The ‘Sunset Torch Tomato’ is a vibrant addition to any garden, known for its unique appearance and robust growth. This variety offers gardeners an abundance of colorful fruits, making it an excellent choice for both beauty and productivity.
What is Sunset Torch Tomato
The Sunset Torch tomato is an F1 hybrid cherry tomato. Its small, plum-shaped fruits, about 1.5 to 2 inches and weighing around 1 ounce each, begin deep orange near the stem, transitioning to golden yellow with prominent striping and a rose blush at the blossom end.
This variety is a 2022 All-America Selections (AAS) winner, recognized for its superior garden performance. Its flavor is mild, sweet, and fruity, with a moderately firm texture, making it suitable for snacking. As an indeterminate, or “vining,” tomato, it continues to grow and produce fruit throughout the season.
Growing Sunset Torch Tomatoes
Successful cultivation of Sunset Torch tomatoes begins with understanding their specific environmental needs. Providing the right conditions from the start helps ensure a bountiful harvest.
Site Selection and Soil Preparation
Sunset Torch tomatoes thrive in full sun, requiring at least six hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth. They prefer moist, humusy, deep, and fertile loamy soils that drain well. An ideal soil pH for tomatoes falls between 6.0 and 6.8. Before planting, enriching the garden bed with organic matter like compost improves soil. For container growing, start with fresh potting mix each season.
Planting
Transplanting Sunset Torch seedlings is recommended for best results. Start seeds indoors approximately four to six weeks before the last anticipated frost date. Once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed sufficiently, typically when night temperatures are consistently above 50°F (10°C), seedlings can be moved to the garden. Space plants 24 to 36 inches apart in rows three to four feet apart for air circulation and growth.
Watering
Consistent watering is important for the productivity of Sunset Torch tomatoes. Plants require approximately one inch of water per week, from rainfall or irrigation. Water deeply and slowly at the base of the plant to encourage strong root development and avoid wetting foliage, which helps prevent fungal diseases. During hot weather or dry spells, more frequent watering may be necessary; check soil moisture regularly by feeling the top inch of soil. Mulching around plants helps retain soil moisture and regulate soil temperature.
Fertilizing
Sunset Torch tomatoes benefit from fertilization to support vigorous growth and heavy fruit set. Provide an initial feeding at planting time, followed by regular applications of an all-purpose plant food. Avoid excessive nitrogen, especially during the fruiting stage, as this promotes leafy growth over fruit production and can lead to blossom drop or fruit cracking. Fertilizers higher in potassium and phosphorus are more beneficial once flowering begins.
Support and Pruning
As an indeterminate variety, Sunset Torch tomatoes are vigorous growers, reaching 5 to 6 feet, and require robust support. Staking, caging, or trellising is necessary to keep plants upright, prevent sprawling, and support the heavy fruit load. This support also helps keep fruits off the ground, reducing disease and keeping them clean. Pruning suckers (those that emerge in leaf axils) can concentrate plant energy on fruit production and improve air circulation. Some suckers can be left for a bushier plant if space allows.
Harvesting and Culinary Uses
Harvesting Sunset Torch tomatoes at peak ripeness ensures best flavor and texture. These tomatoes are ready for harvest approximately 75 days from transplanting. Ripe fruits will be deep orange to golden yellow with rose blush and striping, and feel moderately firm. They tolerate cracking and splitting well.
Their open growth habit and fruit on easy-to-reach trusses enhance harvesting ease. Each plant can produce 250 to 300 cherry tomatoes per season, providing an impressive yield. Their mild, sweet, and fruity flavor makes them versatile for fresh snacking, salads, kabobs, and cocktails.
Troubleshooting and Common Problems
Even with proper care, tomato plants can encounter issues. Understanding common problems helps gardeners quickly identify and address them, minimizing harvest impact.
One frequent concern is blossom end rot, which appears as a dark, sunken spot on the bottom of the fruit. This is a calcium deficiency, often caused by inconsistent watering preventing calcium absorption. Consistent soil moisture from regular watering and mulching helps prevent this. Pelleted gypsum at bloom set can also boost calcium.
Fruit cracking or splitting, particularly after heavy rain or irregular watering, is another common issue. This occurs when fruit expands too rapidly from a sudden influx of water. Though Sunset Torch tomatoes resist cracking, inconsistent moisture still poses a risk. Steady soil moisture and harvesting nearly ripe fruit before heavy rainfall can mitigate this.
Sunset Torch tomatoes resist several diseases, including tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), verticillium wilt (Va/Vd), and fusarium wilt Races 1 and 2. They also have intermediate resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Despite this, good garden hygiene (removing plant debris, rotating crops annually) helps prevent soil-borne diseases. Pests like tomato hornworms can often be manually removed.