How to Grow Sweet Million
Solanum lycopersicum 'Sweet Million'
Sweet Million is a prolific cherry tomato variety prized for its abundant yield of sweet fruit. Gardeners value this warm-season crop for its disease resistance and suitability for containers or garden beds where space allows.
📷 Wikimedia CommonsStarting Sweet Million: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Sweet Million is not usually started indoors.
Do not transplant seedlings outdoors until all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures have warmed sufficiently for this heat-loving plant.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. As a warm-season crop, start seeds indoors only after the last frost date, ensuring soil is warm enough to prevent shock. Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep; they typically germinate within 7 to 10 days.
Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in full sun. Provide sturdy support or trellising immediately, as this indeterminate variety can grow up to 10 feet tall and heavy with fruit. Maintain consistent moisture by watering regularly and apply mulch to retain soil temperature and humidity.
Watch for tomato hornworms, aphids, and spider mites; inspect leaves often and remove pests manually or use organic controls. Prevent fungal issues like early blight and late blight by ensuring good airflow and avoiding overhead watering. Harvest ripe fruit approximately 65 to 70 days after sowing.
When to Plant Sweet Million
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | May | — | September – August |
| Zone 2 | April – May | — | September |
| Zone 3 | April | — | August – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | — | August – October |
| Zone 5 | March | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March | — | July – September |
| Zone 7 | February – March | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February | — | June – August |
| Zone 9 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 10 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 11 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January | — | April – June |
Companion Plants for Sweet Million
✓ Good companions
Repels aphids and whiteflies, may improve flavor
Attracts pollinators and may repel hornworms
Help break up soil and don't compete for nutrients
Repel aphids and may improve tomato flavor
Benefits from tomato shade and doesn't compete for deep nutrients
Deters nematodes and aphids with natural compounds
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps
✗ Keep away from
Produces juglone which is toxic to tomatoes
Can stunt tomato growth and attract pests that also damage tomatoes
Both attract corn earworm/tomato fruitworm, increasing pest pressure
Inhibits growth of most garden plants through allelopathy
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
