Are Cherry Toms Different?

I don't grow a whole lot of cherry tomatoes; usually just one plant for Friend Wife, who likes them with her lunch.

However, I've noticed that cherry tomato seed behaves differently. I plant it they same time and way as all other tomatoes, but it grows differently. Here are various findings:

1. Considerably lower germination rates.
2. Longer time to develop true leaves.
3. Tendency to grow spindly and leggy.
4. Subject to strange diseases and conditions.

So far, at least three of these problems have occured with every variety I've tried.

Is it just me? Or are cherry tomatoes more difficult to grow.

I can't tell much difference Brook. The only one I had any germination problems with was Isis Candy (50%) Everything else has been pretty much normal for me. They have been among some of my hardiest plants and seem to even grow a little faster than regular sized tomatoes. I've grown Steakhouse(red) Chello(deep gold) Sweet Million(yeah,I know...I know...but that was years ago) I usually just have a plant or two,but they pretty much look and act like the others until they start to bloom and then you can tell by the bloom size and arrangement that they are cherries.

Isis Candy is one of the varieties I had trouble with, Melody.

Planted 18 seeds and got 3 to germinate. These are very leggy---they keep growing into the lights, in fact. Yet, they are just now putting out true leaves, even though they germinated on the 19th. I repotted them today---they were more than 3" tall with true leaves just popping.

Also set seeds for Riesentraube this year. Again, 18 seeds. Two of them germinated, but one never really took off. That is, the cotyletes barely broke through, and then the plant went nowhere. So that was 1 for 18.

Last year I tried Grandma Brown, and won't begin to describe the problems I had with it.

But, like I said, I set seed and all that exactly the way I do with all the other tomatoes.

Is a definate puzzlement.

Brook
This year I planted grape tomato seeds for the first time. They did take longer to germinate, but the germination rate was the same as the others (80%). They did take longer to set true leaves. The others I planted at the same time, I repotted at least a week before the grapes needed repotting. And also my grapes do seem a little leggy. I assumed they were just a more willowy, delicate plant. But in all honesty they are catching up nicely with my brandywines and siouxs. Hope this helps.
Jan

I went and looked at my cherries and compared them to the other plants.I have several this year. The plants are just a wee bit more delicate than the regular sized ones,but there seems to be about the same interval between the sets of leaves and they are roughly the same size as the others too.

Of all of them,Isis Candy seem to be the runts of the litter.They look healthy,but look to be about 10 days behind the rest of the group. I'm growing the IC,Chello and Dr. Carolyn Pink this year.I can't tell the Chello's from the regular sized ones unless I look at the tag and the Dr.C is just a little smaller than that.

I've had no diseases at all and my cherries usually start producing before the first of June,so I can't complain there either.

raised several last year all did good but iris candy wouldn't have one on the place again grape is a little slow but oh the taste they make up for it and they will need good suport

I only started cherry and plum, but they seem to germinate the same. They do not grow as fast later, but I just went and looked to be sure and the stems are good and sturdy, not different at all and the leaves seem to come about the same time. The grape ones I did one year I had trouble with damping off, but I think that was me not the seeds. : ) So no idea what it could be.