Guide
Getting the best from Sungold tomatoes
Sungold is exceptionally vigorous and productive but punishes neglect. It needs consistent sideshot removal and feeding to stay manageable and fruit well.
Expect vigour
Sungold grows faster than most cordon varieties. Left unpinched for a week, sideshoots become woody and harder to remove cleanly. Check and remove sideshoots every five to seven days during peak summer growth. This is not optional for cordons - skipping it quickly produces an unmanageable, congested plant that fruits poorly.
Support early and firmly
Plants regularly reach 180–200 cm. Fix a strong cane or wire support before the plant needs it - retrofitting support around a heavy plant risks stem damage. Tie the main stem loosely every 25–30 cm as it grows.
Feed consistently once flowering starts
Begin a high-potassium liquid feed (tomato feed) once the first flower truss has set fruit. Feed every seven to ten days rather than every two weeks - Sungold is a heavy feeder. Erratic feeding combined with erratic watering causes split fruit. Keep both consistent.
Harvest before fully ripe
Sungold fruit turns from green to amber-orange. Pick when amber-orange, not when deep golden, which signals over-ripeness. Trusses ripen progressively - harvest individual fruits rather than waiting for the whole truss. Fruit left on too long splits and attracts wasps.
Pinch out in late summer
In late July or early August, pinch out the growing tip two leaves above the highest truss with developing fruit. Sungold sets fruit prolifically - limiting the plant's upward ambitions redirects energy into ripening what's already there before temperatures drop.