sweet million tomatoes

Hello,
We are retired from Seattle to northern New Mexico and have a large greenhouse here. Recently I found the small, sweet tomatoes called Sweet Millions are maturing. I believe these are Nature's candy they taste so good off the vine and in salads.

I note when in Seattle about 1/2 of these would tomatoes would split their skins and be wasted. I note that here the single Sweet Million I have found with a split skin has been one which had fallen from the plant.

This seems pretty special because I know that most gardenrs of my acquaintence just live with the fact that that these tomatoes are really sweet yet the waste from them has always been high.

Any thoughts as to why here in the end of the Rockies at 6,500 feet we are enjoying such an bundance of undamaged tomatoes?

Geneso, I wish "only" 1/2 of mine split. I have grown these for two years and last year I had nearly 100% split if I waited until they turned red. This year I have been picking them a little earlier before they split but they still split within 24 hours after picking anyway. I've been told that the splitting is from excessive moisture,but it's been pretty dry this year. Even though I really like this variety, I will look for another type of cherry tomato next year. Dan

Yeah, if I were comparing Seattle and New Mexico, "moisture" would be the first thing that comes to mind... Here it more varies from week to week - if we get a wet spell after it is hot, they start popping.

I don't know that there is a secret. Pick them early (which saves them from the birds, too) but you lose that straight off the bush amazingness. Plant twice as many and let them split, is the best I know of.

Up here I never really had a problem with splitting, but I haven'tgrown them in a few. Somehow everything seems to have changed over the past few years. Much wetter years for the past 2, then this year it's been hotter than blazes. Very strange...

I do love the flavor, though. One of my favorite cherry type. This year I am growing Pasture Cherry and it is also VERY good. Wild and crazy plant, too - it is EVERYWHERE. And more doggone tomatoes than I've ever seen, except for Peacevine, which I didn't find to be as sweet.

My sweet millions grow so tall they are hard to stake. I usually just let them flop over once they're over 5 or 6 feet . The tomatoes are hanging in wads like grapes but it's a miracle if I find one ripe red one out of ten that isn't split. I have been picking them when they are kind of "orangish",but the flavor is definitely not the same. We had rain this weekend and a lot of my bigger tomatoes are splitting,so I think it has to be a moisture issue.

I found Sweet 100's to work better than the Sweet Millions. They are both wonderful tomatoes if you have little kids roaming loose in your garden. They turned my granddaughter into a true tomato lover!

So true, my little granddaughter ate them as fast as they would turn red. It didn't matter because there were so many on the plant.

I'm wondering if they might do better with a bit of shading in the hot afternoon to cut the splitting.

Hello Everyone,

Its reassuring to know about Sweet 100's and other sweet cherry tomatoes. I must admit not having to deal witht his frustration of splitting is another bonus to retiring here. Next thing to deal with: I have a LOT of tamotoes in the new greenhouse and it would be nice if they would mature quicker, since we are in the middle of August already and at this height ( 6,500) frost must come earlier than most other places in the Southwest.

Thanks for all your inputs.

Gene So

Since you have a green house, can't you extend the season drastically by adding some heat and lights?

i always grow sun gold which is as sweet as a teaspoon of sugar and never splits. they mature to a nice yellow orange.

I'm with you Herbie. The sun gold and sweet gold cherries seldom make it into the house. We often eat them as we pick them because they are so sweet. When they are warmed from the sun, they are even sweeter.

When I lived in England, Sungold for me every time; but not here because I don't have a greenhouse and they're too late maturing in the short growing season.

Patgeorge, for us, they are cherry size tomatoes, which have a shorter season. However, we start them indoors with a LOT of light. Even without a greenhouse, with a small amount of room you can start just a few sturdy plants indoors. We use fluorescent lights which are inexpensive to run.