Yellow Clementine tomato: how to grow & care
For something slightly different why not try the yellow clementine tomato? Discover how to grow this deliciously sweet and tart cherry tomato.
Although characteristically red, tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are available in a range of different colours from green and yellow tomatoes to even black. Read on to find out all there is to know about growing the high-yielding ‘Yellow Clementine’ tomato so that you can enjoy its small sweet fruits all summer long.
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‘Yellow Clementine’ tomato: profile
| Fruit | Cherry tomato, small, oval-round, yellow-orange |
| Flavour | Sweet and tart |
| Ripening time | July to October |
| Growth | Indeterminate |
| Location | Outdoors or greenhouse |
‘Yellow Clementine’ tomatoes: taste and characteristics
Bred in the Netherlands, the Yellow Clementine tomato produces high yields of small yellow-orange cherry tomatoes with a sweet-tart flavour and rather dense flesh. As an indeterminate tomato variety, the Yellow Clementine tomato grows to around 2 to 2.5m tall and requires staking or a support. With its impressive yields, each fruiting cluster can produce up to 100 tomatoes with each 2.5cm diameter fruit weighing around 6 to 10g.
Growing and caring for ‘Yellow Clementine’ tomato plants
To encourage the highest yields and tastiest fruits, it is best to grow your Yellow Clementine in a warm and sunny location, a south-facing spot is ideal. Alternatively, you can grow this cherry tomato under glass, either in a greenhouse or a polytunnel.
Like most tomatoes, Yellow Clementine prefers a fertile and free-draining soil. Our Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Compost is ideal for planting tomatoes, as it will support both growth and fruiting and being peat-free is environmentally friendly.
- Perfect for tomatoes & other vegetables such as chillies, courgettes & more
- For strong & healthy plant growth as well as an abundant vegetable harvest
- Peat-free & organic soil: CO2-saving composition
When it comes to watering tomatoes, it is best to keep the soil consistently moist, as irregular watering can lead to issues such as the fruits splitting. Along with a rich soil, fertilising tomatoes is recommended from when the first flowers appear, as this will help support fruit formation all summer long. You can either apply a liquid fertiliser at regular intervals or a slow-release granular feed. Our Plantura Tomato Food is perfect for feeding your tomatoes, as just one application can help feed the plants for around 2 to 3 months.
As an indeterminate tomato, ‘Yellow Clementine’ produces side shoots or suckers between the main stem and branches. To encourage fruiting, you can remove these side shoots as they appear. Learn more about pruning tomatoes in our separate article.
- Perfect for tomatoes, chillies, courgettes, cucumber & more
- For healthy plants & an abundant tomato harvest
- Long-lasting fertiliser that is free from animal products - child & pet friendly
Harvesting and using ‘Yellow Clementine’ tomatoes
Depending on the weather and if you grow them in a greenhouse or outdoors, you can expect your ‘Yellow Clementine’ fruits to ripen from July until autumn. When it comes to harvesting your Yellow Clementine tomatoes, you can tell when they are ripe and ready to pick when they change from green to a uniform yellow or orange. When ready to harvest, you should be able to simply pick them off without pulling too hard. If they do not readily come free, you can leave them on the vine for a day or two longer. Cherry tomatoes can ripen surprisingly quickly, especially when the sun is out, so harvesting little and often is advisable.
Being so small and easy to eat, cherry tomatoes are perfect for eating straight off the plant. However, you can also use them to brighten up and enhance a summer salad or pasta dish. Being indeterminate, the Yellow Clementine tomato will keep growing and fruiting until the temperatures drop. As autumn approaches, keep an eye on the forecast and harvest the last of the fruits to ripen indoors before the first frost of winter arrives.
If you are wondering whether you can grow tomatoes without a greenhouse or garden, the answer is most definitely yes. Discover all there is to know about growing tomatoes in pots in our separate article.
