Hybrid grape/cherry varieties

[zipcode]

I haven't forgotten about this thread, I will update it with detailed info on each variety I ended up growing this year. It's just that I haven't had many ripe yet.
I ended up with the following: Sungold, Golden cherry, Suncherry premium, Sungrape, Golden Gem, Tomatoberry Garden, Rosada, Sakura, Cherrola, Lizziebell+Katiebell+Luciebell (part of rainbow mix, only planted 2 but at least they are differrent).

For now tasted Sungrape and Golden gem from the balcony. Sungrape is really good, with a spicy strong flavor, and a deep red color. Fruit are very small however (under 1/3 oz). The jury is still out on Golden Gem. I'll try to see when the optimum picking ripeness is, but I find the taste to be rather off. Strong flavor however, with good acidity and everything, unlike some opinions I've read about it being mild.

[swamper]

I'd add sweet treats f1 to the mix. Are any in your trial pink (clear skin)?

[zipcode]

No pinks. Sweet treats isn't available in Europe.

[zipcode]

So here is my opinion on the 3 varieties I grew on the balcony in containers (around 5 gallon).
I will add the rest from the garden later.











Golden Gem (Known You, Taiwan)

More orange than golden, also a bit oval than fully round. Very strong taste, somewhat different than any I tasted, partly very good tomato flavour partly something else. Sweetish but with good acidity also. Quite thick walls that are on have medium soft texture. Skin is tough. To give a comparison to a popular cherry, Sungold, I consider that to have very tough skin. Can't really judge cracking resistance yet, will see when some ripen in the garden, it never rains on the balcony.
Plants have short internodes but oddly open habit because of the narrow leaves. The leaves mostly grow upright even when old. Good producer with standard cherry size, 30-40 per truss if it's well fed. Constant grower, fast ripening. Doesn't keep particularly bad or good. One unusual thing is that it needs to be mostly ripened on the vine. Pick it half green and the unusual taste will be overpowering. A good colour is when it kinda looks like it doesn't have any green left in the colour. Even when ripe, the seeds will still be greenish. If you let it become fully orange it will be overripe.
Second cheapest seeds (16pence), so definitely worth trying them to see if you like that somewhat different flavour or not.















Tastyno (Gautier Semences, France)


Very vigorous plant with big dark leaves. Quite long internodes. Many fruit per cluster 30-40. Very nice round shape and good red colour. It ripens incredibly slowly (like 3-4 weeks from blush to ripe). So also late. Very good keeper. Medium thickness walls that are a bit crunchy but not overly so. Thin skin, probably the thinnest of all the tested hybrids. Taste if pretty good but not great. Kinda on the sweet side, lacks a bit in acidity. Needs to be fully ripe (a little bit bit soft) to develop full taste. Could be a very good market tomato due to many qualities, but it's not a memorable taste. Most expensive seed of the test (45p).










Sungrape (Tokita, Japan)


Vining plant with very long internodes and thin stem. Very reluctant in making sideshoots (odd for a cherry). Smaller than standard fruit that is oval to teardrop shaped (1/3 oz). Not that many fruit on each cluster (15-30). So for me it doesn't seem a great producer but it is constant. Fairly thick skin that is also shiny. The walls are thinner than the usual for a grape. Ripens slowly, keeps well. Very dark red colour when fully ripe (high lycopene I imagine). Taste is very good with a certain spiciness. The official description says high acidity and high sugar, and I think that is true and gives that spiciness. One of my favourites. Quite expensive seeds.