Cherry Tomato
Sungold is an F1 hybrid cherry tomato that brings sunshine to summer gardens with abundant golden-orange fruits and remarkably concentrated sweetness. This indeterminate vine grows 60 to 84 inches tall and matures in about 65 days from transplant, rewarding gardeners with prolific harvests across hardiness zones 2 through 11. The variety thrives in full sun with moderate water and well-draining soil, making it equally at home in garden beds, raised planters, containers, or hanging baskets. Its stellar disease resistance package and vigorous growth habit have made it a staple for both home gardeners and farmers' market growers.
18-24 inches between plants
Full Sun
Moderate
?-?
84in H x ?in W
Annual
High
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Few cherry tomatoes deliver the concentrated sweetness that Sungold achieves year after year. The vines produce an abundance of fully orange fruits that pack nutrients and antioxidants including lycopene, earning their reputation as nutritious snacks harvested straight from the plant. The variety handles significant disease pressure, resisting Fusarium Wilt (both races), Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Tomato Mosaic Virus, and Verticillium Wilt, while showing tolerance to Blossom End Rot. Its indeterminate growth means the plant keeps producing through the season, and it adapts seamlessly to containers, raised beds, greenhouses, and traditional garden plots.
Sungold tomatoes are harvested and eaten fresh as sweet, nutritious snacks straight off the vine, celebrated for the moment when the first ripe, juicy tomato of summer arrives. Their high lycopene content supports healthy eyesight, cardiovascular health, and cancer-fighting capacity. These cherry tomatoes are equally valued by home gardeners for immediate consumption and by fresh-market producers who rely on their prolific yields and consistent flavor for direct sales.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before outdoor night temperatures reliably reach 50 to 55°F. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart in seed starting mix, keeping the soil moist but not soggy. Maintain very warm conditions at 80°F for germination. Once seedlings emerge and reach 2 inches tall, transplant into individual 4-inch pots and maintain temperatures around 70°F. Provide strong light sources to prevent leggy growth, and feed with half-strength fertilizer every 2 weeks until ready to plant outside.
Transplant seedlings to the garden when night temperatures are reliably in the 50 to 55°F range and all frost danger has passed. Plant tomatoes several inches deeper than they were growing in containers to encourage stronger root development. Space plants 36 inches apart, setting sturdy stakes or cages in place at planting time to support the indeterminate growth habit.
Pick fruits when they are fully orange in color; the variety produces an abundance throughout the growing season. Harvest when fully ripe for best flavor, and do not refrigerate immediately after picking, as cold storage diminishes the sweetness and complex character you've worked to grow.
As an indeterminate variety that grows tall with heavy fruit loads, Sungold benefits from sturdy support systems rather than aggressive pruning. Provide strong stakes or tall wire cages at planting time, and monitor the plant's growth throughout the season, tying stems loosely as needed to prevent sprawling.
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