CHERRY TOMATOES

Cherry Falls  open-pollenated, 60 days. semi-determinate.   Tidy habit and vigorous early production of 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 ounce juicy, cherry red fruit.  Cherry Falls has a very long harvest period, and  It almost always gives me the first ripe tomato of the season.  In 2017 I picked my first Cherry Falls tomato on June 10.  I always grow Falls in containers and usually bring one or more inside before frost where they continue to fruit right through the holidays.   Some seed catalogs advertise a F1 hybrid by the same name, but the Cherry Falls I plant is OP. 

 Fantastico   hybrid, 50 days. Determinate.  My great granddaughter’s favorite tomato is an All America winner, bush tomato bearing rich flavored half-ounce grape shaped fruit.  High yielding plants produce up to 12 pounds of ripe fruit. Advertised as best grown in a cage to provide some plant support, but I’ve had good luck with large containers and just letting the vines sprawl over the sides.   Fantastico was developed by Pro-Veg Seeds based south of Cambridge, UK.  Since 1989  they have invested in breeding varieties suitable for the home gardener, with a speciality in patio tomato varieties. 

Jelly Bean Red  hybrid, 50 days. Determinate.  All America winner,  bush tomato producing rich flavored half-ounce grape shaped fruit. High yielding plants produce up to 12 pounds of ripe fruit. Best grown in a cage to provide some plant support, but can also be grown in a large patio container or an 18-inch hanging basket.

Juliet  hybrid.  60 days. Indeterminate.  1999 AAS Winner famous for yielding the first elongated, grape-like fruits that don't crack! Clusters of unusual, sweet-flavored fruits cling to the vine longer than any other cherry tomato. Glossy, red-skinned fruits weigh 1 oz. each.  Absolutely great for halving and oven drying.  These 1 oz elongated, grape tomatoes grow in clusters of 12 to 18 fruit.  The ripe fruit hold longer on the vine or in storage better than most cherry tomatoes. Before frost in the fall even the hardest, greenest, Juliets can be picked and stored in a cool place. Most will gradually ripen giving you healthy garden tomatoes until Christmas. The vigorous vines need support, but can be grown in large containers, and I’ve had success growing Juliet in the greenhouse.
     Grape shaped tomatoes are a relatively new introduction. In 1996 a Taiwanese friend of Manatee County, Florida, vegetable grower Andrew Chu, suggested that grape tomatoes, already in much demand on the China mainland, might appeal to Chu's ethnic customers in the states. Chu decided to try them out as a specialty product. He called them "grape tomatoes." The variety he grew was 'Santa,' a hybrid developed by Known-You Seed Company, LTD, Taiwan. The tomatoes were a hit and their popularity began to spread like wildfire.
     Known-You trademarked the term grape tomato, but to Chu's consternation, a competitor, Philadelphia based Procacci Bros., wisely bought the exclusive rights for Santa. Chu still grows the variety, but must purchase his seed from a mainland China source.
     Thompson & Morgan Seed Company was allowed to market Santa seed to home gardeners for several years, but no longer can. Juliet, available to the home gardener, is a larger grape variety developed by Known-You. It has a superb, sweet flavor - yet less sugary and more tomato taste than its sister, 'Santa'.

      Known-You Seed Co., Ltd. was established by Mr. Wun-Yu Chen in Taiwan in 1968. As a government employee he studied crop breeding in Japan. This experience sparked his interest. He retired from his government job and founded Known-You Seed Co., Ltd. to devote himself to improving horticultural crops.

      It is even more difficult to find pure Juliet seed than Celebrity and Goliath Early Bush.  Even using the same reputable vendor, one year I got the real Juliet, the next year it was something similar but different enough to be disappointing.  

Large Red Cherry   heirloom,  70 days. Indeterminate.  1.5 to 2" diameter, dark red cherry tomatoes that grow in clusters of 5 or more. Ripe tomatoes are great used fresh and for preserves, or pick green ones for pickles.Like many cherry tomatoes, the fruit are prone to cracking during wet weather
   These cherries have a good balance of meat to juice and just the right amount of acid for an old-fashioned tomato taste. LRCs are slighty larger and more scarlet than Sweet Million. They are very productive and not nearly as sugary as many hybrid cherry tomatoes. LRC's are terrific for salads or eating fresh off the vine. Ben Quisenberry introduced this very old variety into the marketplace.

Lemon Drop  heirloom,  73 days. Determinate.  Expect heavy sets of ¾", translucent yellow, sweet-tart cherry tomatoes. Very productive plants that keep on fruiting during inclement weather when other tomatoes varieties stop. Lemon Drop plants are not too tall and can be container grown, and are successful in the greenhouse.

     The bite-size fruits are great for snacking or added to salads. The slight tart flavor won Lemon Drop the SSE's 2010 tomato-tasting award. 

     Lemon Drop was discovered by Florida SSE member, J. T. Sessions, growing among his Snow White Cherry plants.

MARGARET BEST YELLOW TOMMY TOE  rare heirloom, 80 days.  Indeterminate.  This tommy toe was grown by Bill Best’s mother for decades and is a heavy producer of light yellow tomatoes about a half inch in diameter. Bill is the director of The Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center based in North Carolina.  The Center collects and grows out heirloom seeds from throughout the Southern Appalachian region. Seeds are grown in Kentucky, Tennessee and NC.   The center utilizes college students and high school FFA members to help produce and preserve the seeds in its collection. 

Patio Choice Yellow   hybrid, 50 days.  Determinate.  An 18-inch tall compact tomato plant. The  2017 All-America Winner cascading plants are prolific yielders of delicious 2 oz., cherry-sized fruits. Great for snacking, salads or for adding a pop of color to your favorite recipes. Perfect for containers.  Patio Choice Yellow was developed by Seeds by Design’s, located in Willows CA.  Seeds by Design’s product line consists largely of proprietary and specialty products that are only available from them.

Red Robin  heirloom,  51 days. Determinate.   Fresh homegrown winter tomatoes for the North?  Although Red Robin dates back to the 1800's, it is still one of the best compact tomato plants for container growing indoors.  A south window and an eight inch container filled with fertile potting soil is all you need to successfully grow this dwarf plant with rich tasting, 1 inch, bright red fruit. 

    Under normal conditions no support or artificial lighting is required for successful production.   Being a true heirloom, seeds can be saved and replanted for another tasty 

crop.

Riesentraube   heirloom,    70 days. Indeterminate.  It produces bunches of deep red, 3/4 oz., 1-1.5" cherry-size fruit with a prominent nipple on blossom end.The plants are high yielding with good foliage coverage. Riesentrube lacks the candy-sugary sweetness associated with many cherry tomatoes, more resembling a high quality heirloom beefsteak. Its name means, "great bunches of grapes." There can be 20 to 40 fruits per cluster. Vigorous vines branch often and do need support.The plants are very hardy, disease resistant, and continue fruiting during inclement weather. The fruit rarely split - even after heavy rainfall. Riesentraube will successfully grow in large containers.
   Riesentraube was discovered by horticulturist Jurgen Klopprott at a Gaterslegen Germany seed bank and brought to the USA in 1993. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange entered Riesentraube into the commercial market in 1994,  It has since been documented by Will Weaver to have been grown in the U.S. by the Pennsylvania Dutch near Allentown as long ago as 1856. 

Robe Mountain Tommy Toe  rare heirloom,  80 days.  Indeterminate.  An apparent mutant from the Vinson Watts tomato discovered in a row of Vinson Watts tomatoes in 2008 by Bill Best.  The one inch diameter pink tommy toes have an excellent flavor.   Bill Best was a professor, coach, and administrator at Berea College for forty years.  He retired from Berea in 2002 and is now director of the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center located near Gatesville NC. 

Sweet Million hybrid,   67 days.  Indeterminate.  Bright red, round, 1 to1¾ oz. fruit, that grow in grapelike clusters. Very disease resistant and sweet as candy. Leave these in an open bowl on a counter and they will disappear quickly.  Heavy yielding 6 ft. vines need support and will produce until frost.  One plant is claimed to have produced over 1000 tomatoes grossing 32 pounds of fruit.  It's a prolific variety developed by Sakata.

     The fruit have a very long shelf life, and can be picked green before frost and allowed to ripen inside without spoiling.  Sweet Million fruit will crack if left too long on the vine; especially during rainy periods.  

Yellow Pear   heirloom,  71 days. Indeterminate.  Heavy sets of 2" pear-shaped tomatoes grow in clusters of seven to nine nearly seedless fruit. While historically a favorite for making preserves, its size and mildly sweet flavor make it a good tomato for salads or for fresh snacking. 

    Yellow pear is one of the oldest known named varieties. It was recorded in Synopsis Plantarum by taxononmist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1805 and was sold byThe Hudson Bay Company as early as 1825.
    Yellow Pear is prized by gourmet chefs for its bright color, distinctive shape, and subtle taste. It makes an attractive garnish whole or halved lengthwise. A very hardy plant, I find it to still be ripening a few fruit in late fall well after many other tomato vines have been added to the compost heap.