I plant a lot of cherry tomatoes in my front-yard garden because I tend to have issues with blossom end rot on the full-sized tomato cultivars. One of my go-to cherry tomatoes every year is the Sungold, an unbeatable choice both for its distinctive flavor and high-yields. Sungolds produce throughout the entire growing season. In fact, here in South Carolina, I’m still harvesting Sungold cherry tomatoes and probably will until the first real frost, which usually occurs in early to mid-November.
The Sungold is a hybrid cherry tomato that produces large clusters of golden-orange tomatoes about the size of quarter to a large shooter marble. These indeterminate tomato plants are relatively tall and can easily reach 8 or more feet in height. It’s a hardy cultivar and resistant to many common tomato issues, including fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus.
Plant Sungolds in full sun. Rows should be set 4 feet apart with individual plants spaced at least 30 inches to help prevent disease. The tall vining nature of this hybrid means you’ll need to support the plant with a large tomato cage or stakes. Plants will mature and start fruit production between 60 and 70 days if started from seed. Harvest the cherry tomatoes when they turn yellow to get a more acidic fruit or wait until the tomatoes to turn deep gold for the sweetest harvest.
Sungolds are super sweet with a slight acid bite. You can eat these golden tomatoes right off the vine like candy or use them in a range of culinary applications. I like to use Sungolds either in a fresh salsa with raw jalapeños, in a snow pea stir-fry with whole cherry tomatoes, or as quick pickles.
In addition to their delectable flavor, these vibrant golden tomatoes are also an attractive addition to any garden. Sungold seeds and plants are widely available and can be found in most well-stocked nursery centers by late-spring. If growing from seed, I strongly recommended starting seeds indoors to get the best germination and survival rates.If you are searching for one more tomato to add to next year’s garden, think about growing the Sungold. You will not be disappointed!
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