Cherry Tomato ‘Sungold’

* Common name: Cherry tomato ‘Sungold’

* Botanical name: Solanum lycopersicum ‘Sungold’

* What it is: A cherry-type tomato with 1-inch fruits that ripen gold/orange. ‘Sungold’ is widely considered the sweetest of all cherry tomatoes. These were the perennial top-scorers in Franklin County Extension’s annual tomato-tasting event (before being “retired” from competition). Heavy producers but lousy keepers, poor shippers and prone to cracking, which is why stores don’t sell them.

* Size: 6 feet tall when staked. Space 18 inches to 2 feet apart.

* Where to use: Full sun in a vegetable garden. Or grow one up a trellis in any sunny garden if you don’t do veggies. In a pot is fine, too.

* Care: Plant mid-May and stake or cage with supports. Work compost and slow-release balanced fertilizer into the soil at planting. Add more granular or liquid fertilizer every few weeks, switching to a type higher in potassium when fruits begin forming. Keep soil consistently damp. Daconil or copper fungicides may be needed every 7 to 10 days if you have blight problems. Yank when frost or disease kills them for the season.

* Great partner: Solo in the garden. Pair them with mozzarella cheese and a little oil and vinegar in the kitchen. Magnifico!