The Sun Sugar tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum Sun Sugar) offers a level of sweetness that sets it apart from almost every other variety. Its rich, candy-like flavor makes it a standout in the cherry-tomato clan and often stops tasters in their tracks.
Equally impressive is the plants ability to adapt to different growing situations. Sun Sugar fruit:
- is not frost-tolerant, typically setting flowers in early summer and continuing until chill night.
- grows best in anything from partial shade to full afternoon light.
- performs across all USDA hardiness zones, as long as temperatures stay above freezing.
Growing your own Sun Sugar crop can be as enjoyable as popping the fruit into your mouth, yet these little gems still ask for the same careful attention most tomatoes require.
How, then, do you coax the sweet, sunny harvest that gardeners brag about?
Keep reading for tips on planting and pruning Sun Sugar tomatoes in your backyard plot or rooftop garden.
How Do You Grow Sun Sugar Tomatoes?
Sun Sugar tomatoes tend to be more forgiving to novice gardeners than many other types of tomatoes.
The first question you need to answer is how far back in the growing cycle you want to start:
- Do you want to sow the seeds?
- Do you buy seedlings ready to plant?
Bear in mind that, because this cultivar is a hybrid, seeds saved from last year will not reliably come true.
If starting indoors, sow the seeds six to eight weeks before that frost date. Use a clean, well-draining potting mix in small containers and place them under bright, indirect light to encourage strong germination.
Plant each seed about a quarter-inch deep, then water it gently but thoroughly so the soil stays moist, not soggy. Aim to keep the soil temperature between 70℉ and 85℉ Fahrenheit, and expect germination to take one to three weeks.
Transplant your seedlings into the garden about one or two weeks after the final frost, once true leaves appear. The daytime soil temperature should be at least 65°F, and nights consistently warmer than that.
When you plant, space each Sun Sugar at least twenty-four inches apart. Generous spacing lets air circulate and sunlight reach every branch, which a heavy-cropping vine appreciates. One healthy plant can yield hundreds of tiny, sweet-orbited fruits.
If you buy started seedlings, bury each one deeply so two-thirds of the stem sits below ground level. Tomatoes can grow roots along their buried stems, boosting strength and water uptake.
Test the soil; Sun Sugar thrives between pH 6.2 and 6.8, slightly acidic to neutral. Amend the mix with lime or sulfur as needed, and add rich compost to create a nutrient-packed bed.
Identifying Soil Nutrients
While Sun Sugar tolerates many soil types, it still relies on key nutrients to produce its signature sweet fruits. A simple test kit from a garden store shows pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and secondary minerals.
Here are the main nutrients any tomato plant needs to flourish.
The Starring Trio
Three main nutrients guide a robust tomato harvest:
- Nitrogen: Fuels leaf and stem growth by forming chlorophyll, enzymes, and key plant vitamins.
- Phosphorous: Powers energy transfer, accelerates new cell formation, and helps the plant rebound from environmental stress.
- Potassium: Strengthens disease resistance, firms fruit texture, and fine-tunes the photosynthetic process.
The Supporting Cast
Beyond the core trio, tomatoes thrive with smaller amounts of:
- Calcium: Reinforces cell walls, reduces bruising, and guards against blossom-end rot.
- Magnesium: Central to chlorophyll production, it deepens color and improves flavor.
- Sulfur: Part of amino acids and proteins, it clears leaf yellowing and encourages continuous growth.
Micronutrients
Even tinier yet vital, micronutrients fine-tune tomato health:
- Molybdenum: Optimizes nitrogen use and speeds up overall metabolism.
- Zinc: Balances growth hormones, ensuring stems and fruits swell evenly.
- Boron: Coordinates calcium movement and secures seed set and development.
Although important nutrients are usually already in the soil, their levels drop as a plant matures. How can you guarantee that enough nutrients remain available for the entire growing season?
Adding Fertilizer and Compost
The simplest way to replace lost nutrients is to add organic matter, such as well-aged compost.
For the three primary nutrients, however, a synthetic or blended fertilizer can pass more quickly through the soil. The University of Missouri recommends a tomato blend that contains:
- Low Nitrogen
- High Phosphorus, and
- Medium to high Potassium composition
When feeding before transplant, mix a scoop into the bottom of each hole so seedlings avoid root burn.
For post-plant fertilizing, first give the surrounding soil a deep drink, then scatter the granules about six inches from the stem’s base.
Water will dissolve the matter gradually instead of washing it straight to the stalk, which can cause scalding.
With feeding handled, focus on routine care; regular pruning is especially vital to keep indeterminate varieties open and productive.
How to Prune Sun Sugar Tomato
Sun Sugar tomatoes are indeterminate, so the plant keeps growing until the first frost kills it. Without some pruning, the growth can quickly become chaotic.
Removing suckers eases the strain on the central stem and lightens the overall load.
Less foliage also means fewer leaves competing for the sugars that sweeten the fruit.
A solid rule is to take out any suckers growing below the first flower cluster. These suckers sprout at the V-shape formed where the main stem meets a branch.
While they are still tiny, the stems are soft and pull away with little effort.
Just grasp the base, twist gently from side to side, and it should snap free.
Once the suckers get bigger, the stem turns woody, and clipping becomes necessary. For that job you can reach for one of three common pruners:
- Bypass Pruners (Best): The blades slide past one another like scissors, which leaves a clean cut and feels comfortable in the hand.
- Anvil Pruners: use a single curved blade paired with a flat metal plate underneath, and their serious weight makes them ideal for slicing through dead, woody stems. Because that very heaviness can crush tender shoots, they are best kept away from fresh green material.
- Ratchet Pruners: by contrast, work almost the same way but feature a step-wise cutting motion, letting you nibble through tough stems without straining the wrist or damaging fragile tissue.
Every pair of pruners eventually dulls, yet they can be brought back with surprisingly little effort. A simple metal file, used at the right angle along the blade, usually does the cleanest job and is far easier to handle than specialized gadgets.
Cleaning comes first, though. A quick soak in warm soapy water removes most sap and grime, after which you pat the tool dry and rub off any rust with fine steel wool.
Finally, remember to sanitize your pruners each time you move between plants. A steady routine blocks diseases from hopping along on shiny blades, protecting your entire garden with very little extra work.