Sweetest tomatoes to grow

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Wednesday, 16 February 2022 at 8:28 am

Discover the sweetest tomato varieties, tried and tested by us, plus tips on improving their flavour.

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Every tomato variety has its strengths, but if it's sweetness that you enjoy then look no further than our tried and tested pick of the sweetest varieties.

The sweetness of a tomato can be measured by the Brix rating, which is a measure of the sugar content of products like wine, honey and juice – and in this case, tomatoes.

Unlike larger, beefsteak tomatoes, it's the smaller cherry and plum varieties which are usually the sweetest. Grown in full sun in pots, greenhouses or growing bags, they can be enjoyed straight from the vine, or added to summer salads.

For more tips on growing the most flavoursome tomatoes, take a look at our five top tips for improving tomato flavour.

Discover the sweetest tomatoes to grow and taste yourself, below.

Tomato 'Rosada'

The sweetest variety we tested, 'Rosada' is a baby plum variety with a Brix rating of 10.5.

Update February 2017:

This popular cherry plum tomato is now hard to find in the UK, but some suppliers may still be stocking it. If you can't find it, try 'Santonio', a new F1 variety, instead.

Plum tomatoes ripe on the vine

Tomato 'Apero'

'Apero' is a cherry variety with Brix rating of 9.5. Enjoy the zesty flavour in salads and grow it in full sun to maximise the sweetness.

Cherry tomato 'Apero' ripening on the vine

Tomato 'Floridity'

With a Brix rating of 9.5, 'Floridity' is a mini plum variety, which produces trusses laden with fruit. Resistant to fruit split.

Mini plum tomato 'Floridity'

Tomato 'Sungold'

'Sungold' is a cherry variety bearing small orange-yellow fruits. A high sugar content give this tomato a Brix rating of 9.3. Good resistance to tobacco mosaic virus.

Orange-yellow cherry 'Sungold' tomatoes

Tomato 'Sakura'

Rated 8.8 on the Brix scale for sweetness, 'Sakura' is a vigorous and high-yielding cherry tomato. It's also resistant to Fusarium wilt.

Cherry tomato 'Sakura' on the vine

Grow tomatoes in full sun

For the sweetest tomatoes, grow them in the sunniest spot you can give them – they will not grow well in shade.

Red watering can

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