BUSH OR CORDON?
Sun Baby is grown as a cordon type (indeterminate) tomato. It is probably best grown as a cordon if you want tomatoes early in the season. We have tried growing it as a bush type and it still produces a good crop but the foliage becomes crowded and runs the risk of fungal infections.
This variety produces a huge number of fruits per truss, (50 is not unusual) and we recommend no more than 4 trusses per plant. Each of those trusses may need its own bamboo cane support to stop the stem breaking. Aside from that, Sun Baby has no special requirements and it should be grown as described here and pruned as described here. General care advice throughout the growing season is given here.
APPEARANCE AND TASTE OF SUN BABY TOMATOES
Sun Baby tomatoes are fully yellow with only a slight tinge of orange. These are bite sized cherry tomatoes which weigh in at about 14g each (half an ounce). The skins are thinner than most of its competitors which can be important for many. It has a Brix rating of 7.8 for sweetness with a good balance of acidity and tomato flavour.
For all the tomato varieties which we have fully reviewed, click the drop down box below, select a variety and then click the More Information Button.
SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF SUN BABY
F1 OR OPEN POLLINATED?: Sun Baby is open pollinated and will grow true from saved seed. Click here for clear instructions and even clearer pictures on how to save seeds from Sun Baby tomatoes. This is a good alternative to the F1 Sungold (much more expensive) which will not grow true from saved seed.
GROWTH TYPE: Cordon type, needs to be pruned to get the best crop. This is an mid season maturing variety which takes 80 days from transplant to fruit maturity.
WHERE TO GROW: Cold greenhouse or outdoors in many areas of the UK.
USE: Salads, and by itself
SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Yellow and thin
FLESH COLOUR: Yellow
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Good mixture of sweetness and acidity, flesh has lots of juice.
STORAGE: Stores well and can be ripened on the windowsill well.
TOMATO SIZE: Typical cherry tomato size, weighing about 15g per fruit.
REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly produces a good yield with a very large number of fruits per truss, often in excess of 50. Expect 150 to 200 fruits per plant although not all may ripen fully on the truss.
AWARDS: RHS AGM
SPECIAL FEATURES: Thin skinned and good flavour
WHEN TO SOW SUN BABY SEED
The key dates for sowing and planting out Sun Baby tomato seeds are given below.
The dates displayed below are correct for the UK average. If you want them to be even more accurate and adjusted for your area of the UK click here. It only takes a minute and the adjustment affects every date in this site and lasts for six months.
- Sow seeds in pots indoors
First week of March - Pot up young plants
First week of April - Harden off young plants
First week of May - Plant out young plants
Third week of May
WHEN TO HARVEST SUN BABY TOMATOES
This variety is a cordon type tomato and if they are pruned in that way you can expect to be picking your first Sun Baby tomatoes in the second week of August
BUYING SUN BABY SEED / PLANTS IN THE UK
Seeds for this variety are not widely available in the UK but there are a few suppliers online. You are very unlikely to find these seeds for sale at garden centres.
The cheapest reliable seeds for Sun Baby we could find this year was from Chiltern Seeds.
If you need any more information on growing this variety, click here to go to our main tomato page.
Other varieties which may also be of interest include:
| RED ALERT |
GARDENERS DELIGHT |
| SUNGOLD | SAN MARZANO |
COMMENTS / QUESTIONS LEFT BY OUR READERS
Sometimes our readers ask specific questions which are not covered in the main article above. Our
Outdoor Tomatoes comment / question and answer page
lists their comments, questions and answers. At the end of that page there is also a form for you to submit any new question or comment you have.
When and How to Sow Tomato Seed
Ongoing Care
Pruning Tomatoes
Pest and Disease
Tomato Nutrient Defficiency
Save Tomato Seeds
Tomato Variety Review
Tomato Question and Answer
SUN BABY TOMATOES
Sun Baby produces long trusses of truly yellow cherry tomatoes. The taste is a good balance of sweetness and acidity and the thin skins are a real bonus.
This variety is not widely available but we do suggest best buys for seed at the end of this article. Seeds can be saved and will grow true to type the next year making this variety much cheaper in the long run compared to the similar Sungold.