yet another Sun Gold question

[maryinoregon]

Darn, I'm thinking I should go and buy a Sun Gold start just as another control. But where to put it?

My F3s are growing well and as the weather warms up, especially this week, I think they will put on some good growth. Interesting, but I think my F3s look like vegomatic's F4s. I just don't have a Sun Gold hybrid to compare them with.

Some of my F3s are pretty small, but I stuffed them in every nook and cranny I could manage.

I just hope they taste good. They are setting flowers. Fingers crossed.

[vegomatic]

With the recent heat, my toms are taking off. The "stocky" F4 is showing a central stem rising, with a greater distance between branches. It's taking on more of the long, viney look of the F1 but still seems bushier. It has set some fruit, once those pop their head out I will take new comparison pics.

Mary, I am rooting some F1 cuttings. I could send you a couple once they're rooted, but it's anyone's guess if you could get fruit this season. They will grow indoors in a small pot but if you think the outdoor version is leggy, whoa, you ain't seen nuthin'!

-Ed

[maryinoregon]

Thanks for the offer Ed. I can get a Sun Gold start at a plant stand about 15 minutes walk from my house for 99 cents. It's like I said, where O where would I put it? I've got plants stuffed into every part of the yard that gets five hours of sun and more. The only way to plant more would be to dig up the front yard, which would be the best place to grow all my sun lovers, but that isn't going to happen.

[maryinoregon]

I am starting to see a little differentiation in my plants. Some are quite stocky and getting bigger. They are also starting to set fruit. I have one that looks more like a Sun Gold hybrid, but it's in a smaller pot and gets slightly less sun that some of the other plants. We're having the hottest week of our whole year so far, so it should help with growth. I hope so. I'll let you know how it goes.

[maryinoregon]

Have one plant that I think is miniature. It's been in the ground since mid-June and it's just not getting bigger, so am assuming it is mini. It's taking it's sweet time to flower, but we've had periods of hot weather punctuating our summer and lots of blossom drop. Most of the bigger F3s are in full bloom and I will have a fair amount of cherries to pick. The mini in the front yard gets lots of sun, more than the plants in the back yard. I'm really curious about what I'm going to get. If they are anything like the F2s, they will be pretty tasty. Will report back when I have something to report.

[maryinoregon]

Picked my first F3. It was not quite ripe, but I couldn't wait. I had to try it. A tad sour, but there was sweetness too. I should have a number of ripe ones soon. I also have some that are getting bigger than a regular Sun Gold. Not nearly ripe yet, so maybe they will grow bigger.

[vegomatic]

Thanks for keeping us all updated, Mary!

I continue to follow the thread, but have not had a lot to add till I get a ripe one from my F4 "semi-dwarf." I have some 7 Sungold growouts this year, but, due to frosts and late plantouts, I'll be lucky to get fruits from some.

Our "main crop" F1's in the gh gave us the first fruits of any variety this season on July 5th, a very welcome treat and very early for us!

An F2 planted outside was not far behind. This plant is much like Sungold F1 in appearance while the fruits are more yellow and their taste milder, but definitely good enough to save some seed.

My F4 remains shorter overall. Many branches, but not as long or upwardly-reaching/viny as "true" Sungold is. Fruits on it are still green, but seem more tear-drop in shape. That's a trait I see often in my various SG growouts. A few fruits are larger, but most trend to smaller than the F1.

I'm anxiously awaiting taste tests. Previous experience tells me the shape will mean less-tasty fruits.

Another F4 in the gh, from seed saved last year seems closer to the original, but this plant is just not doing as well physically. Just hoping for enough fruit to get seed. Also waiting a second F2 that should be ripening something, but hasn't so far.

I don't mind abandoning the F4 semi-dwarf line if it doesn't work out. I have 7 different batches of saved seed to continue working with and at least 2 new selections so far this year. I've also taken a few cuttings, but time is the factor on what can be done with those.

I'll be sure to post with my taste-testing results!

-Ed

[maryinoregon]

Will look forward to reading your results.

[maryinoregon]

I've eaten a handful of F3s from several plants. The tomatoes look exactly like Sun Gold Hybrid, but the taste is citrusy. Sweet with citrus notes. I've wondered if our weather has anything to do with it. It's been unseasonably cool for here. Nights in the low 50s and highs in the 70s to around 80, so we're way off our highs for this time of year. Very strange. But I suspect citrus notes are a part of this F3. We'll see what happens if we get a short string of high 80s-low 90s days. On the good side, there are lots of flowers and a fair fruit set on the cherries and the slicers. Will the slicers ripen in time? Debateable with this crazy weather.

[vegomatic]

Crazy is right, we have been baking in the heat for weeks. The ample rain has just made it muggy. Much drier this past week, what a time for our well to give us problems. We squeeked by, but did lose a few things.

I finally have 2 ripe fruits from the SG F4. They're waiting on the counter, giving them an extra day just to be sure. The plant has sprawled, I'll try to get some plant pics, but not sure what can be seen in the jungle. It's in my "low-maintenance" bed; I'm only pruning diseased branches and not doing much staking or tying either. I really only need a few fruits to save some seed from, the other varieties are extras, so I'm seeing how they do with minimal care.

The other SG growouts are finally ripening also, so I should have a good sampling of this season's luck-o-the-draw sometime next week. Out of 7 different growouts, only one is down for the count. I may feel sympathetic and dig it up for overwintering, it's so tiny and far behind the others, it will still fit in a 10" pot.

So far, the results have been good, better than previous years' growout tests. SG F1 just keeps on making the same tasty gems every season, so I don't personally think results are skewed by the weather. I may be able to drop the F2 plantings next year and plant mostly F4/F5 tests, plus the F1, of course!

-Ed

[maryinoregon]

Nice to be able to talk with someone who has already done what I am doing. I have one plant producing red fruit. Not ripe yet, so must wait. My miniature is producing slightly elongated fruits with pointed tips. Waiting on color so far.

After unseasonably cool week, we should hit around 85 F. today and stay in low 80s rest of the week. Night temps have been around 50 and a bit over. What a season!!! I have some plants that are not even knee length and those that are growing normally. I think the small plants are small because of the outrageously changeable weather we have had this summer. Really wondering how I will do harvest wise. I do know that some plants that usually grow quite well are not going to produce much, unless I get a miracle. I believe in miracles though, so you never know.

[vegomatic]

Hi Mary,

It's been the opposite here, with temps 7 or more degrees above average. A 107 degree record high was set yesterday in the city 30 miles from here. At 5,000 feet, we are always cooler than there, but that sun sure seems harsher.

OTOH, we had a series of late frosts that one of my beds really suffered from. They are still small and in green tom stage. Out of 30 varieties, I've so far had ripe fruits from maybe a dozen kinds. One SG F3 took such a frost hit, it's almost a miniature plant!

Overall though, my season is well ahead of other years. Our first ripe Sungold (F1) was picked July 5th. Usually I don't get any ripe fruits till about now or even later in August.

To beat the heat in the gh, I installed some reflective insulation panels inside the roof. It did reduce the glare of the sun and the temps inside enough that going in there was pleasant and not torture. Unfortunately, it also seemed to slow down ripening. I've removed a few panels to let more light in, that seemed to help almost immediately, as several toms started turning just a day or two after.

My F4 plant is a dud, as I suspected it might be. The fruits are somewhat larger with some variability as to shape. The color is deeper orange. Tasted at this color stage, they seem still unripe; tart and unpalatable. SG F1 is the old standby, flavor is great and just like we're used to. The F2's are more yellow and pleasant-tasting, but not a match to the original. One of last year's selections, an F3, is the closest match so far, but still not a perfect copy.

I'll try to get some pics of things later today.

-Ed

[vegomatic]

Finally got a ripened plateful each of the three SG growouts I've been referring to and some pics to go along.

Once the F4 grape/currant type fully ripened, they are not so bad as early taste tests showed. They look similar to grocery-store grape toms, but to me have better flavor. The yellowish F2's continue to be sweeter than SG, with fruits a bit smaller and more egg or teardrop shaped. All the plants in this bed are short, so I don't think I can truthfully say one or another is normal or dwarf. They're certainly way behind my gh-grown F1 plants in height.

Here's fruits from the three successions: Left, F1; right, F2 with F4 on the top.


These are three F1 plants in the greenhouse, so close together they look bushier. They're easily over 6-feet tall, the gh ceiling is 7 feet.


I have two F2 selections, they're both similar to this one and about 3 or so feet high:


Some of the F2 fruits, at first color they are very yellow. Many of the fruits are egg-shaped, to almost grape:


Another F2 truss, more ripe than the previous pic. Note the green shoulders on the unripe ones:


A truss from the F4 plant. Larger, redder, grape-shaped fruits. They are also darker at first ripening.


A second truss from the F4 plant:


A second F4 (no pic) has just put first blush on a couple fruits. They are yellow like the F2's. A spindly F3 in the gh is very sweet, appearance closer to the F1 (no pics).

Here's a very sorry-looking F3. It's yet to produce anything. Out in the open, it's been bashed by everything this season tossed at it, from freezes to heatwaves to hailstorms. The seeds were started about the same time as the others. I may have to overwinter this one to see any fruit, poor thing!


So far, we have no perfect clones of SG, but each has their merits. I'm saving seeds from all and will continue the growouts next season.

-Ed

[maryinoregon]

I don't have a camera to post pics, but I can say with certainty that almost all the plants are producing tomatoes that look like Sun Gold and ALMOST taste like it. The bit of tartness is still there. Maybe I should say it has a tiny bite to it. The bite is not offensive. In fact, I rather like it. I keep picking and eating them and have even given some away. So I guess I better save some seeds.

The two plants producing red cherries are also good. the round red cherry tastes very close to the orange cherries. The slightly pointed red cherry doesn't taste as good. This one is the miniature. At least, it has not grown big. I should take out a tape measure and get a good idea of length. It can't be more than a foot high.

I look forward to growing the F4s next summer. If they taste this good and they remain stable, I will absolutely distribute them. I wonder what other tomato fans will think?

[maryinoregon]

I was just thinking about my other cherries. I am growing Blondkopfchen and Peacevine Cherry. Blondkopfchen has no taste. It seems a waste of space. Peacevine Cherry has a solid tomatoey taste. The Sun Gold F3s have obvious fruit flavor. Where the tiny bite comes from, who knows? But I like it. I don't think it has quite the depth of flavor as Sun Gold Hybrid, but then, what does?