Some people have always been sceptical about cherry tomatoes because of the size they have. But, of all the varieties of tomatoes including the hybrid varieties, currant tomatoes, grape tomatoes or other tomatoes, sweet cherry tomatoes have a rich tomato flavour.
Such sweet flavour among tomatoes have made cherry tomatoes one of a kind and mostly used for making salad, pastas and other snacks. These tomatoes are extremely high in antioxidants thus, they can fight a lot of diseases including cancer.
The problem lies somewhere else. That is, which breed of cherry tomato to go for, The two main options are sun sugar tomato vs sungold tomato. In this article, we will make a comparison between sun sugar tomato vs sungold tomato and talk about their growing regime. So, stay tuned.
But first, let’s take a look at their differences and similarities at a glance-
Sun Sugar Tomato Vs Sungold – Key Differences
Characteristics | Sun Sugar Tomato | Sungold Tomato |
Color | Yellow-orange | Orange |
Type | Hybrid Tomato | Hybrid Tomato |
Weight | 28-42 grams | 15-18 grams |
Diameter | 1-1.5" wide | 1" wide |
Flavour | Sweet | Sweet |
Germination soil temperature | 75 to 90 degree F | 60 degree F |
Sun Sugar Tomato
Among all varieties of cherry tomatoes, probably the sweetest cherry tomato is the sun sugar tomato. It is the sweetest tomato with a yellow orange color. The sun sugar plant is an indeterminate plant which can lay harvest within 65 days of plantation. It is a hybrid tomato plant that is aimed towards having a large amount of harvest.
Most hybrid types of tomatoes don’t have that sweet taste like this variety of cherry tomato. The sun sugar tomato plant is a trainable shrub that can sustain warmer climates instead of colder climates though the fruit itself should be stored in a colder than room temperature situation.
It’s also not a hot weather plant. These tough shrubs can fight off many diseases and pests when you can provide them a warmer climate.
Basic Characteristics
The sun sugar tomatoes aka the sunsweet tomatoes or the sugar cherry tomatoes are sweet tomatoes with delicious tomato flavor. It’s a cherry tomato variety that is sold in millions. Each tomato can weigh up to 42 grams, that is 1.5 ounces. The diameter of each fruit is 1 to 1.5 inches.
In most cases, we don’t really expect the hybrid fruits to be rich in flavors. But this hybrid tomato has probably the richest tomato flavor that anyone can come across. That’s because these plants are pretty high maintenance, provided they need 6 to 8 hours of sun and there should be a source of water close to them. The most successful watering method for sun sugar tomatoes is drip irrigation.
As the yellow cherry tomato plant is small but the production of fruit for each plant is very high, it’s best to keep the plant in a tomato cage. A tomato cage supports the stand of a tomato tree and lets this sweet tomato tree grow upwards.
Growing Sun Sugar Tomatoes
Growing cherry tomatoes can be a hectic job. It requires heavy maintenance and heavy preparation before you can plant them. Let’s find out about the soil first.
Soil Type and Preparation
The best part about sun sugar tomatoes is that they can grow in any soil types provided it contains the following nutrient values-Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Molybdenum, Zinc, Boron, etc.
If the soil contains these then it’s fine. But if it doesn’t, you have to prepare the soil with enough fertilization. The fertilizer picket for these tomatoes should have the following characteristics-
- High phosphorus
- Medium potassium
- Low Nitrogen
Plantation
The plantation of sun sugar tomatoes can be done with both seeds and planting ready seedlings. The best time for planting sun sugar tomatoes is right after the last frost. So, if you are planting seedlings you can start the plantation right after the last frost.
But if you want to plant seeds, you should plant them indoors in containers at least 6 to 8 week before the last frost so that you can plant the seedlings right on time. Fill the containers with a well drained potting mix and sow the seed 1/4-inch deep in the soil. Water the soil but don’t over do it.
The required soil temperature is between 75 to 90 degree F. After the last frost is gone, wait for a week or two before you can plant the seedlings. The garden temperature while planting seedlings shouldn’t be less than 65-degree F. Plant each seedling 24 inches apart. The pH of the soil should be between 6.2 to 6.8.
Pruning
The problem with indeterminate plants is that they need to be controlled. Otherwise, their growth will be uncontrollable and the care regime will become tougher. Removing the suckers that grow below the first bloom cluster is a useful trimming procedure. Suckers grow between both the primary vertical stem and the branches in the crotch.
There are three types of pruners that you can get your hands on-
- Anvil pruner
- Bypass pruner
- Ratchet pruner
Getting rid of suckers will ensure better growth for the fruit. Also, the flavor and the texture depend on how much nutrients the fruits are getting. Pruning improves the transfer of nutrients to the fruits.
Sun Gold Tomatoes
Sungold tomatoes might be the best competitor of sun sugar tomatoes in which one is sweeter. Both tomatoes are sweet but they have a certain distinction in flavor which makes people choose between one type over the other. This is not a heirloom tomato but a hybrid tomato.
This hybrid tomato weighs about 15-18 grams only. That’s less than one ounce, but it gets used in almost every aspect of using a tomato including eating directly like a fruit. The best part about a sungold tomato is that the taste of the fruit changes from sweet to sweeter as the fruit ripens. Sungold has a fruity flavour. Unique to this type, sun-ripened fruits can also have a rich, tropical, carotenoid flavour.
Basic Characteristics
The diameter of each sungold tomato is hardly 1 inch. This makes the fruit a very small one. Yet, people prefer it because of its taste. Sungold tomatoes are usually planted using their seeds. Another more expensive option is getting hold of the seedlings or a little plant which has survived cold weather and is ready to grow.
The sun gold tomato plant requires a soil that is very rich in nutrients but well-drained. That means sun gold plants hanker after the high nutrient numbers but they can’t stand water logging. As these vigorous plants are indeterminate, it can grow very roughly without pruning. Most sun gold tomato plants require a tomato cage.
Growing Sungold Tomatoes
The growing regime of sungold tomatoes is not that different from the growing regime of sun sugar tomatoes. It’s almost the same.
The only key difference in the growing regime is that sungold tomatoes require a soil temperature of 60 degree F. Other than that, the plantation, the maintenance and the pruning is as same as the sun sugar tomato plants.
Our Recommendation
It’s hard to recommend something with responsibility because there are so many different items available in the market. Some of the products are harmful in many ways. So, after a certain amount of research, here’s a recommendation from our end.
Sunsugar Hybrid – Tomato Seeds
Hometown seeds are a renowned brand in the market of seeds. They have gained their fame by selling seeds that are of high quality and the offspring of the plants from the seeds are extremely generous.
This pack of seeds contain 10 sun sugar hybrid tomato seeds that have a germination capacity in 14 days max requiring a temperature between 50 to 75- degrees F. The harvest can be done with these seeds within 62 days.
These seeds are very highly disease resistant. So, you can expect healthy tomatoes.
Burpee Sun Gold Hybrid Seeds
Here’s another pack of seeds from Hometown Seeds. It’s a 30 seed pack of sungold hybrid tomatoes. The specialty of these seed packs is that the seeds were picked by horticulture experts who research about seeds. These seeds are lab tested to have a germination over 35%.
The plants from these seeds can grow up as high as 5 feet and if kept in a tomato cage they will retain shape. Thus the plant is much stronger is diseases like tomato mosaic resistant. This is suggested to be planted 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost to avert the danger of frost.
FAQs
1. Which type of tomato is the sweetest?
According to research, Rosada tomatoes are by far the sweetest tomato that is grown commercially. The Brix rating of these tomatoes is 10.5!
2. How tall do sun sugar tomatoes grow?
Sun sugar tomato plants can grow as much as 6 to 7 feet. That’s the maximum length after pruning. Non-pruning can ruin the height and increase the width of the plant.
3. Are Sun Sugar tomatoes sweet?
Most certain sun sugar tomatoes are sweet. These tomatoes are so rapidly used because of the sweetness they have.
Final Words
Cherry tomatoes are a household name due to their rich flavor and nutritional content. But choosing the best variety from multiple breeds of cherry tomatoes available worldwide is often tricky.
However, the above guide has focused on the best two varieties, Sun Sugar Tomato Vs Sungold; this will help you make an informed choice.
But what if you would prefer bigger tomatoes than cherry tomatoes? Big Boy and Better Boy will be the real deal. Here is an article on these two giant tomatoes: Big Boy Vs Better Boy Tomatoes: Here’s A Complete Guide
