Tomato 'Sunrise Bumble Bee': cultivation, care & use
The tomato variety 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' shines – as its name suggests – in the colors of a sunrise. We introduce the pretty cherry tomato and give tips on planting and caring for it .
The Bumble Bee tomatoes come in different colors [Photo: MZZ001 / Shutterstock.com]
One of the most beautiful tabby or striped tomatoes is the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee'. We present the young variety in a profile and give tips for successful cultivation.
Tomato 'Sunrise Bumble Bee': profile
Table of Contents
| fruit | Cherry tomato; deep orange with pink and red spots |
| taste | exotic, sweet, fruity-aromatic |
| Ripening time | medium early |
| growth | Stick tomato, up to 180 cm |
| Location | Greenhouse, open field, pot |
Origin and history of the tomato 'Sunrise Bumble Bee'
The tomato variety 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' comes from Fred Hempel from California, the breeder of many striped tomatoes – for example, he grew some Tiger tomatoes. It came onto the market in 2014 and has delighted many tomato lovers since then with its appearance, its robustness and the good taste of the fruit. Further color variants of the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' are the green-violet striped 'Purple Bumble Bee' and 'Pink Bumble Bee'.
Properties and taste of the cocktail tomato
The ever growing and blooming plants of the tomato variety 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' reach a height of about 150 to 180 cm and show conspicuously pointed, serrated leaves. The tomatoes are grown as bushy plants and are usually not exhausted. Fruits also form on the numerous side shoots, which leads to a high yield of cherry tomatoes. The fruits of the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee', which weigh around 20 to 30 grams, hang in panicles and ripen from the end of July, one after the other, from green-dark green striped to pale yellow to deep orange with pink and red oblong spots. The first tomatoes of the season are usually almost completely orange, the marbling increases over the course of the summer. Until the end of the season in November, fruits of all color levels can be found on the plants. The taste of 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' is sweet, exotic, fruity-aromatic and refreshing. The variety is seed-proof, you can extract your own tomato seeds from ripe fruits and sow them again the following year.
The striped cherry tomato 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' ripens mid-early from the end of July
Plant and care for 'Sunrise Bumble Bee'
The 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' is particularly suitable for growing in pots, but can even be cultivated in unprotected open ground. It is less susceptible to late blight and brown rot ( Phytophthora infestans ) and the fruits do not burst even with an irregular water supply. It also does well in the greenhouse and can be harvested there until the beginning of November due to the extended season.
Plant your young plants in the bed and in the pot from mid-May after the last spring frosts. About two weeks earlier, at the beginning of May, you can plant the tomatoes in the sheltered greenhouse. On the terrace and balcony, the planter for the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' should have a volume of at least 10 to 15 liters. Fill the bucket with a nutrient-rich potting soil, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil, and place the tomato plant deep in it.
Alternatively, you can dig a deep planting hole in the bed or greenhouse and mix the soil with our peat-free and climate-neutral soil. This contains essential nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and the like, which feed the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' in the first growth phase. Now remove all the leaves that are too deep and fill in with potting soil, which you press all around. Finally, the tomato plants should be watered extensively to flush the substrate to the roots. With the help of sticks or a round frame that is placed over the plant, the shoots of the cherry tomato keep themselves upright.
The cherry tomato 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' has a lot of branches and, with the help of the many side shoots, forms numerous flowers and later fruits. It therefore does not necessarily have to be exhausted. If the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' is exposed to rain outdoors, it makes sense to reduce it to four to five deep-seated shoots. This allows sufficient air to circulate and the plant dries off quickly after a downpour. Tomatoes, such as 'Sunrise Bumble Bee', are a heavily eating vegetable that require increased nutrients and are happy to be fertilized for the first time from the beginning of June. Our Plantura tomato & vegetable fertilizer can be easily applied as an organic liquid fertilizer together with the irrigation water and provides the Sunrise Bumble Bee tomato with essential nitrogen and potassium.
Tomatoes should be fertilized with a tomato fertilizer from June [Photo: SALNIKOV MIKHAIL / Shutterstock.com]
Harvesting and using the 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' tomato
Cherry tomatoes like 'Sunrise Bumble Bee' are ideal as a snack tomato for young and old. Small delicacies are halved and dried fruits, which bring summer to mind with their sweet and fruity taste even in the cold season. The fruity variety gives ketchup, chutneys or tomato jam a special aroma.
One of the best-known striped varieties is the green-yellow Green Zebra tomato. Find out everything about the origin, requirements and use of this unique stake tomato in our variety portrait.
