cherry tomato suggestions

ukulele01 · September 10, 2021

Hi all. I am looking a cherry tomato variety that is high in sugar, and juicy, with a normal to high level of acid, that has a concentrated fruit set. I live in Zone 4B. Any suggestions?

The only determinate cherry variety available locally is Tiny Tim, but I have never grown or tasted them. Do they meet my criteria?

I am prepared to order seeds if necessary.

Thanks in advance for your help.

eyolf · September 11, 2021

Tiny Tim is a determinate and space-saving variety originally bred to survive in a windowsill in ND. I grew it in a hanging basket on the deck this year and it achieved about 15" tall. Red Robin is even smaller.
Niether will drown you in tomatoes; if you're interested in being able to pick a quart of cherries at a time, they won't satisfy. I enjoyed grabbing one or two on the way past, as did my bride, though.

Flavor is good, but the skins are a bit thick.

As a snack, picked from the plant and enjoyed, you won't really notice.

In the past I've grown a few determinate cherries and was dissapointed. Taste was generally so-so. Names like "Patio Something" "Bush Cherry" or "Balcony Something".

This year, Dwarf Johnson Cherry in a 5 gallon bucket grew to about 30", and 36" in the soil. It requires a cage or to be restrained in some way, but isn't going to dominate the way most cherries do. It delivered loads of 1" pink, fairly sweet cherries.

It will definitely reappear in my garden.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

Greatgardens · September 11, 2021

Depending on how much room you have, full-sized IND plant is your best bet. In general, hybrids have more sweetness and fewer faults like splitting and disease susceptibility. The Tokita Sun series is very, very good. Artisan (Fred Hempel) also has some great cherries -- you might PM him here for his recommendations. If space is an issue, then Husky Cherry Red is still quite popular. Lots of folks also like full-sized Black Cherry OP, although I think Artisan's Madera and Sunchocola are better. Lots of choices!

Labradors2 · September 11, 2021

I grew Tiny Tim once and thought it tasted acidic. I much prefer Red Robin or Birdie Jaune for growing on a windowsill in one-gallon pots, but as eyolf says, you won't get a ton of fruit from these little guys. However, if you want a sweet tomato to grow in a smallish pot, I would recommend Maglia Rosa from Artisan Seeds. I grow it in a 3-gallon pot, but others grow it in a hanging basket. It does need staking as it gets about 3' high for me, but will produce tomatoes all season long.

Linda

GreenThumbGal_07 · September 11, 2021

Hi Ukelele01,
My suggestions:
Gardener's Delight (Sugar Lump) which, though it is a large indeterminate, has superior flavor and is very sweet.
Sweet Baby Girl F1, a compact indeterminate with sweet red fruit.
SunSugar F1, orange indeterminate (not small plant), really tasty and sweet.

RJGlew · September 11, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greatgardens

...The Tokita Sun series is very, very good. Artisan (Fred Hempel) also has some great cherries -- you might PM him here for his recommendations.

Agree with GG, the Tokita Sun series is superb. Lots to choose from: Suncherry Extra Sweet F1 FT, Suncherry Pure F1 (TSX-103), Suncherry RB F1 FT, Sunchocola F1, Suncitron F1, Sundolce F1, Sungarnet F1, Sungold F1, Sungrape F1, Sungreen 4029 F1, Sungreen Improved F1, Sunlemon F1, Sunorange F1, Sunpeach F1.
- Sungreen 4029 F1 is much earlier than Sungreen Improved F1
- Sungarnet F1 is much earlier than Sunchocola F1
Broadest seed selection is from Osborne.

Tormato · September 11, 2021

Growing a half dozen, or more, SunGold plants will get that concentrated fruit set, that lasts the whole harvest season.

ukulele01 · September 12, 2021

Thanks for your replies everyone.

So it sounds like patio tomatoes are a no go if I am looking for lots of cherry toms with a concentrated fruit set. That is good to know.

Guess I will just have to plant multiple indeterminates.

Cheers folks!

Fred Hempel · September 12, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukulele01

Hi all. I am looking a cherry tomato variety that is high in sugar, and juicy, with a normal to high level of acid, that has a concentrated fruit set. I live in Zone 4B. Any suggestions?

The only determinate cherry variety available locally is Tiny Tim, but I have never grown or tasted them. Do they meet my criteria?

I am prepared to order seeds if necessary.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Maglia Rosa is a bush with concentrated fruitset and good production. We are working on other varieties with similar bushy habits that set lots of fruit early.

zipcode · September 13, 2021

The microdwarfs are really not that sweet, none of those I tried, also not really meant for production, more for small pots on the windowsill.
Not sure what is available there, but Lizzano F1 is an early productive determinate cherry (plant is not small, it has good vigor) with plenty of good qualities. Sweet Olive F1 is a determinate grape tomato. Maglia Rosa fits also but the skins are tougher than average, it is however cheaper and easily available.

Greatgardens · September 13, 2021

I forgot one that deserves mention -- Patio Choice Yellow F1 (AAS). It is about 2 ft tall growing in a 12" hanging basket and 3 ft in an EarthBox, caged. PCY produces a lot of tomatoes. Unlike micro-dwarfs, they definitely are sweet. They are not as sweet as full IND varieties, but very tasty (IMO).

September 10, 2021	#1
ukulele01 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: New Brunswick, Canada Posts: 12	cherry tomato suggestions Hi all. I am looking a cherry tomato variety that is high in sugar, and juicy, with a normal to high level of acid, that has a concentrated fruit set. I live in Zone 4B. Any suggestions? The only determinate cherry variety available locally is Tiny Tim, but I have never grown or tasted them. Do they meet my criteria? I am prepared to order seeds if necessary. Thanks in advance for your help.

September 11, 2021	#2
eyolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central MN, USDA Zone 3 Posts: 303	Tiny Tim is a determinate and space-saving variety originally bred to survive in a windowsill in ND. I grew it in a hanging basket on the deck this year and it achieved about 15" tall. Red Robin is even smaller. Niether will drown you in tomatoes; if you're interested in being able to pick a quart of cherries at a time, they won't satisfy. I enjoyed grabbing one or two on the way past, as did my bride, though. Flavor is good, but the skins are a bit thick. As a snack, picked from the plant and enjoyed, you won't really notice. In the past I've grown a few determinate cherries and was dissapointed. Taste was generally so-so. Names like "Patio Something" "Bush Cherry" or "Balcony Something". This year, Dwarf Johnson Cherry in a 5 gallon bucket grew to about 30", and 36" in the soil. It requires a cage or to be restrained in some way, but isn't going to dominate the way most cherries do. It delivered loads of 1" pink, fairly sweet cherries. It will definitely reappear in my garden. Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk __________________ a day without fresh homegrown tomatoes is like... ...sigh

September 11, 2021	#4
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	I grew Tiny Tim once and thought it tasted acidic. I much prefer Red Robin or Birdie Jaune for growing on a windowsill in one-gallon pots, but as eyolf says, you won't get a ton of fruit from these little guys. However, if you want a sweet tomato to grow in a smallish pot, I would recommend Maglia Rosa from Artisan Seeds. I grow it in a 3-gallon pot, but others grow it in a hanging basket. It does need staking as it gets about 3' high for me, but will produce tomatoes all season long. Linda Last edited by Labradors2; September 11, 2021 at 06:10 PM.

September 13, 2021	#10
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	The microdwarfs are really not that sweet, none of those I tried, also not really meant for production, more for small pots on the windowsill. Not sure what is available there, but Lizzano F1 is an early productive determinate cherry (plant is not small, it has good vigor) with plenty of good qualities. Sweet Olive F1 is a determinate grape tomato. Maglia Rosa fits also but the skins are tougher than average, it is however cheaper and easily available. Last edited by zipcode; September 13, 2021 at 06:48 AM.

September 13, 2021	#11
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	I forgot one that deserves mention -- Patio Choice Yellow F1 (AAS). It is about 2 ft tall growing in a 12" hanging basket and 3 ft in an EarthBox, caged. PCY produces a lot of tomatoes. Unlike micro-dwarfs, they definitely are sweet. They are not as sweet as full IND varieties, but very tasty (IMO). Last edited by Greatgardens; September 13, 2021 at 11:02 AM.

September 11, 2021	#5
GreenThumbGal_07 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 300	Hi Ukelele01, My suggestions: Gardener's Delight (Sugar Lump) which, though it is a large indeterminate, has superior flavor and is very sweet. Sweet Baby Girl F1, a compact indeterminate with sweet red fruit. SunSugar F1, orange indeterminate (not small plant), really tasty and sweet.

September 11, 2021	#7
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	Growing a half dozen, or more, SunGold plants will get that concentrated fruit set, that lasts the whole harvest season.

September 12, 2021	#8
ukulele01 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: New Brunswick, Canada Posts: 12	Thanks for your replies everyone. So it sounds like patio tomatoes are a no go if I am looking for lots of cherry toms with a concentrated fruit set. That is good to know. Guess I will just have to plant multiple indeterminates. Cheers folks!