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13 of the Sweetest Cherry Tomatoes to Grow In Your Garden
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Like flavor? Grow the sweetest cherry tomatoes when you select the from a list of tastiest types.
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It’s no secret that smaller tomato varieties are sweetest. A bowl of cherry tomatoes on the kitchen counter is the ideal summer snack. And who can resist plucking a cherry tomato off the vine and popping it into your mouth?
You may be surprised to learn that a tomato’s sweetness factor is not subjective. Scientists have gathered objective data which measure a tomato’s flavor. Home gardeners like you and me benefit from their expertise.
A special scale to measure the sweetest cherry tomatoes
Brewers measure sugar content in their wine or beer – as do others in the food industry, including producers of carbonated beverages, fruit juices, and even maple syrup. They use the Brix scale, which is represented as an equivalent of a percentage. One degree Brix indicates one gram sugar content dissolved in 100 grams of liquid. To be technical about it, a Brix value is expressed as degrees Brix (°Bx).
Wine makers, for example, test the sugar content of grapes on the vine to know when to harvest them. They use a Brix refractometer (or sugar tester). The process is simple. The grower squeezes a drop of juice onto a small glass window in the refractometer and the device returns a measurement.
When it comes to tomatoes, sweetness is offset by tartness – the acid flavor in the fruit. “Old fashioned tomato flavor” is a 50-50 balance between sugars and acids, a much-loved combination in beefsteak and slicing tomatoes.
Higher sugar and lower acid content yield sweeter tomatoes. It’s this balance that the sweetest cherry tomatoes are known for. Which means the sweetest cherry tomatoes measure the highest on the Brix scale.
The typical tomato is 3.5 – 5.5 degrees Brix, with the average grocery story cherry tomato clocking in at 4.8 Brix. Meanwhile, freshly grown cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes average 6-10 on the Brix scale. Moral of the story: fresh is more flavorful. If you prefer sweet cherry tomatoes over tangy ones, there is an advantage for growing your own or buying them at the farmer’s market.
Tips for finding and growing the sweetest cherry tomato varieties
Many seed vendors and plant vendors provide a Brix rating for tomato varieties. When shopping, if you don’t see a Brix score and you want to grow sweet cherry tomatoes, simply study the list below. They’re listed alphabetically.
You’ll see the Brix rating as well as a bit of useful information to help you choose the sweetest cherry tomato varieties for your garden. Some types are not readily available as plants. If that’s the case in your local area, simply buy seeds and start your own.
13 of the sweetest cherry tomatoes to grow in your garden
Apero
Brix rating: 9.5
A cross between a cherry and grape tomato
Resistance: leaf mold, fusarium wilt, and tobacco mosaic virus
Indeterminate
Candyland Red Cherry Tomato
Brix rating: 12
Currant tomato; 2016 All-America Selections winner
Resistance: heat, humidity, and pest resistant
Indeterminate
Fantastico Tomato
Brix rating: 12
Bright red grape tomatoes; 2014 AAS Winner
Resistance: cracks, late blight
Determinate
Favorita
Brix rating: 8.8
Resistance: fusarium wilt 1 & 2, leaf mold, tobacco mosaic virus, and nematodes
Indeterminate
Floridity
Brix rating: 9.5
Mini-plum tomato
Resistance: fusarium wilt, cracking
Indeterminate
Golden Sweet Tomato
Brix rating: 9.3
Small, orange-yellow fruits
Resistance: cracking, fusarium wilt 1, a leaf mold
Indeterminate
Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato
Brix rating: 11.5
Currant- sized fruit
Resistance: mild resistance to early blight, late blight
Indeterminate
Sakura Tomato
Brix rating: 8.8
Medium red, early, and a prolific producer
Resistance: high resistance to fusarium wilt 1 & 2, leaf mold, tomato mosaic virus; intermediate resistance to nematodes.
Indeterminate
Sun Sugar
Brix rating: 10
Golden orange cherry tomatoes
Resistance: fusarium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus
Indeterminate
Sunpeach
Brix rating: 9.5
Pink cherry tomato
Resistance: high resistance to leaf mold, tomato mosaic virus; good resistance to cracking
Indeterminate
Sungold
Brix rating: 9.3
Classic tangy, tangerine-orange cherry tomato
Resistance: high resistance to fusarium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus
Indeterminate
Supersweet 100
Brix rating: 6
Classic cherry tomato, easily adaptable, and high-yielding – although one of the least sweet varieties
Resistance: high resistance to fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt
Indeterminate
Sweet Aperitif
Brix rating: 12-13
Large currant size
Resistance: cracking
Indeterminate
Hard-to-find sweet cherry tomatoes
Additional cherry tomato varieties that rate high on the Brix scale are Cupid (8.2), (Isis Candy (8-9), Rapunzel (12), and Rosada (10.5). They may be hard to find – even in seed.
Increase sweetness with these growing tips
Choosing and growing sweet varieties increase the chance that you’ll harvest tomatoes that appeal to your sugar-loving palate. Sugar levels are raised in other ways, too:
- Growing conditions: tomatoes produce more sugar on sunny days and less sugar in cloudy days.
- Water: sugar levels tumble when you don’t water tomatoes during a drought.
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