I've grown SunGold yearly since they were first introduced. Mid to late 1990's. They always split when August hits here. If I pick a few days early, rinse and dry them QUICKLY, they can make it. Otherwise it's Crack City.

What is your seed source? Are you sure you are growing SunGold? Based on your photos they look SunGold to me but they could be something similar but not SunGold.

Do you have morning dew? Fog? High dew points? That's what seems to bring on my SunGold cracking.

Hello Bigdaddy,

Yes, the above is definately Sungold. I have two sources....Burpee and Tomato Growers Supply....both sources produce the same type cherry tomato. We heavy extremely heavy dew each morning. The dew is so intense, it is similiar to having received a rain shower.

Jay

This year has been exceptionally dry here and my Sungolds haven't split as much as normal. But when we do get a good rain the ripe ones will indeed split open.

Yes, my Sungold have always split too and then the little flies come around and its a real mess when the "baby flies" start hatching, yummy :P

I was reading somewhere that Craig was working on making Sungold open pollinated might have that info all wrong though, lol Anyway, wouldn't it be nice if this splitting could be breed out of them or at least be reduce.

Hello, my sungold's only split if i let them get to the golden color, i have been picking them when they are between the rich yellow color and just before they turn that golden color and that seems to work for me.

I was reading somewhere that Craig was working on making Sungold open pollinated might have that info all wrong though, lol Anyway, wouldn't it be nice if this splitting could be breed out of them or at least be reduce.

*****

No, Craig hasn't been working on dehybridizing Sungold to the OP state. He, like many others, has fooled around with it , but since a red currant tomato is one of the genetic contributors ( contributes the flat truss trait) most folks tend to get a lot of red offspring and when they do get some orange offspring they just haven't tasted that good.

It's already been done by Reinhard Kraft in Germany. He's released what he calls Sungold Select, and Sungold Select II and both are OP.

Opinions are very mixed as to how close they come to the F1 Sungold, but Sungold Select II seems closest.

Carolyn

A tale of two cities. Here they split. There they don't.

The older I get I find there is far more mystery in the world than there is science...:)

How can I get seeds of Sungold Select II

How can I get seeds of Sungold Select II

*****

I haven't researched sources lately. Sorry

So I'd start with a Google search, and then try those sites that aren't scanned by Google such as mariseeds.com and Marianne used to carry it, or try Tomatofest.com if Marianne isn't still carrying it.

Carolyn

Korey,

Here is a Canadian company that sells Sungold OP and Sungold Select >> Solana Seeds

Try Sun Sugar. In most respects they are identical to Sun Gold but crack much less. Keep in mind that less cracking usually means that the skins are tougher. The only tomato that I've grown that wouldn't crack under any circuumstance was Husky Gold, a dwarf plant with midsize fruit. Those tomatoes had a skin like shoe leather.

So be careful what you ask for. If you have moisture forming on the fruits as Bigdaddy mentioned then ripe fruits are prone to crack. I remember picking a half bu. of these Sun Golds in a high tunnel last year and I set them outside ( in rain) for a few minutes while I picked other tomatoes. When I came to load them they were just about all cracked. But if you can keep them dry ( don't even rinse them until using) you can get by.

Thanks Dr. Carolyn I'm a wealth of misinformation I see, lol I read so much online about tomatoes I get the stories mixed. :)

I would like to try that Sungold Select ll but next year it's Galina and Dr. Carolyn for my cherry tomatoes just so much room darnit.

I agree with Moser about SunSugar ... great gold cherry tomato that doesn't split in this garden. In fact, they're absolutely beautiful, delicious and on a par with Galinas and Sungold in my book.

BrazosValley and I were discussing, in another thread or at another board, how prone Sungold is to splitting, and I had shown some pics of a Sungold cross that split horribly if left to get dead ripe. BrazosValley told me his Sungolds never split like that down in his Texas garden and I just could hardly believe it considering how much rain they've had between San Antonio, Austin, Waco and Dallas.

Well, he sure has proven his point ... but I'm so locked into SunSugar now, I doubt I'll go back to Sungold anyhow.

Thanks Dr. Carolyn I'm a wealth of misinformation I see, lol I read so much online about tomatoes I get the stories mixed. :)

*****

Not to worry about it. ( smile)

I just received an e-mail from someone who had a wrong variety and to whom I offered correct seeds and I absolutely cannot remember where he posted about that wrong variety.

It's often called information overload.

I would appreciate it very much if you and others here at GW would refer to me as Carolyn, and not Dr. Male. I've asked this many times in the past so time to do it again.

I am retired as of 1999 b'c of mobility problems which led to the three surgeries this past 2 1/2 years. Sigh. So I'm retired from my professional career and from the first day I posted here back in 2001/2002 I think it was, I've signed every post as Carolyn and hoped that others would also refer to me as Carolyn.

Thanks.

Carolyn

we've had a ton of rain here in chicagoland lately, and i've left plenty of sungold on the plant to see if they crack. no cracks here. marianna's peace cracks like crazy, and so does japanese black treuffle. i've even had a little crackage on the santa f1 growing right next to the sungolds. but no cracks on the sungolds from tgs for me here in 5a.

Hi, Carolyn! You rock! I love your book as much as your posts, Carolyn, thought can only buy your book to give to newbie gardener friends. Thanks, Carolyn!

Okay, now I think I'll remember what you'd like to be called. :D

(oh, and Gardener's Delight kicks Sungold's blossom end in the East Bay of San Francisco Yay Area. Sungolds split, crack, AND drop here!)

Carolyn Quote:
"I would appreciate it very much if you and others here at GW would refer to me as Carolyn, and not Dr. Male. I've asked this many times in the past so time to do it again.

I am retired as of 1999 b'c of mobility problems which led to the three surgeries this past 2 1/2 years. Sigh. So I'm retired from my professional career and from the first day I posted here back in 2001/2002 I think it was, I've signed every post as Carolyn and hoped that others would also refer to me as Carolyn."

My apologies, Carolyn.

My apologies, Carolyn.

******

No apologies needed at all Sunsi.( smile)

There are quite a few folks who post online who have advanced degrees in this or that area but in general you don't know who they are, and some you know quite well as tomato aficianados.

The problem for me is that on the inside back flap of my book I was Ided as Dr. Male, and so some folks have used that, either b'c they thought it was correct or used it as ridicule in some isolated cases.

Similar to some referring to me as The Tomato Queen, which I'm not, no one is, when indeed I like the name given to me years ago as Princess of Pistils. LOL No, don't use that one either. LOL

Well I remember the first post directed to me here at GW as Dr. Male b'c it was posted by MaryPNW b/c she knew me b'c of my book, but very soon, again at my request, I was called Carolyn, as I prefer, by almost everyone.

And no, I'm not going to blow the cover of others here and at other sites whom I know to have Ph.D's, M.D.'s, M.S. degrees and more. ( smile)

And my request to please use my first name only was to everyone , not just you Sunsi. ( smile)

Carolyn

Morning folks,

Just a quick note....you may notice some potato leaf foliage in some of the Sungold photos above but the Sungold is actually regular leafed. The reason for the potato leaf foliage is that Sungold and Brandywine are growing right next to each other and therefore the vines have intermingled with each other. Hence, the only reason I didn't pull Brandywine already is because I didn't want to damage the roots on Sungold.

Jay