Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

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Dee
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Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#1

Post: # 10917Unread post Dee
Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:27 pm

I don't have much experience growing cherry tomatoes, but would like to try some this summer. I welcome your recommendations! Which varieties do you enjoy most/have you had the best experiences growing?

My ideal parameters would be...
  • Heirloom/OP
    A reasonably compact plant (doesn't need to be dwarf, though)
    DTM of 75 days or less
    Red, orange, purple, or bicolour
    Fantastic taste
Thanks!

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Labradors
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#2

Post: # 10918Unread post Labradors
Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:35 pm

Maglia Rosa, a compact plant with /green bullet-shaped tomatoes. I grow them in 3 gallon containers.

Blush, yellow/red bullet-shaped tomatoes that I grow in the garden in cages

Both have fantastic taste!

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Shule
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#3

Post: # 10922Unread post Shule
Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:35 pm

Big Sungold Select is a pretty good-tasting orange one with medium-large cherries. Don't expect it to be super sweet like SunGold F1 (but it's good nonetheless, on merits that don't particularly have to do with sweetness). It's not exactly compact, but the plant isn't huge like some.

Snow Fairy is a decent dwarf with large red cherry tomatoes, and although the flavor is good, it's not shocking or anything. Pretty standard, but good, red flavor.

If you wanted bigger plants and other colors, I might have more suggestions, though! :)
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

Dee
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#4

Post: # 10926Unread post Dee
Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:21 pm

Shule wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:35 pm
If you wanted bigger plants and other colors, I might have more suggestions, though! :)
Sure, I would love to hear them!

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Ginger2778
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#5

Post: # 10928Unread post Ginger2778
Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:12 pm

Rosella and it's sibling, Garnet are fabulous. All of our KARMA series are OP, and are delicious large PL cherries, there are 6 of them. Hybrid, but SunGold is always a pleaser.
- Marsha

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Cole_Robbie
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#6

Post: # 10934Unread post Cole_Robbie
Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:37 pm

Your compact plant requirement is the most limiting of your parameters. Cherry tomatoes seem to be the most sprawling of indeterminates. I have had vines grow over ten feet long in the course of a summer.

I like Maglia Rosa, too. And it is not op, but there is a compact red cherry hybrid called Terrenzo that is quite good. Lizzano is from the same seed company and gets good reviews, but I have not tried it myself.

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Nan6b
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#7

Post: # 10936Unread post Nan6b
Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:50 pm

I'll second Maglia Rosa, but it's a pink and yellow, not green.

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root_grow
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#8

Post: # 10942Unread post root_grow
Tue Feb 18, 2020 12:59 am

I adore Rosella. Amazingly delicious purple cherries on indeterminate but fairly tidy plants.

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Shule
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#9

Post: # 10943Unread post Shule
Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:11 am

Dee wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:21 pm
Shule wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:35 pm
If you wanted bigger plants and other colors, I might have more suggestions, though! :)
Sure, I would love to hear them!
For other colors (without the compact requirement, too), Ovita (pink) is definitely my favorite for taste, followed by Green Tiger (green), and Porter (pink). Their plants actually aren't huge, but they're indeterminate still and not small. Porter can get big, and it is prolific, but it's slow-growing in my garden. Chocolate Pear (brown) has good taste and in my garden it's early. It's fairly prolific, too (but definitely a cherry-size); the plant is not small.
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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JohnJones
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#10

Post: # 10951Unread post JohnJones
Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:17 am

I don't have a strong recommendation because I don't feel I've grown enough cherries to be an authority.

I will throw out that for some reason I've never had the typical reaction to Sun Gold. I've grown it three times and enjoyed the early fruit, but not as much as the Black Cherry next to it. Also, SG seems to develop a thick, unappetizing skin as the summer heats up here.

Black Cherry has become the cherry I grow every year. I did start some Large Red Cherry this year from a 20 cent American Seed packet and the seeds germinated well and the seedlings are vigorous and fast growing. Interested to see how they taste.

Also trying Super Snow White, Blondkopfchen and Christmas Grapes this year so I'll report back.

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brownrexx
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#11

Post: # 10952Unread post brownrexx
Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:32 am

We also like Black Cherry here and we think that Sun Sugar beats Sun Gold

Dee
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#12

Post: # 10953Unread post Dee
Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:34 am

Thank you all for your recommendations, this info is very helpful!

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Gthegardener
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#13

Post: # 10954Unread post Gthegardener
Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:36 am

My favorite cherries so far have been Maglia Rosa, lucky tiger (amazing flavor, green/red/yellow color), black cherry and all the bumblebee tomatoes (sunrise, pink, purple). Sungold is a classic with great flavor and very productive, but a hybrid. I also grew Blush last year, we had a rainy year and it was very prone to cracking, but everyone liked the flavor (wasn’t my favorite so I am not going to grow it this year).
“Life begins the day you start a garden” - Chinese proverb

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worth1
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#14

Post: # 10961Unread post worth1
Tue Feb 18, 2020 9:46 am

I'm posting this here.
I have a cherrytomatoes cooking experiment I just thought of never before seen by human kind.
I'll post it in the cooking section if it works.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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Nan6b
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#15

Post: # 10989Unread post Nan6b
Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:18 pm

Average size plant with great tasting large-ish cherries: Dr. Carolyn. Large plant with great tomatoey -tasting small cherries: Post Office Spoonful (Italian heirloom, I have seeds).

EdieJ
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#16

Post: # 10991Unread post EdieJ
Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:49 pm

Another vote for Black Cherry. For a super-sweet red, Sweet Aperitif is great. The fruits are on the smaller side, the plants are not, so a couple of plants can give you lots of tomatoes. And our favorite yellow is Galina's. We grew them along our deck last year and let the railing support them. I think some of the plants probably got 12 -15 feet in length 😳
North Central AL (mountains)
Zone 7

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Labradors
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#17

Post: # 10992Unread post Labradors
Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:51 pm

Edie, do you find Galina's crunchy?

Linda

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tomike
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#18

Post: # 10993Unread post tomike
Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:56 pm

EdieJ wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:49 pm Another vote for Black Cherry. For a super-sweet red, Sweet Aperitif is great. The fruits are on the smaller side, the plants are not, so a couple of plants can give you lots of tomatoes. And our favorite yellow is Galina's. We grew them along our deck last year and let the railing support them. I think some of the plants probably got 12 -15 feet in length 😳
Sweet Apéritif will give you very sweet small tomatoes but is a monster of a plant in the garden....
"ad vitam aeternam"

EdieJ
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#19

Post: # 10996Unread post EdieJ
Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:07 pm

Linda, no, Galina's had about the same size and "edible-ness" as Black Cherry for us. Not real thick skins either. My DH prefers them over all the others that we grow.
North Central AL (mountains)
Zone 7

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worth1
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Re: Cherry Tomatoes - Looking for Recommendations

#20

Post: # 10997Unread post worth1
Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:12 pm

EdieJ wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:07 pm Linda, no, Galina's had about the same size and "edible-ness" as Black Cherry for us. Not real thick skins either. My DH prefers them over all the others that we grow.
It's a good tomato.
Way under utilized.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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