Sungold Tomato
When choosing a variety of tomato to grow it can always be hard. There are red, yellow and even black tomatoes to choose from with over 10000 varieties to choose from. Some of the most popular to grow are Roma, Moneymaker, Alicante, Marmande Tomatoes. These however are all red tomatoes. A popular tomato to try and grow is Sungold, and from the name you can guess these are actually yellow tomatoes.
One of the main reason why Sungold tomato are popular to grow is that they are a common yellow tomato which you wont find in supermarkets, they are juicy and they are easy to grow with great crop results.
In this article we will be explaining how to grow Sungold tomatoes, tips for growing them successfully, how to care for them plus lots more.
Find out about different tomato varieties here.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Sungold Tomato History
The Sungold tomato is a cherry sized tomato and was only introduced in 1992 so it is not that old. These originally come from Japan and are a F1 hybrid but the parents of the tomato that it was produced from have not been disclosed.
What are the health benefits of Sungold Tomato
Tomatoes are a healthy option for meals and drinks. Tomatoes have many great nutrients in them. They are a great source of Vitamin C and other antioxidants. They help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
How to grow Sungold Tomato
When growing your yellow Sungold cherry tomatoes its good to know where you are actually going to plant them and grow them. This is key before you even sow your sungold tomato seeds or purchase the plants. Choose somewhere warm, ideally a greenhouse or a polytunnel as the tomatoes prefer warmth and the humidity. In this guide we will give you a step by step process of growing moneymaker tomato plants from sowing the seeds, potting on the plants and harvesting the tomatoes.
When to sow, plant and harvest Sungold Tomato
Here is an easy table to show you the dates you need for your tomatoes. This chart is for the UK – remember that this is a guide and will all depend on the weather and how warm it is.
| Sow | February to April |
| Plant | May – June |
| Harvest | July to October |
Best place to grow Sungold Tomato
A greenhouse or polytunnel is the perfect spot for growing your Sungold tomatoes in as the temperature will be better for them and the humidity is ideal for the tomato plants. You will get bigger and healthier plants in the greenhouse. The sufficient amount of tomato plants to grow is around 6 plants. This will provide you with enough crops from July up to October.
Best soil to grow Sungold Tomato
To grow great Sungold tomatoes you are best growing them in compost or grow bags. In a grow bag you can fit around 3 plants in. You can always purchase a bag of compost and put them in large plant pots just make sure the pots have drainage holes in for the tomato plants.
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How to sow Sungold Tomato seeds
To sow sungold tomato seeds is an easy process which anyone could do even children will love to help you sow your seeds. I have included a video on how I sow Sungold tomato seeds.
First you need a seed tray with a layer of compost in. Sprinkle the tomato seeds evenly across the top of the compost then cover with another layer of compost. Sprinkle the compost with water – do not over water them. If it is still cold in your greenhouse you can cover the seed tray with a layer of cling film. This will keep the soil warm and moist and help germination.
Planting your Sungold Tomato
It will take around 14 days for your tomato seeds to germinate. Leave the plants until they get quite big in the seed tray – around 8cm tall. Once they are big enough to handle you can pot them on into plant pots to grow and develop further – you only need plant pots that are around 8cm. Keep watering the tomatoes on a regular basis and keep them in a sunny position in the greenhouse. Always pot up more tomatoes than you actually need just in case any die – you can always give friends and family spare ones.
When the sungold tomato plants grow to around 15cm in height they will be ready to pot onto there final growing space. Either plant them in grow bags – usually you can get three in a grow bag. The other option is to grow them in a big container and add your own compost or a flower bucket. Just make sure there is drainage holes in the bottom or you could water log your tomatoes.
Looking after your Sungold Tomato
When growing any variety of tomato plant they require a lot of love and attention to get great crops.
One of the main jobs in looking after your Sungold tomato plants is to keep them watered they are extremely thirsty plants especially in the warm summer months. They often require a drink of water every day. In extreme hot weather they might want a drink in the morning and at night.
Make sure that you support your Sungold tomato plant by placing a cane in the ground at the side to fasten it too as they are top heavy and can snap. You would not want to loose all your produce from the plant if it snaps and breaks.
As the Sungold tomato plant is growing keep snapping off any side shoots that grow this then lets the plant put in all the energy into growing the tomatoes on the main stem.
If you notice any yellow leaves growing on the plant these can be cut off just in case they are diseased.
How to feed Sungold Tomato
Your Marmande tomatoes will require regualr feeding to get great crops from the plants. The most common ideal tomato feed is a liquid tomato feed. This is often give once a week when the plants are flowering. When the tomatoes are setting on the plant you can feed them twice a week. This will give you bumper crops and much healthy plants.
Below is a link to the recommended product we suggest for feeding your tomatoes.
Harvesting Sungold Tomato
The best part of growing Sungold tomatoes is when the time comes to harvest them. The tomatoes taste absolutely gorgeous. You won’t just end up eating one but lots. When one turns yellow they will all start turning yellow. Pick the tomato off when it is fully ripe do not leave too long or it will go soft and split. If it is at the end of the season and they are not ripening hang some banana skins in the greenhouse or pick them and put them and place them in a draw with a banana.
Sungold Tomato Pests and Diseases
As with most tomatoes Moneymaker tomatoes are still prone to be affected by pests and dieases. These include:-
Moneymaker Tomato Pests:-
The pests which are common to affecting Moneymaker tomatoes are:-
- Aphids
- Leaf Beatles
- Slugs
- Snails
All bugs can be prevented from attacking your crops.
Moneymaker Tomato Diseases:-
Moneymaker tomatoes can be affected by late blight this is when the disease is spread by soil that has been hit by the water and splashed onto the plants. When watering make sure you are careful and don’t have too much pressure on the hose or watering can. If you were to spot any plants that have been affected by blight remove them immediately as it can kill crops overnight if not controlled.
Purchase Sungold Tomato Plants and Seeds
Here you can purchase your Sungold tomato seeds and plants though our website. The links will take you to Amazon so you know it is safe to purchase.
Seeds:- The link below you can purchase Sungold seeds these are the best ones worth growing where you will have great success.
Plants:- Here you can purchase Sungold tomato plants that are already growing so it saves you the hassle of sowing the seeds:-
Sungold Tomato Questions
Here we answer some of those Sungold questions that you may have.
Do you pinch out Sungold Tomato?
You will be required to pinchout Sungold tomato plants as the grow taller.
How tall do Sungold Tomatoes grow?
Sungold Tomato plants can grow upto a massive 10 foot high so make sure you have plenty of room to grow them.
How do you know when a Sungold Tomato is ripe?
A sungold tomato will be ripe when it is a nice golden yellow. The sungold tomatoes do not turn red they turn yellow.
