on the plant for too long as it can rot, and all the effort will be wasted.
How often should you fertilize Sweet Million Tomato?
If you are growing it in adequate soil, fertilizing it at planting time and after blooming begins is enough. However, this frequency can change depending on your garden soil.
What are some good companion plants for the Sweet Million Tomato plant?
You can grow this tomato variety with lettuce, onion, carrot, and basil. Companion planting can help you in preventing pests like aphids and whiteflies.
Is this tomato variety resistant to any disease or virus?
This variety is resistant to Tomato/Tobacco Mosaic Virus and Fusarium wilt.
What is the right time to transplant the seedlings outdoors?
It’s safe to transplant the seedlings in the garden once the temperature is consistently higher than 45 degrees Fahrenheit or 7 degrees Celsius.
Does this plant need insects for pollination?
Like many other tomato varieties, this is also a self-pollinating plant. Pollination for the Sweet Million Tomato is mostly carried out by wind or bees.
For how long can the Sweet Million Tomato keep producing fruit?
This indeterminate tomato plant will keep growing fruit until it’s killed by the frost.
What type of plants should I avoid planting next to Sweet Million Tomato?
Do not plant this variety next to kohlrabi or corn, as they will attract tomato pests and reduce growth. Potatoes should also be avoided as they increase blight infection risk.
Conclusion
You will surely fall in love with these clusters of tiny, sweet tomatoes. This half-hardy annual is a perfect recommendation for patio, greenhouse, kitchen gardens, or conservatories.
You can even keep the fruit in the kitchen windowsill, and it will ripe under the average temperature and light.
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.