(Not) Earl's Green Cherry - a keeper

[applestar]

(not) Earl's Green Cherry -- I started several seeds from an envelope marked Earl's Green Cherry received in trade. They were vigorous seeds and all of them came up. I ended up keeping 3 plants. First to fruit had fruits that were extra-large cherry size and 2nd to fruit had fruits that were mini-cherry size. Neither of them were the correct size. As the season progressed, the 2nd to fruit has increased fruit size to normal cherry tomato size (about 1" diameter) and is ripening green and amber. I believe this to be the true Earl's Green Cherry.

The other, larger fruits often throw mega-blooms, doubling their already large fruit size, and these ripen red but has an interesting amber colored starburst at the blossom end that sometimes radiates up like faint stripes. I didn't realize it was unusual until I noticed that the other all red varieties are solid red and don't have this pattern:

4 (not)Earl's Green Cherry in the back showing the starburst pattern; Solid red Manõ, Kootenai, and Ubiquany in front for comparison

78ca7d06dbc6104d779f4fc98dd0286d.jpg (49.98 KiB) Viewed 1066 times

The flavor of these (not) tomatoes are excellent -- bold assertive fill your mouth with juice, with secondary sweetness that surprisingly comes from the relatively thin skin as you chew. I tend not to like tomato skin and peel them, but I'm keeping these on.

The plant was very productive and early to set fruit starting low on the vine. They all ripened at once so this may be determinate, but I haven't verified that the fruit trusses terminate the shoots.

The fruits on the third plant hasn't blushed/ripened yet, but they seem to be growing larger than the normal cherry size, so I just might have another (not) plant.

[imafan26]

Sometimes accidents are happy discoveries.

[sheeshshe]

neat! I wonder what it is! I wonder if it is a hybrid of sorts? Will you try and save the seeds and regrow some next year?

[applestar]

I am, but it looks like what they call an "accidental bee cross" -- I have a second plant that I planted ater and it is producing fruits that are much larger -- more of a saladette or ping pong ball size but not as sweet. If it's a cross, then next generation is not likely to be the same... But one can hope.

[Juliuskitty]

If it is a cross and you have the room, about 50% will still be the same so you can keep selecting for it until stable. Who knows, the others might be delicious and beautiful too.
What was the original Earl's planted next or near to. That will be the likely pollen donor.

[sheeshshe]

I am anxious to follow this! I hope you get lots more of these next year!