No, Sungold is not a Burpee thing. I actually originally purchased my Sungold Seeds from Burpee, but the last couple packs came from Tomato Growers Supply (TGS) and they are exactly the same.

No, not all Black Cherry seeds are the same. To my knowledge, there are a couple different varieties that people call Black Cherry. Somebody else will need to confirm or deny that for you. I grow the ones from TGS, and they're great.

As for Pinapple and really any of the OP varieties like Cherokee Purple or Black Krim, occasionally you'll find somebody selling seeds that aren't the same as what everybody else is selling under that name, but mostly they are the same everywhere. You just need to do a little research to find reliable suppliers. There have been plenty of threads here discussing that topic.

AND a little extra opinion that you didn't ask for, but I'm giving anyway :) I didn't particularly care for Pinapple, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I've grown Lucky Cross and Little Lucky which were far superior bi-color tomatoes in my garden. Love them. I actually prefer Little Lucky, but mostly because I like the smaller size.

There is only ONE variety that should be called Black Cherry and that's the one bred by Vince Sapp, now deceased husband of Linda Sapp who owns Tomato Growers Supply.

I've grown Black Sweet, a cherry which I don't think is worth growing and last year one called kazachka which is a black cherry that I love, but it's called Kazachka. So I do hope that folks would call the variety Black Cherry by that name and it's the only one with that variety name. ( smile)

BUT, some seed sites grow all their own plants and do their own seed production, some subcontract out for seed production and some buy wholesale off the shelf and some do a combination of those ways of obtaining seeds to sell.

So there will always be some offtypes at ANY seed source that sells primarily OP seed.

For several years I did a WRONG varieties thread here at GW and there are some sites that are much better than others in terms of seed purity, germination and customer service.

I'm going to link to Tania's Tomato data base below, and she features info and pictures for over 3000 varieties. For each variety where seeds are commercially available she lists those sites.

And there are other sites that may sell the seed for a particular variety that she doesn't mention b'c she and many of us are aware of perhaps not buying seeds at those places.

I think everyone should save Tania's site to their faves.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Tatiana's Tomato data base

I think there are TWO different tomatoes named Black Cherry too. I'm pretty sure I had one BEFORE TGS came out with theirs, or the same year. I forgot the source, maybe Fedco or a trade from somebody else and not from TGS.

Mark, the only other one I know of is Black Sweet which was known way before the TGS one but someone would have had to have gotten out of the SSE YEarbook b/c as far as I know it was never that popular and never offered commercially.

And I asked Linda specifically if Black Sweet was part of the parentage and she said no. But I'd have to go back to that list of gene alleles recently determined for several blacks to see what TGS was most associated with, gene wise, which of course doesn't prove anything re two varieties called Black Cherry, so I won't do it. LOL

Carolyn

Thanks everyone. I had seen Tatiana's site before - it is terrific. I'll have another hunt through there re. my Black Cherry.

The Black Cherry tomatoes I have are a large cherry tomato - quite a bit bigger than say sungold. Grow in large trusses, huge plant. Not sure if that helps. The greenhouse that sells the plants said they get it from a specialty catalog (won't say which one) and they have all sorts of tomatoes (Cherokee purple, Arkansas Traveler, Abe Lincoln Caspian Pink, and many other heirlooms.) Interestingly, they had the potato-leaf red brandywine (I didn't buy it, found a regular-leaf one elsewhere). Sure wish I could figure out where she gets the seed from. Sounds like perhaps Tomato Growers Supply is the best bet?

Is Black Cherry something I could try to save seed from? Would it come out the same from saved seed? (yes, I really really love this particular variety)

Pineapple - we loved it before. I'll see how it does this year. I actually didn't get huge fruit, but really liked the flavor - it seemed almost like a pineapple, just a little - fruity and sweet. It was a nice contrast to other tomatoes I have. But, I'm always open to trying new varieties too.

Just a little site-related question - I swear I ticked something once that said to email me when there was a reply on a thread I started. But... I've never gotten any emails. Is there something I have to set somewhere?

Thanks again for all the help!

Oh, I forgot to ask - I've tried to find the "wrong varieties" thread and didn't find it - can anyone tell me where that is?

Tam, Black Cherry is OP so yes you can save seeds from it.

ignore anyone who tells you the seeds were from a specialty catalog. The catalogs for commercial growers contain the same varieties that might be found elsewhere. And it also tells me a lot about that place that they were offering a PL Red Brandywine.

I think those wrong varieties threads are long gone b'c it was so many years ago and it wouldn't have been much help to you anyway b'c since I did those many new varieties have appeared, and situations with specific seed sources also change and new seed companies have appeared in the meantime and a few of them are excellent.

That is, one site was blasted for low germinating seeds and that situation was fixed.

Another site was selling a large number of wrong varieties and it turned out that the person saving the seeds, etc., had a serious medical problem.

So don't go backwards, best to go forward.

Note, there's a current problem with Black Cherry seeds at Baker Creek. SOme lot numbers giving fruits true to form and other lot numbers giving something other than Black Cherry.

If I had some extra seeds I'd send them to you, but I don't, and I do understand that your question is a much larger one in terms of the best places to get seeds.

There are many many threads here where folks have lsited what's been best for them, and there are some listed that I simply can't agree with, so my own suggestion is to go with Tania's suggestions for seed sources b'c she's particular and is not going to list a company that she knows there have been problems with.

Well, very few problems, but then...... LOL

And there's NO WAY that I'm going to lsit companies to avoid for the same reason that person X loves tomato v ariety Y and person B HATES the same variety. In other words some folks are devotees of a site b'c their experience has been OK and others wouldn't buy seeds there at all. So one has to look at experiences folks have with this or that company over a longer time span.

I've been psoting online about gardening and especially tomatoes since 1989 and always read/post at several such message sites so I and others who do the same do see feedback about companies and the seeds they offer as tow rong varieties, low germinating seeds, customer service, etc., when folks psot about that.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

I don't have a problem recommending people do not buy from a source if enough complaints are filed against them - I figure it will have others from a bad experience.

One such company is Reimers. I have read dozens of messages from people who bought from them and had either very poor germination rates or seeds that were not what they were supposed to be.

They've banned me from buying from them (not that I will in the future) because I complained about the germination rate (25 percent) of parthenocarpic cucumber seeds - seeds that cost $1 each. I was even more upset because customer service told me the reason for poor germination in Ferti-lome Premier Potting Mix was because they knew they would be moved to a hydroponic system once they got big enough.

Cucumber seeds that are not only cognizant but possess ESP? Maybe they knew their babies would be ripped (removed) from their umbilical cord and cut into pieces?

Mike

Mike, when I was doing those WRong Varieties threads here I found out that many folks will not contact the place where they got the wrong varieties for one reason or another, so I offered to report back to the companies and at that time I knew most of the owners anyway.

But what happened is that some of them wanted the person to contact them so that they could confirm with their records that indeed that person had bought the seeds from them and I think that's a reasonable request.

As an example, jsut two days ago at another site a person was saying she had wrong seed for Black Cherry that she bought from SSE. So I asked her from the Yearbook or from the Public catalog and she said the latter.

I knew that Black Cherry had never been offered in the Public SSE catalog and asked her to find her seed pack. She did, came back and apologized and said it was Baker Creek and I think several folks have commented that Baker Creek is having a problem with seeds for that variety.

In addition, if there are certain seed sources that I list that I think have problems of one kind or another it dosn't take long for the owners of some of them to e-mail me all upset. There are devotees of various seed sources who don't want anything negative said about those companies and so contact the owner and say Caroly Male said such and such at such and such a place.

Just b'c I wrote a book about heirloom tomatoes there are some folks who think my opinion about seed sources can and will influence where folks go or NOT go to get seeds.

I'm an old lady who does NOT need to hear from seed source owners that I'm doing them a disservice by naming them.

I personally haven't bought a tomato seed since 1998, LOL, seeds just come to me, so I'm acting not on personal experience but on online feedback, which is valid.

So I do understand your position re Reimer's and for sure they've had problems not just with peppers but also tomatoes over the years.

So I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

I'm at the age where I'd like to simplify my life, not complicate it if I can help it. LOL

Carolyn

Wow, tons of information - thanks so much!

The local greenhouse I got plants from is honestly very good - I can't complain. Yeah, they had that "Red Brandywine" - but I suspect that issue came from wherever they got the seed. They don't specialize in heirlooms or even know much about them - they just have a huge selection of everything, including tomatoes. So overall, for what they are, they do a good job I think.

Perhaps I'll try to save some seeds - or as recommended, I'll use Tatiana's site for reliable seed. Now, to start buying lights, shelves, .... (hmmm I think it'd be cheaper to just buy plants - but not nearly as fun!)

What a good/early tomato year too - I even have Brandy Boy and Supersteak just about ripe already.

You know tam91, the fruit and plant you are describing as Black Cherry is pretty much the one Carolyn and I are talking about from Tomato Growers Supply.

Also, tomatoes are crazy-easy to start from seed. You won't regret the small initial investment if you decide to do it.

Here is a link that might be useful: TGS Black Cherry

Thanks - that does look like the same tomato. I'll have to put up a photo of mine when I have a few (once I figure out how lol).

I just met a local farmer today (grows stuff for his fruit stands and etc.) - he was kind enough to give me a tour of his fields. Interestingly, Black Cherry is the one variety that isn't working for him this year - either making the wrong tomatoes and/or dying completely.

I turned him on to Sungold though - he thought they were great.

I had a great time starting basil and a few other things from seed this year, so tomatoes sound like even more fun.

I'd think of trying to save my Black Cherry seed, but I haven't bagged up any blossoms or anything (suppose I could though) - I don't want to end up with any mutants haha.

Nyagous is my other must have - got one so far this season, but the @#($*&* dog ate half! Grr.

OK, here are my beloved Black Cherries (I hope, first time uploading a photo here into the gallery). I put them with some Sungold and Red Pear for comparison.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Black Cherries in the Gardenweb Gallery

That is a very pretty photo!

I've got Sungold now, but it will be another week or so until I've got Black Cherry. That photo is making me antsy. The red pears are cute. I've never grown them (or yellow either), but they are a very nice compliment to the other two, which I grow every year.

When I do plant a third cherry (lately I've been planting Matina as a small red, rather than a red cherry) I like to plant a red grape tomato like Juliet or Sugary. The color and texture are nice compliments to Sungold and Black Cherry, but the taste fails in comparison.

Red pear is nice, they are pretty. Before I discovered Sungold, I grew Yellow Pear - and the combination looked really pretty. Unfortunately, I think yellow pear has practically no taste.

Red Pear tastes nice, but I'm not as excited as I am by Sungold or Black Cherry.

I tasted a tomatoberry the other day - really cute, but I thought it was kinda hard and didn't taste great. Not bad, just not great. Maybe they hadn't ripened it enough yet.

So until I find somebody I like better, red pear it is. I do seem to have some disease problems with it though.