Black cherry and sungold tomato plants

I have heard rave reviews about these two varieties. Are they available as plants anywhere? I have seen some online suppliers but am not sure if that is a good choice. Plus, they are a little spendy with shipping. I live in Iowa and have looked at all our chains with garden centers (Lowes, Menards, Walmart, Home Depot, Earl May, Kmart.).

Thanks,
Michelle

Check local nurseries. A couple I found on google were Earl May garden center and The Pumpkin Patch.

have you looked at the SSE website for the public to see if they are offering plants of one or the other? I don't know where my 2012 catalog is right now, but you can go to seedsavers.org or something like that via Google and find them.

Another suggestion is Darrel Jones at Selected Plants.com

But if ordering just two plants I wonder if it's worth it b'c of the shipping costs.

SSE is in IA, so the closet to you and if you're close enough maybe you could enquire and see if you could buy a plant or two right there. They are in Decorah, IA.

Darrel is in Alabama and has a fantasic selection, but it being May now I don't know what he may have left.

Carolyn

If we lived closer, I'd give you one of my Black Cherry plants. They are growing like mad...I'm worried they will outgrow my lights before it gets warm enough here for me to start hardening them off! I started them from seed I got at TomatoFest.com. They don't sell plants, but they seem to cooperate with a nursery that does, and they have Black Cherry plants available:
http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/The%20Little%20Ones.htm

Please note I have not bought any plants from them, so I can't vouch for them.

No kidding, when I pick the Black Cherries for a salad, they rarely make it all the way into the house before they disappear!

Good luck!

Katherine

Michelle, what zone are you in? Is there a chance you could still start your plants from seed? The shipping would be much less. Since those are cherries they grow exceptionally fast and should only take 4-5 weeks from sowing to plant out.

The above link offers some great varieties but you better be setting down when you see the shipping and handling charges. Lol

But, as David said, you might try some local nurseries. They will have a better selection then the big box stores.

My 2012 SSE catalog doesn't show either of those varieties offered as plants. : (

Koshki, what you linked to is Laurel Garza's site in southern Cal which is not a nursery. Laurel got into the plant business, so she says, b'c I inspired her at a message site I used to post at.

And she is partners with Gary Ibsen, whose business is Tomatofest, whom I've known since maybe 1990.

I think that the prices Laurel charges are way too high as are the shipping charges, just by looking at her website from time to time and also from feedback at other message sites where I go from time to time.

Some have had problems getting their plants on time and one time Laurel heard about the gripes about her prices as well as the condition of the plants she sent out, and posted at GW to defend herself, or at least try to.

Recently I've seen no references from others who have bought plants from her, although heaven knows I only post at about four sites. Same for folks who buy seeds from Tomatofest, but again, I can only judge that from feedback at the sites where I post.

Neither one would remain in business if they weren't making money.

All to say that I still think that Darrel Jones site at Selectedplants.com is one of THE best places to go.

But at this time of the year I wonder who has what left right now.

Carolyn

Carolyn,
Sorry, I have not bought any plants from them and don't know anything about their reputation. I had thought that perhaps tomatofest.com sold some plants and went there looking and found the link. I have been happy with the seeds I've purchased from tomatofest.com.

Just trying to be helpful.

Katherine

I had great success getting plants from Laurel before I began growing from seed. (And a few times since when I wanted something that she had and didn't have time to start them.)

I'm glad Carolyn inspired HER to get started, because SHE in turn, inspired me!

That being said, both Sungold and Black Cherry are fairly common these days, so you should still be able to find them in stock. I'm surprised your big box stores don't have the Sungold tomatoes, they do here.

Good luck! And there's always next year!!!

Katherine, I know you were trying to be helpful, as everyone here is when it comes to almost everything tomatoey, but I'm an old lady who has been around the internet for a VERY long time and who knows lots of sites and their owners, some have stayed others have folded, some have excellent reputations, others don't.

Some have a genuine interest in variety preservation and some don't, so it comes down to finding those places where the seed and/or plant prices are reasonable as I see it, and are not in business JUST to make money.

Often it's a very hard call. Sigh.

Carolyn

Those of you who have found them in big box stores, may I ask which ones? Maybe they are getting them here and are gone before I get there.

I purchased a Black Cherry tomato plant from Bonnie Plants at my local Home Depot. Wal-Mart had them too.

Thanks, Toni. I looked there once, but maybe they were out. I will look again!

Locally Sungold is sold EVERYWHERE you can buy tomato plants, from small local nurseries to Home Depot. FOr a while I was selling pints of Sungold's to a local gourmet grocery shop, but when they became more accessible, that was the end of that!

Are we talking about the hybrid type or Sungold Select II the O/P version?

Lisa, the four OP Sungolds out there I doubt would be offered at any commercial place as plants. Indeed few places even offer them as seeds, but I offered Big Sungold Select I think two years ago in my annual seed offer elsewhere and it turned out that the seeds were crossed and Brad Gates had the same result, both of us being sent seeds from Manfred to Reinhard and then to us by Reinhard.

Sungold I
Sungold II ( or Sungold Select, I just can't remember right now)

.......both dehybridized by Reinhard Krat in Germany

Big SunGold
Big Sungold Select

Both sent to Manfred Hahm directly who sells seeds off Reinhards website (all in German)

Carolyn, who suggests that if anyone is interested in the OP versions that I think the first two are best and go to Tania's website to see who might be offering seeds.

Wow, Thank you. I have seeds from Baker Creek for Sungold Select II, but they are a couple yrs old. I do have plants too, but I cant get to them, at the moment, because the ground is so wet. Never thought Id say that about Texas in May!

I dont normally check out tomato plants commercially so I have no idea whats avaliable.

Lisa, last I knew Baker Creek's Sungold Select II was giving lots of red fruited plants. If you check Tania's website are there any other sources for Sungold Select II?

Maybe one of their growers did some new seed production for it recently but you said the seed was a couple of years old.

Carolyn

I didnt get any red fruit, but they arent offering it this year. Yes my seeds are a couple years old. Maybe Ill try some seed saving. lol

Check a Farmers Market. We do a better job of raising & selling plants than big box stores.
We have been selling Black Cherry for a couple of years.
In mid summer we can't have enough for all the people who look for them.

Michelle, if you happen to be traveling up Hwy #60 to Twin Cities, we are right off of it 1 mile.

Bernie

Lisa, the reason Baker Creek wasn't offering this year I'm sure was related to all the comments that the seeds were not correct for the variety.

Carolyn

Hey Bernie,
I am actually heading to Minneapolis for a wedding on June 15. I may have to swing by!

Michelle

I will save you a couple plants.
We sold out of the ones for sale yesterday. Cherry tomatoes are favorites of city people. Snack food at home & then come to market for their salsa tomatoes. Works for me, I like to sell tomatoes.
Another good seller was Tomatoberry.
I sell plants of the same varieties that we use for our own garden. People remember them from buying the fruits last year. We did have a new yellow one this year. We are trying Golden Pearl. We had Gold Nugget last year. No good things to say about it!

What a great photo, CG- your plants are beautiful! I really enjoy reading all of your posts.

Thanks, Bernie! That is super sweet! I will email you when we get our travel plans set. I am excited!!

Michelle