3 different black cherries

[dokutaaguriin]

From left to right: Sandy's Chocolate Cherry, Chocolate Cherry and Black Cherry.
Perhaps the Chocolate Cherry could have used another few days to ripen further and develop a darker colour.

[PNW_D]

Hard to tell from pic, but is Sandy's Chocolate cherry a red/black? The other two look like pink/blacks?

I just don't get the Black Cherry taste thing - it seems people either rave about its flavour or are not impressed - unfortunately I was not impressed with my grow out the first year these were introduced - however I must say I've never grown such a prolific plant - seed was from TGS

Please do give us a taste rating of the three once the Chocolate Cherry is ready for consumption

[levad]

i have never been impressed with the cherry tomatoes my friends grow here but i was thinking of trying a black cherry next year.

do any of these 3 stand out in the flavour department?

i only have a small garden so i think i will grow the cherry in a seperate container.

thanks

dave

[feldon30]

There are so many boring, insipid cherry tomatoes that I wasn't really excited about growing them. If I grow a cherry, it better be darn good. I tried Sungold after seeing almost unanimous recommendations to grow it. It really delivered. I had heard many good things about Black Cherry and found one 2" tall seedling at a mom & pop nursery that they were babying under fluorescent lights. I took good care of it and it grew to be a 7' tall monster.

Sungold is almost overwhelming with how sweet and fruity it is. A few people actually dislike it because of the strong fruity flavor. Black Cherry is sweeter but no less rich and bold in flavor. So many of the red and pink cherry tomatoes I find to be awful or just plain boring, but Brandysweet Plum is a pink cherry which is now on my list as well. Super sweet and velvety in texture instead of rock hard. I am growing at least 2 plants of Brandysweet Plum this fall. That's how much I loved it.

All 3 are worth giving a try. Some people also like Sweet Quartz hybrid cherry.


From 1 Sungold plant


Sungolds and Black Cherries


Click for Another pic of Black Cherry:
http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/...erry8.jpg.html

[Lilypon]

The first year I grew Black Cherry it was very bland (though a couple gave me a hint of what people were raving about). The 2nd year I grew it in different soil and oh my! The taste truly was reminiscent of an orchard grown BC sweet cherry.

[feldon30]

The addition of organic matter makes a huge difference in the taste of tomatoes in my experience. What might be an average tasting tomato can taste fantastic when grown in exceptional soil full of shredded leaves, compost, and organic fertilizers. I discovered this when visiting Deer Park.

[PNW_D]

OK I'll give Black Cherry another go in 2009 - another plus - the earliest for me the year I grew it

And I agree Feldon - Brandysweet Plum is a winner and what are those good looking blacks behind the Sungold/Black Cherry mix?

[carolyn137]

For the record I love Black Cherry. There's
another one called Black Sweet listed in the SSE Yearbook but I don't think it's as good as Black Cherry, actually far from it.

I don't know Sandy's Chocolate Cherry. Could you please tell us more about it and what the origin is?

[PNW_D]

Greetings Carolyn,

I recall it was a volunteer grown by Sandy Fuchs - received seed from Sandy in 2004. I have not grown this one, but did share seed with Jeff. I'll see if I have any additional information in my "files"

OK, found our email correspondence - from Sept. 2004 - Sandy says:

The fruit is about 1" round, color looks like Russian Black Tomato. The plant gets tall like other cherry tomato plants, the 'vines' are growing over a 4' cage & are about 3 more feet from the cage. I noted the plant last year in my garden & saved seeds. The tomatoes this year seem identical to last year so I thought I'd offer the seeds so everyone could enjoy these. It's sweet (not too seet) with really good flavor especially when the tomatoes get sunlight.

Sandy also noted she had grown a number of black varieties in past years.

[feldon30]

PNW_D,

Those other blacks are Paul Robesons. They weren't as good as last year for some reason.

[alak]

is babywine similar or same as brandysweet plum

[levad]

sounds like i might have to make room on the deck for 2 more pots. in my containers...i just use miracle gro garden soil.

i see seeds for black cherry are fairly common. how about sungold? are they harder to get? i joined SSE to late to get the yearbook.

[mdvpc]

Sungold is a Japanese hybrid that you can get from seed suppliers like TGS.

[peebee]

I was shocked to read that the Sungold is a Japanese hybrid. I was just there this spring visiting and as usual I went to a huge seed supplier to see what's new. I did not see any Sungold-looking cherries at all. Hmmm...next year I will ask about them and take them a seed packet for photo reference in case it is under another name. I love Sungold for its taste too but mostly cuz it is thin-skinned. Black Cherry has too thick of a skin for my taste, I pop one in my mouth and the skin is left after I bite into the flesh. Is there another black or pink cherry that is thin-skinned that anyone would recommend?
Is Brandywine Plum thick-skinned? If not, what suppliers offer this seed?

Suzie

[levad]

thanks very much guys. i just ordered black cherry and sungold. the beginings of 2009...wow.