- Video: 'Cherry Bomb' | JSS-Bred Organic Cherry x Grape Tomato from Johnny's
- Open-Pollinated Revival Project: 3 Improved OP Heirloom & Heritage Tomatoes
- 3 Ways to Choose the Best Tomato Varieties | Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Video: Tomato Pruning 101 • Tutorial with Niki Jabbour
- Tomatoes: 10 Unsung Heroes | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Video: Tomatoes: 10 Unsung Heroes | Johnny's Webinar Series
- Video: High-Value Crops & Varieties for Your Garden • Tutorial with Niki Jabbour
- 10 Tips for Growing Heirloom Tomatoes
- Fundamentals of Tomato Grafting | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Video: How to Prune Greenhouse Tomatoes
- Video: How to Graft Greenhouse Tomatoes
- Video: Artisan Tomatoes™ | from Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Greenhouse Tomato Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Video: How to Identify Late Blight on Tomatoes
- 'Honey Bee' and 'Queen Bee' Organic Cherry Tomatoes With Late Blight Resistance From Johnny's
- Tomato Innovation: Breeding & Trialing for Your Finest Harvest
- Video: Tomato Variety Trends: How Breeding Influences Your Seed Selection | Johnny's Webinar Series
- Top-Grafting Tomatoes | Advantages, Materials, Technique | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- 'Honey Bee' and 'Queen Bee' Organic Cherry Tomatoes With Late Blight Resistance From Johnny's
- Determinate Tomato Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- 'GinFiz' & 'Margold' Beefsteak Tomatoes for the Greenhouse
- Grafted Tomato Plants | Key Growing Information
- 'Maxifort' Rootstock Tomato Germination | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Video: 'Clementine' | The Tangerine-Colored, Organic Cocktail Tomato from Johnny's Breeding Team
- Video: Growing Tomatoes in Containers with Niki Jabbour & Johnny's
- French Heritage Tomato Varieties | The Best of the Old World Marries the New
- Webinar Slide Deck | Fundamentals of Tomato Grafting | 15-pp PDF
- Grow a Rainbow Mix of Cherry Tomatoes
- Video: 'Mochi' : The Gumdrop-like Cherry Tomato | Exclusively from Johnny's
- Video: Choosing & Growing Paste Tomatoes for Sauce-Making • with Niki Jabbour
- Trellising & Crop Support Systems for Tomatoes | Stake & Basketweave, Stake & Hanging String/Wire, Lower & Lean
- Tomato Production Challenges & Issues | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Greenhouse Tomatoes | Key Growing Information
- Video: How to Prune Tomatoes
- Greenhouse Tomato Pruning & String Trellising | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Heirloom Tomato Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Late-Summer Recipe Preview with Farmer-Chef Frank Giglio | Three Lily Farm, Thorndike, Maine
- Video: How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes • From Seed to Harvest
- Paste, Plum & Roma Tomato Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Webinar Slide Deck | Tomato Variety Trends: How Breeding Influences Your Seed Selection | 29-pp PDF
- Video: An Intro to the Fundamentals of Tomato Grafting Success | Johnny's Webinar Series
- Side-Grafting Tomatoes | Advantages, Materials, Technique | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Common Tomato Pests, Diseases & Physiological Disorders | An Overview of Biotic & Abiotic Problems
- Video: How We Process Our 'Washington Cherry' Tomato Seed
- Webinar Slide Deck | Tomatoes: 10 Unsung Heroes | 34-pp PDF
- Tomato Variety Trends: How Breeding Influences Your Seed Selection | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Rootstock Tomatoes | Key Growing Information
- Video: How to Manage Late Blight on Tomatoes (Phytophthora infestans)
- Video: 'Hot Streak' : The Vibrant New Striped Tomato | Exclusively from Johnny's
- Tomatoes | Key Growing Information
- Top-10 Field Tomatoes to Try in Your High Tunnel
- Video: Tomato Top-Grafting Demo: Splice Grafting & Cleft Grafting • Materials & Technique
- Tomato Innovation: Breeding & Trialing for Your Finest Harvest
- Basket-weave Trellising Instructions for Tomato & Pepper Plants | Tech Sheet (PDF)
'Honey Bee' and 'Queen Bee' Organic Cherry Tomatoes With Late Blight Resistance From Johnny's
Fresh from the Johnny’s field tomato trial here in Albion, Maine, I've got two new cherry tomatoes that I wanted to talk about. These are both striped cherries. These are a long time collaboration between the late Fred Hempel and Emily Haga here at Johnny's Selected Seeds. The goal of this project was to build on the Artisan™ tomato concept, but to bring in some more professional traits to the lineup.
The first thing we wanted to address was the disease resistance. So both of these varieties feature resistance to late blight, and both were bred under very strict selection processes here in Maine and also in California, so they've been exposed to a pretty wide range of disease pressure and other climate stresses. So they're very adaptable varieties.
Second, we wanted to have more manageable plant habit on these varieties. The artisans were known to be very bushy and dense and grow quite vigorously. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, but we wanted to have something that was a little easier to maintain. So these have much more well-behaved plant habits than the original Artisans.
Third, we wanted to solve what we call the “pick and split” issue. That's when you harvested the Artisan™ tomatoes, some of the varieties, when you pull the calyx off the top like this, the fruit would split open and become unmarketable, so, we wanted to do away with that issue. But overall, we wanted to maintain the Johnny's high standard of flavor and high performance, and I think we've nailed it with these varieties.
So without further ado, I'll show you the two. On your left here is Honey Bee, and on your right is Queen Bee. Honey Bee is a red cherry with gold stripes that runs 15 to 20 grams – a pretty standard cherry size. I would call it a single bite snacking cherry. The main trait of this is outside of its wonderful looks is the flavor. This is a very sweet, kind of candy-like eating experience. So, definitely the flavor choice of the two.
Queen Bee, also a nice tasting variety. Not quite as sweet as Honey Bee. The advantages of this variety are mostly grower-friendly traits, so has larger fruit. These will run up to 25 grams. You get some big plump ones occasionally that are almost running up to cocktail size, but, generally just a little bit on the plump side. These also just look wonderful in a display. The pink and gold really jumps out. Also, this variety tends to be a little more vigorous and more productive over a longer season. Both are very heavy yielders in the peak of the season. But the Queen Bee has a little bit more longevity, a little more power to get through the season.
Overall, I would say your flavor choice would be the Honey Bee. Your more grower-friendly choice would be the Queen Bee. But both of these are outstanding varieties all around. So, happy to introduce them.