Early to mature and ripen Cherry varieties

[xellos99]

Looking for early to mature and ripen cherry varieties.

Anyone come across some varieties that were particularly early into flowering and actual harvest.

I have only ever grow one variety of cherry before and that is gardeners delight.

But this year I did GD and Sungold.

The Sungold are considerably earlier into flowering, maybe by two weeks.

That is huge in my climate and massively desirable because harvesting is cut cruelly short every year just as things are getting good.

All of a sudden nothing ripens anymore and it is heart breaking.

[bad.kelpie]

Indigo Cherry Drops is my first to ripen every year, and it has good flavor.

[Labradors2]

Jagodka is a compact red cherry that ripens early. Tania's site says that it ripens in 70-80 days.

Linda

[Worth1]

Galina's
It is yellow.
It is from Siberia.
http://www.tomatogrowers.com/GALINAS/productinfo/5882/

[AlittleSalt]

xellos99, I love growing cherry tomatoes. You are in Wales UK. First we need to understand the weather there. https://weather.com/weather/monthly/...6dde85b1e928db
I clicked on that site May through September. Any advice I could offer you compared to where I garden in Texas would be completely wrong. I am interested in learning how you garden there.

[KarenO]

All of the KARMA cherries are quite early. About 60-65 DTM
KarenO

[xellos99]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

xellos99, I love growing cherry tomatoes. You are in Wales UK. First we need to understand the weather there. https://weather.com/weather/monthly/...6dde85b1e928db
I clicked on that site May through September. Any advice I could offer you compared to where I garden in Texas would be completely wrong. I am interested in learning how you garden there.

Everyone I know uses a glasshouse or hoop house and start the seeds indoors very early. I currently start them in February but mid March - early April is much more common.

First grow them either on a windowsill, or using lights.

( best way by far is a conservatory - I think in America they have different name. It is like building an extra structure onto your house that is mostly glass and making it part of your home with a door. So it is like having a room in your house that is essentially a big heated glasshouse.

In the day I put the plants out into the glasshouse and back inside at night.

By the time I plant them in the glasshouse properly it is early May - mid May and there is still a chance of frost even then. I use a heater on a thermostat to combat this and turn it on when low temps are forecast.

They are going into flowering about this time and about 12 inches high after planting quite deep.

This is the earliest possible way to get them into production but it is hard work because you have to nanny them full time to keep them alive.

When I first started growing them I started them much later and I got my first ripe tomato on August 28th and they stopped ripening completely in very early October so I had just over 1 month of picking ripe toms. They were a mid season medium size variety.

Since then I have been starting them earlier and earlier to try and get a longer harvest period.

I have pollinated several flowers on Sungold F1 starting on May 4th this year so I hope this year to have harvest period of mid June to Early October.
Two and a half months longer than my first attempt.

[zipcode]

Most cherries are quite early, around 60 days dtm, a big problem is that only a few fruit are early really, it still takes time to take off.
But if you want truly early, try Gold Nugget. It is a determinate, and it really grows a lot better than most in the spring, while it's cold. And has a lot of early cherries, not just a few. I grow Galina every year being one of the top 2 best tasting cherries, and it is early, but by the time it produced 10 fruit Gold Nugget already produced 100.

[NarnianGarden]

Yes, agree that Gold Nugget is a sure bet. It thrives in cool conditions.

[xellos99]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

Yes, agree that Gold Nugget is a sure bet. It thrives in cool conditions.

Yes I can get the seeds for that here so will buy some to try next year.

[xellos99]

Just to demonstrate the improvement in development rate between GD and Sungold.

GD. No open flowers at all.

F2.jpg

Sungold. Can see a small tomato growing.

F1.jpg

[Labradors2]

Why not try a micro? Red Robin is early, and can be grown in a gallon-sized pot. Easy to lug in and out.

Linda

[gdaddybill]

Jasper F1 is a monster plant and it produces until frost in South Central Texas. It's also very good.

[xellos99]

Originally Posted by gdaddybill

Jasper F1 is a monster plant and it produces until frost in South Central Texas. It's also very good.

Unfortunately cannot find supplier in my country except for a seed merchant who only sells commercially to farms.

[bower]

Peacevine is quite an early red cherry that we like. Kimberley is another one, extra early to flower and set, but if it's really cold they won't set up any faster than the average 'early' ones. They aren't as sweet as GD but they have lots of flavor.

I should remember to grow a Sungold next time I have a bunch of cherries to grow, just to benchmark how early they are really. I think you're going to be pleased with the taste and production on Sungold - it is really outstanding.
There is nothing more disappointing than a plant that loads up early, and then you find the fruit are not worth eating.


Just from memory, Peacevine and Sungold duked it out for first ripe, within days of each other. Black Cherry and Galinas would be a good ten days later than that.