Clusters of 8–12 glossy, 3/4 - 1 inch ("two bite") deep-red fruits deliver explosive, old-fashioned rich sweetness (10–12 Brix) with perfect balance and complex flavor.
Indeterminate plants are vigorous, earlyish, extremely productive, and crack-resistant. An heirloom from the 1800s that out-sweetens most modern hybrids while letting you save seed. The classic children’s favorite and still the benchmark for true tomato candy.
HISTORY: Known in Germany since at least the mid-1800s as Zuckertraube (“Sugar Grape”), this old European heirloom was prized for its intensely sweet, grape-like clusters. It appeared in German seed catalogs by the 1880s and was carried across Europe by gardeners who refused to grow anything less sweet. Introduced to North America in the 1980s by Seed Savers Exchange members (notably under the translated name “Sugar Lump” by Tom Wagner and others), it quickly became the gold standard for open-pollinated red cherries. For decades it was the sweetest seed-saveable cherry available — regularly beating modern hybrids in taste tests — and remains the direct parent or grandparent of many current ultra-sweet OP cherries. A 150-year-old classic that still hasn’t been surpassed.
Sold as a single plant in a 3.5" pot.
SUGAR LUMP
VARIETY CHARACTERISTICS
GROWTH HABIT: Indeterminate
MATURITY: Mid-season
LEAF TYPE: Regular
FRUIT CLASS: Cherry
FRUIT SHAPE: Round
FRUIT SIZE: Small
FRUIT COLOR: Red
ORIGIN: Commercial heirloom
Reviews
I asked Karen to pick a tomato variety for me, one that is sweet & flavorful. She picked Sugar Lump for me. I grew it in my 10-gallon pot. It was the best organic tomatoes that I grew. It was so good and productive; I brought some to my neighbor lady. She called me and said, “These tomatoes are so good. I lived for 90 years and never knew that tomatoes could taste this good.” So, I promised her to pick the Sugar Lump seedling next year so she can grow it on her porch. Thank you, Karen.