Needing a 2015 cherry

[Ed of Somis]

My small tomato last summer was the SunGold. I loved it (just like all your reviews)...but my wife thought it degraded too fast (not a good keeper). So I am looking for a replacement this year. I am thinking maybe Black Cherry. Here is what I hope for: medium sized cherry/grape, indeterminate, vigorous and good tasting. Your thoughts??? thanks

[Douglas14]

Just a few suggestions.

Cherry Roma is a nice red grape-shaped tomato... I grew it in 2012...I think. It seemed to hold pretty well on the vine. Very nice tasting IMO.

Sun Sugar hybrid is an orange cherry tomato that may keep longer than SunGold. I haven't ran a test on this though. I've heard it may be more crack resistant. I grew both Sun Sugar and SunGold in the same season, a few years ago, and found myself liking Sun Sugar a little better. It was a slightly larger than SunGold, and seemed more meaty. The taste of both was excellent, and pretty similar to me. Sun Sugar is a real winner IMO.

[daninpd]

Why not go for the gusto and try Pink Bumblebee or Purple Bumblebee? I'm planning on both next year plus Blue Berries and Bosque Blue Bumblebee (Google that one for a picture!!). I'm planning 2015 to be the year of people asking "What the heck is that?" The end of the tried and true (and slightly boring) tomato patch. Pink Berkeley Tie Dye got my attention this year by moving up to a tie with Kelloggs Breakfast for the combination of taste/texture first place. There will be some old standards in 2015, but mostly new (to me).

[Fusion_power]

Here are a few I consider to be above average for flavor and production.

Black Cherry
Dr. Carolyn Pink
Camp Joy

If you want some alternatives for salad use, consider:
Sakura Honey
Piennolo del Vesuvio

[heirloomtomaguy]

Im with daninpd and fusion go with any of the artisan bumblebees or tigers and definitely the old trusty black cherry is a must.

[Fiishergurl]

Black Cherry!!! We love it! Blush is beautiful and delicious too. I have seeds for both, just PM me your address if you want some... :-)

Ginny

[natural]

If you want another Orange-ish cherry, I recommend Ambrosia Gold from J & L Gardens (jandlgardens.com). It keeps much longer than Sungold. It is very sweet as well and a strong grower.

Bill

[tnpeppers]

Agreed...I grow Lee's' Ambrosia' line in Earth Boxes with a supplemental 'snack' of Texas Tomato food, and it's 'Katy, bar the door!' OMG production level of tasty small cherries! Can't wait to try his new 'Ambrosia UBX' line.

[heirloomtomaguy]

Originally Posted by tnpeppers

Agreed...I grow Lee's' Ambrosia' line in Earth Boxes with a supplemental 'snack' of Texas Tomato food, and it's 'Katy, bar the door!' OMG production level of tasty small cherries! Can't wait to try his new 'Ambrosia UBX' line.

I too am excited about the ubx lines. If they are getting 11.5% brix i at least need to try them for myself.

[PaulF]

Our two favorites are Black Cherry and Ambrosia Red.

[Ed of Somis]

wow! I really appreciate the many responses...and well thought-out variety suggestions. I am not in a place in my tomato journey to get too exotic or dramatic. I am trying to limit my new passion to maybe 8 or 9 different plants. My time-tested passion is growing avocados (20 trees and 16 varieties). Aren't we crazy???

[Labradors2]

Ed, I wish I lived next door to you. I could grow a TON of tomatoes and swap them for avocadoes!!! I would be in Heaven .

I've never heard of Sungold not being keepers. Sounds to me as if you guys are just not eating them fast enough .

The bumblebees will keep forever, I should think! The purple was very pretty and not too tall.

I'm not crazy about Black Cherry, but the cherry, Carbon Copy, was a winner in my garden last season!

Linda

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Ed, I wish I lived next door to you. I could grow a TON of tomatoes and swap them for avocadoes!!! I would be in Heaven .

I've never heard of Sungold not being keepers. Sounds to me as if you guys are just not eating them fast enough .

The bumblebees will keep forever, I should think! The purple was very pretty and not too tall.

I'm not crazy about Black Cherry, but the cherry, Carbon Copy, was a winner in my garden last season!

Linda

Linda the last person that let a sungold go bad here was staked out on a red ant bed and left for the vultures.
Why am I the only person that continually suggests Riesentraube.
Riesentraube, Black Cherry, Coyote and Sungold are the only 4 small tomatoes you will ever need.
I havent tried Green Zebra Cherry but would like to.
I can suggest a small green tomato called Lime Green Salad that want take up any space you could try also but it is bigger than a cherry.
All you need is a good stick to support it.
Want is a different story.

Worth

[Labradors2]

Worth,

I'll have to bring a doggy bag with me should I ever visit your tomato patch. I wouldn't want to waste a Sungold and I'm allergic to red ants!

Riesentraube is productive, but a little "punchy" tasting for me.

I grew Green Zebra Cherry last season and it wasn't that bad. I think the colour puts me off and I'd probably love it in pink! When the trellis fell down, I decided to get rid of it and we were hauling branches and branches and branches of it out. Talk about Day of the Triffids. It's growth was simply amazing! Since the fruit is on the large side for a cherry, I'd never plant more than one.... I still have a zillion of them in the freezer.

Linda

Originally Posted by Worth1

Linda the last person that let a sungold go bad here was staked out on a red ant bed and left for the vultures.
Why am I the only person that continually suggests Riesentraube.
Riesentraube, Black Cherry, Coyote and Sungold are the only 4 small tomatoes you will ever need.
I havent tried Green Zebra Cherry but would like to.
I can suggest a small green tomato called Lime Green Salad that want take up any space you could try also but it is bigger than a cherry.
All you need is a good stick to support it.
Want is a different story.

Worth

[jwr6404]

Gardeners Delight aka Sugar Lump IMO is one tasty Cherry Tomato worth considering