Sungold F1vs. Sungold select vs. Sungold II

[Barmaley]

Hello,
Since you guys advised against esterina, I guess I need to stick to Sungold. Then I need to decide on the selection its flavor F1/Big Select/II. What would you recommend and where I can buy seeds without paying for shipping? Do you know any local store which may have them?

[Doffer]

If i understand correct these are al Children of Sungold F1:
Ambrosia Gold
Ambrosia Orange UBX
Ambrosia Red
Sungold Select
Sungold Select II
Big Sungold Select.
Sunsugar?
And there are more??

[jmsieglaff]

Big Orange Volunteer. Didn't make my 2021 grow list, but I intend to grow it in 2022.

https://heritageseedmarket.com/index.ph ... us%20year.

[Paquebot]

If you want to buy Sungold but not pay shipping, means that you have to pick it up yourself. Burpee has it. Check out their displays in Home Depot, Lowe's, WalMart, etc.

Martin

[Tormato]

Big Orange Volunteer. Didn't make my 2021 grow list, but I intend to grow it in 2022.

https://heritageseedmarket.com/index.ph ... us%20year.

It's nice to know what this variety is. I've had it for a few years thinking it was a natural cross of possibly F2 seed. I thought it was a big (beefsteak), orange (got that part), volunteer (someone sending experimental seeds into the MMMM swap).

If I still have seed, it'll get a spot in the garden this year.

[Barmaley]

Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot and Giant have every variety by Burpee but sungold!

I read good reviews about Medovaya Kaplya. Did somebody try it? Is it similar to sungold? Are there other cherry type tomatoes of the same level as Sungold? What is the most productive sweet cherry tomato?

[Paquebot]

Some seed companies are already out of Sungold. Watch for EBay and Amazon rip-offs. Gardeners have been trying to stabilize Sungold for 15 years and some may have come close. In early years, it proved to be a rather complicated cross to create it and the F2 results showed that. I have not grown any of he "Select" varieties so can not say how close they are to the original. Closest that I have found was Jan's and there is no information on it. I strongly suspect that Sungold was involved.

Martin

[Barmaley]

I can not believe that in February tomato seeds could be in short supply!!!
I was trying to find an OP replacement for Sungold F1. Will it be accurate to assume that all really sweet cherry tomatoes are some clones of Sungold F1?

[jmsieglaff]

I believe seeds are in short supply because a ton of people took up gardening in 2020 due to COVID and inventory takes time to plan and create.

No, not all sweet cherries tomatoes are some clones of Sungold F1. There are many sweet cherry tomatoes that have no relation to Sungold F1, well other than being a tomato.

[peebee]

[mention]Barmaley[/mention] , are there nurseries nearby that stock seeds from Botanical Interests or Renee's Garden? These brands aren't found in big box stores but they have Sungold.
If you already have a plant, how about cloning? That's what I do to get multiple plants. You might not find seeds, but the plant itself is getting easier to buy even in Home Depot etc. Then you can just keep clones alive every year.

[FarmerShawn]

I read good reviews about Medovaya Kaplya. Did somebody try it? Is it similar to sungold? Are there other cherry type tomatoes of the same level as Sungold? What is the most productive sweet cherry tomato?

Medovaya Kaplya is more like Yellow Pear, only tastier. It is nothing like Sungold, really, but is a very nice tomato.

Russian Mini Yellow, if you can find it, is the sweetest cherry tomato I have grown, though it also is not much like Sungold. I have been growing Ambrosia Gold for several years, and didn't realize it was related to Sungold in any way until I read this thread. Two other orange cherries I like a lot, second to Sungold, are Orange Paruche Cherry F1, and Sukkernald. I just yesterday ordered extra packages of Orange Paruche on sale from Vermont Bean Seed Company.
Shawn

[jmsieglaff]

I don't know if the Ambrosia series used Sungold in the parentage or not. Their website doesn't say either way, just mentions 'wild' tomato genetics being involved--which no doubt some sort 'wild' tomato genetics are used in Sungold. Some of their descriptions suggest similar foliage scent to Sungold as well.

http://jandlgardens.com/xencart/index.p ... cts_id=363

[Doffer]

Does your AMBROSIA ORANGE UBX have a higher brix and is sweeter than Sundgold F1?

[Paquebot]

A little more digging tells me that Sun Sugar should be available as plants from WalMart. That's about as close to Sungold as one can find among the hybrids. I've eaten both and can't tell the difference.

Martin

[Barmaley]

I read good reviews about Medovaya Kaplya. Did somebody try it? Is it similar to sungold? Are there other cherry type tomatoes of the same level as Sungold? What is the most productive sweet cherry tomato?

Medovaya Kaplya is more like Yellow Pear, only tastier. It is nothing like Sungold, really, but is a very nice tomato.

Russian Mini Yellow, if you can find it, is the sweetest cherry tomato I have grown, though it also is not much like Sungold. I have been growing Ambrosia Gold for several years, and didn't realize it was related to Sungold in any way until I read this thread. Two other orange cherries I like a lot, second to Sungold, are Orange Paruche Cherry F1, and Sukkernald. I just yesterday ordered extra packages of Orange Paruche on sale from Vermont Bean Seed Company.
Shawn

Shawn,

Do you consider sungold to be better than any other alternative in terms of taste and productivity?

[Barmaley]

@peebee
Renee does not sell Sungold and to buy from Botanical Interests with tax and shipping comes to almost $1 per seed! Every time I go to a store I am trying to find sungold to buy 100 seeds for several years in advance but nobody sell them!

[peebee]

[mention]Barmaley[/mention] , what city or state do you live in, since you asked in your 1st post for a local store?
I live in S. CA so there's already tons of seedlings in stores. I saw several Sungold plants @ a nursery & seeds from Botanical Interests in a Sprouts market today. Renee's Garden used to sell Sungold, that's where I got my first seeds. That company no longer sells to the retail market nowadays I think.

[FarmerShawn]

I read good reviews about Medovaya Kaplya. Did somebody try it? Is it similar to sungold? Are there other cherry type tomatoes of the same level as Sungold? What is the most productive sweet cherry tomato?

Medovaya Kaplya is more like Yellow Pear, only tastier. It is nothing like Sungold, really, but is a very nice tomato.

Russian Mini Yellow, if you can find it, is the sweetest cherry tomato I have grown, though it also is not much like Sungold. I have been growing Ambrosia Gold for several years, and didn't realize it was related to Sungold in any way until I read this thread. Two other orange cherries I like a lot, second to Sungold, are Orange Paruche Cherry F1, and Sukkernald. I just yesterday ordered extra packages of Orange Paruche on sale from Vermont Bean Seed Company.
Shawn

Shawn,

Do you consider sungold to be better than any other alternative in terms of taste and productivity?

It really is incomparable. As a market gardener growing upwards of 350 varieties, I grow more plants of Sungold than any other, and it is by far my biggest seller, both of fruits and of plants in the spring. While I cannot imagine only growing it alone, I also cannot imagine not growing it. Sungold is in a class by itself, for sure. That said, I have not tried all of its offspring.

[Tormato]

It looks like I need to place a 1,000 seed bulk order for SunGold. Gotta keep the MMMM participants happy for a few years.