🍅 Quick take: Sunrise Bumble Bee is an acclaimed indeterminate artisan cherry bred by Fred Hempel. It produces glowing, golden-yellow round-oval fruits marbled with vibrant pink stripes, weighing 0.75-1 oz (20-25 g). Renowned for its tender skin, exceptional sweetness, and cold resilience, it thrives in both greenhouses and open garden beds, continuing to bear heavy clusters right up until the final hard freeze. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-8 Experience)
Mid-season indeterminate cherry variety. The fruits are round-to-oval, glowing golden-yellow with pink marbling – just wonderfully cheerful, bright colors. Weighs around 0.75-1 oz (20-25 g). Sweet and delicious.
The skin is on the tender side, so they tend to split in whole-pack hot-water canning jars.
Grew mine inside the greenhouse. It’s a tall vine and very low-maintenance. Started ripening early, and it was among the very last plants I cleared out of the greenhouse in late autumn.
The skin is on the tender side, so they tend to split in whole-pack hot-water canning jars.
Grew mine inside the greenhouse. It’s a tall vine and very low-maintenance. Started ripening early, and it was among the very last plants I cleared out of the greenhouse in late autumn.
Loved this one for both flavor and beauty. Definitely repeating it this season. Seeds were a gift from Sweta 777 – huge thanks to her!
Grabbed seeds for this beauty as well! 😊 Turns out there are several other sibling selections in this series:
Sunrise Bumble Bee. Outstanding cherry variety, easily one of my favorites this season! 👍
Indeterminate, completely unfussy. Grew mine out in the open garden patch. Strong, robust vine that took every punch the weather threw at it and kept producing over an extended window.
After the first flower truss set, I pretty much stopped pruning suckers and let it branch out. The fruits are almost cocktail size, up to 1 oz (25 g). Gorgeous, bright, striped, sweet, and genuinely delicious! 😋
Indeterminate, completely unfussy. Grew mine out in the open garden patch. Strong, robust vine that took every punch the weather threw at it and kept producing over an extended window.
After the first flower truss set, I pretty much stopped pruning suckers and let it branch out. The fruits are almost cocktail size, up to 1 oz (25 g). Gorgeous, bright, striped, sweet, and genuinely delicious! 😋
Quick Facts: Variety Summary
- 🌿 Growth Habit: Vigorous indeterminate cherry vine. Highly adaptable to minimal pruning; after establishing the first cluster, growers recommend letting multiple leaders develop to maximize yields.
- 🍅 Fruit Profile: Round to slightly oval large cherries / cocktail tomatoes weighing 0.75-1 oz (20-25 g). Luminous golden-yellow skin highlighted by flame-like pink streaks.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Sweet, complex, and low in harsh acid. Skins are notably tender and pleasant for fresh snacking, though they are prone to splitting under high heat canning baths.
- 📈 Cold Resilience & Extended Season: Remarkable cold tolerance. Plants maintain healthy foliar vigor and continuous fruit set deep into autumn, often serving as the final productive vine cleared from northern gardens.
- 🧬 Breeder: Developed by Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds in Sunol, California, as part of his famous Bumble Bee cherry series.
🍅 Have you grown Sunrise Bumble Bee? How did it compare in sweetness to Purple Bumble Bee or Sungold in your garden? Drop your thoughts below!
