Cherry Ira F1 Tomato Review & Photos

In 2013 we planted it for the first time. The result was excellent, it’s a pity that only four seeds are left for the new season))) Quite early, very sweet, meaty little tomatoes, a very beautiful truss. Tall; as they grew, we untied them a couple of times, lowered the vines, and sprinkled soil over the lower part of the stem (trenching). We picked the last green “berries” along with ‘De Barao’ in early October and ate them as they ripened indoors for almost another month.

What a beauty!!!!!

Yes, after such photos 👍 I have the desire to spend some money on these seeds.

But why didn’t you write F1 in the title? 🤫

Tatyana, how many stems did you lead it in the greenhouse? They look vigorous judging by the photos. And how is it with suckers – are they very annoying?

We formed it in two stems, and of course, we had to fuss with the suckers. It’s a good thing I was constantly at the dacha with my child – every day I walked around and checked them… But towards the end of August we gave up, neglected them a bit, and let them grow as they pleased. The plants are indeed very vigorous; during transportation to the dacha they got hit by frost, the next day only little twig-stems remained, all the leaves froze. We planted them horizontally (trenching), leaving 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) of the tips above ground. There was no certainty that they would survive, but out of six bushes, four survived. The result is in the photos)))

The price of the packet with 10 seeds shocked me a bit – 55 rubles (approx. $0.80 – considered pricey for local seeds), but I don’t regret it at all and want to try some other cherries from this same series, for example, Cherry Likopa. By the way, I have never encountered such a growth rate in seedlings, although we constantly grow indeterminates in the greenhouse. Next year I want to plant them a little later, not in early February, but at the end, I think it won’t be any worse.

Tatyana, many people praise Cherry Kira from Semko.

I wouldn’t compare Cherry Likopa with Ira. You can try ‘Barbaris’ from SibSad. Cheaper, and more seeds. I even liked it more. Ira used to be my idol. Now I found a replacement.

Tanya, what did you replace it with? I’m going to visit the seed shops today, the information would be very handy.

I already wrote it… 😳 With Barbaris. Cheaper, and there are more seeds in there. And the taste is excellent. It retains its flavor for a long time, right up to the end of the season, when many others lose their taste. Sometimes, though rarely, the fruits crack, but the taste is not lost. I eat the cracked ones with pleasure. After all, I don’t eat soft, soured ones… 😳

I didn’t like Cherry Ira F1’s taste – not sweet, and an indistinct flavor in general. There are many fruits, it sets until the frosts, you can lead it in 2-3 stems. It doesn’t crack when pickled/canned, but the taste is so-so, it is suitable for marinating, where the main flavor comes from the marinade.

Yes, Ira is confusing in that it’s sweet one time, and not sweet another. It seems to depend on something. That is, it doesn’t guarantee that it will always be tasty.

Maybe the sweet taste depends on how sunny and warm the summer was 🤔. This summer for us was definitely a tomato-and-pepper one))) But the cucumbers-pumpkins-zucchini let us down, there were few, and all the pumpkins and zucchini intended for winter storage rotted a bit, we had to juice them.

Yes, correctly noted. It’s tasty when it’s warm and sunny. Towards autumn it loses its taste. 😞

I grew Cherry Ira F1 last year. Very productive, tasty. It sets and sets fruit right until the very end of the season. Sweet. Beautiful. By autumn they were already trailing along the top of the greenhouse. 55 rubles is normal. I bought them here in Smolensk last year for 78 rubles for ten seeds. 5 left. I will definitely sow them again. The only drawback is a lot of suckers and the skin is a bit too thick. Tasty in canning. Excellent with kebabs (shashlik). I have photos, but I can’t seem to upload them to the forum. I just can’t learn how. Very sorry.

I also grew Cherry Ira F1 this year.
For decorating the greenhouse and for canning jars – it is just the thing. The tomatoes are firm, ripen well, and store for a long time (a little bit is still lying in the fridge from those picked at the end of September).
The yield is good (even in my conditions), it sets without skipping, full trusses, without any blossom-set hormones.. The taste – sweetish but a bit bland – this is perhaps the only minus.
Grew in 2 stems, in the photo – part of the main one. It doesn’t look very spectacular because I didn’t prune the leaves.

Here are my records for 2013:

Cherry Ira F1
Height on August 1st… 3.2 m (10.5 ft);
Yield per bush… 2.0 kg (4.4 lbs);
Average fruit weight… 17 g (0.6 oz);
Taste rating… 3.5 (out of 5) Some rate the taste as good.

I had two plants, one in the greenhouse, the second by the north wall of the garage, both were led in 2 stems, if both were in the greenhouse, the average fruit weight would have been higher.

For canning jars and for beauty, I agree with Sveta – a wonderful variety, the fruit walls are quite thick and strong. You can lead it in more than two stems, if only there were space and growing conditions in September-October; at the end of the season, there was a sea of suckers and ovaries that clearly wouldn’t ripen.

And this year my darling didn’t let me down. I picked the very first ripe tomatoes from it. Right now it stands all alone in the greenhouse, sprawling, completely covered in green cherry tomatoes. The day before yesterday I collected the red and reddening ones (about a kilogram), the taste is of course not the same anymore, it’s souring and they have become firmer, but they will still go into jars with a bang. This year I planted two bushes, one was unsuccessful – clearly not Ira, round ones and few of them, but the second one shot for two. Last year I planted Cherry Kira F1 for comparison, but I didn’t like it.

Tatyana, and from which company are the seeds? I’ve never come across them.

Quote from Elena 62:
Tatyana, and from which company are the seeds?

I always buy Semko, haven’t seen them from other companies.

This season the prices for Cherry Ira at Semko are – 5 seeds 75 rubles, 10 seeds 100 rubles. We’ll try, we’ll see…