Grape Tomatoes

Q. I was wondering who has planted Grape Tomatoes and what type. I got a plant two years ago that was great. Last year it turned out to be a regular cherry. What a disappointment.

A. Grape tomatoes combine a number of desirable tomato qualities including very sweet flavor firm texture and at least the semblance of having been ripened on the vine. They don't have an inordinate amount of juice in them so squirting accidents are minimized. Indeed since these tomatoes average only about 1/2 to 3/4 inches in length they pop right into your mouth eliminating the squirt factor altogether.

F1 hybrid means the first generation created by crossing two different parent varieties the offspring of which produce a new uniform seed variety with specific characteristics from both parents. But seed saved from an F1 hybrid and plants arising from self-seeding the past year will not come true if replanted.

The grape tomato that you see in most stores and nurseries is the hybrid 'Santa F1' variety. It was bred by the Known-You Seed Company in Taiwan. Several years ago Andrew Chu a farmer from Manatee County Florida imported seed to this country. To my knowledge he was the first to grow and market the 'Santa F1' as the 'grape tomato.'

Your problem is that the seeds coming up the next season are simply reverting back to the parent cherry tomato. With the F1 you need to plant new plants every year to obtain true grape tomatoes.

Now they are everywhere and are giving the cherries a run for their money. But that doesn't mean it's easy to get hold of the 'Santa F1' seed." The rise of the 'Santa F1' has created enormous competition among produce brokers and growers.