My two choices for cheeries will always be Sungold and Black Cherry, but they are both indeterminate so need a large container or a spot on the ground. I would put them in the ground. My next choice would be a black, maybe Carbon. Sungold is usually one of the first to produce in my garden and it was still producing when frost hit.

I live in a very shady place so very little of my garden gets sun all day, but all of it gets sun for part of the day. Sometimes I would like more sun, but in the middle of summer it usually gets plenty and a little shade probably helps.

I would probably find a couple that I really liked and try to start them from seed. In the past we have had plenty to share at the swap, but a late cold snap could take out our own plants and we would have to use our extras, so it isn't a sure thing that you can depend on every year. It is very rewarding to start you own if you have a place.

I am sure Dawn will have lots of ideas to share, but DON'T ask her for her favorite 10. LOL

My 2 best cherries last year were supersweet100 and lemon drop. The lemondrop gets really large and produces it head off. I know you are going to hear alot about the purple or black tomatoes but heres a list of the ones that did'nt do well for me last year....Cherokee purple, Prudens Purple, and Black Krim, although the black krim did produce some. Brandywine and Granny smith just took up space. My best producers were Early Girl, Big Beef,Super Sioux,Better Boy, BIG bOY,Cluster Goliath, Boxcar Willie,Rutgers Select and Bloody Butcher.Oh, and, Jetsetter did well for me plus a few others I can't think of right now. Keep in mind that last year was my first year at this place and my garden started from an unimproved field which turned to concrete during the summer. Also, the ones that did'nt do well for me might be someone elses best producer so you just have to try some different types and see whats going to work for you.

What swap are you refering to?

Trees4ok,
Each spring we get together to swap plants, eat, and have a good time. P-mac has organized it for the last two years. It's a bit early for planning, but keep your eye out.

Carol, my choice for "cheeries" is to read your cute little replies! Heehee!

Susan, who's hoping for a "cheerier" growing season in 2012!

I will try to post a list later. Most people like Sungold hybrid. Black Cherry isn't a heavy producer here. Two of the best producers here have been Sweet Treats hybrid and an accidental cross I'm still trying to stabilize I refer to as Texas Star Cherry cross. In my opinion both are close to as good as Black Cherry and produce 3-4 times as many fruit. One I planted last summer late and got to eat a few fruit from was another hybrid called WOW. The few I ate had very good flavor. I will know more about it after this year. I'm also growing a Sungold cross named Ambrosia Gold that some say is the best Sungold cross they have tried. I will address the other classes later. Also will be listing a rough draft of my 2012 list. Still working on cutting it down to size.

Tigerdawn,

All of us can suggest varieties that we believe posses the qualities for which you're searching, but remember that the main reason to grow any specific variety (or to not grow it) is its flavor. Since flavor is subjective and each individual's taste buds experience flavor differently, what you'll need to focus on in the long term is the varieties whose flavor appeals to you and your DH's taste buds, and that's something you learn by trial and error. Each of us has varieties that our taste buds love, and other varieties our specific taste buds don't love quite as much. Having said that, I can list some varieties that perform well in our heat and which have flavor that our family likes.

For bite-sized tomatoes, I agree with Carol's two choices. If I could grow only two bite-sized tomatoes, I'd grow SunGold (or SunSugar, which tastes identical to my tastebuds but doesn't crack as much) and Black Cherry. They both perform exceptionally well in the ground and I don't put them in containers. However, there are lots of other great ones, and here's a few:

Matt's Wild Cherry
Ildi (yellow grape)
Mountain Magic (Campari-sized, produced well here in last summer's heat)
Sweet Treats (pink)
Tess's Land Race Currant (red currant with occasional pinkish-gold or orangeish fruit)
Sweet Million
Fargo

For containers, these varieties are recommended:
Red Tumbling Tom
Yellow Tumbling Tom
Husky Red Cherry (skin is kinda thick, but that prevents cracking, so I can live with it)
Red Robin (dwarf)
Orange Pixie (dwarf)
Yellow Canary (dwarf)
Sweet Baby Girl (in a compact indeterminate and performs well in containers)
Black Plum (amazing flavor)

For early tomatoes, you cannot go wrong with these:

Fourth of July (very early and very prolific producer)
Sophie's Choice
Glacier
Mountain Princess
Early Goliath
Cluster Goliath
New Big Dwarf

For mid-season tomatoes:
Jaune Flammee'
Gary O Sena
JD's Special C-Tex
Black Krim, Carbon or Black From Tula for a good black tomato
Cherokee Purple or Indian Stripe (they are very similar)
Dana's Dusty Rose
Goliath
Momotaro
Rutgers
Brandy Boy
Better Bush

For late season:
Sioux or Super Sioux
Nepal
Traveler 76, Arkansas Traveler or Burgundy Traveler
Mortgage Lifter
Porter or Porter Improved

For paste tomatoes:
San Marzano Redorta
Heidi
Heinz 1439
Opalka
Martino's Roma
Viva Italia

For Beefsteaks:

Big Boy
Big Beef
Pink Ponderosa
Neve's Azorean Red
Beefmaster
Stump of the World
Royal Hillbilly

RISKY BUT POTENTIALLY WORTH IT: Brandywine. It often is hard to get this one to set fruit in our climate, but the flavor is so superb that it is worth growing, although I'd likely save it for a rainier year when an El Nino is expected and not in a drier year like they're saying we'll have in 2012.

I wouldn't judge any tomato variety solely on how it performed in 2011 because the weather was so atrocious and tomatoes' peformance varies a lot depending on the weather.

The lumpy stems you're referring to could be (if they were lumpy above ground) root initials that can develop into adventitious roots, and they often are a sign of stress. When a plant is struggling to take up enough water and nutrition, you'll often see plants form these little rootlets. You can see them when plants are very dry, when soil is so wet in interferes with uptake or when plants are contained in containers too small for them. If the rootlets can make contact with soil, they'll usually root into the ground to help sustain the plants. Some varieties seem to form adventitious roots more easily than others. If you're talking about lumpy galls on the below-ground portion of the plant roots, that could signal root knot nematodes.

Whether it is worth your while to grow your own seedlings just depends on the time and space you have available and on how much you do or don't enjoy growing seedlings indoors under lights. I love growing my own and plenty of extras for friends, but not everyone has the time or space to do that, or the desire to do it. Do what makes you happy and what works for you.

Carol, You know me too well. I think I could come up with my Favorite 100 fairly easily though.

Telow, I grow a lot of blacks and their performance can vary a lot with the weather. I am hoping 2012 is a better year for black tomatoes than 2011 was.

Trees4OK, We have a Spring Fling/Plant Swap every spring, usually towards the end of April. Traditionally it has been held in OKC, but this year it may be held in the Tulsa area. Everyone brings their extra plants to trade and swap or simply to give away, and we bring food and have a covered dish luncheon. Some folks bring door prizes. It is always an amazing event with lots of fun for everyone.

Dawn

Thank you everyone for your input!

The lumpy stems were like warts or galls on the largest stems of the plant. It was Big Black Heart.

For us, anything better than a storebought tomato is good for flavor!

I think I'll save my indoor light space for some other stuff and take my chances with the plants I can find at various places. Maybe when I get a few more seasons under my belt I'll be bolder.

Tigerdawn - I sent you an e-mail thru this page. Let me know if you don't receive it.

Ahhh....yes. Growing season MUST be close! We're all talking about our "lists"......doesn't it just warm your heart? (and your Wish-list, and your To-Do list, and your "Garden Budget" list...etc.) ha!

Paula

Tigerdawn, Those warts are the root initials I was referring to, and some varieties seem to get tons of them while others don't.

Paula, Before long, we'll need a list of all our lists just so we can keep them straight.
Dawn

Susan, I see you are still proof reading my post....thanks, someone needs to. It seems I don't anymore. Well, I do need new glasses. LOL

Carol, you know I luv ya!

TigerDawn - I grew a 'Jelly Bean' currant one year (I think it is a currant, Dawn?). Grew it from seed. Love the intense sweet flavor of these. Drawback was they fruited in clusters, but not all ripened at the same time. Makes it difficult to quickly harvest them because of their tiny size. Kids loved them, tho. I was looking for a currant with clusters that ripened at the same time, and Hawaiian Currant was said to do that.....assuming we believe all the hype about certain varieties. Didn't get it planted last year, so I don't know. But, that is one of the traits of a currant that I was looking for, so just thought I might throw that out there.

Susan