Quick Summary of Blush 2.0
- 🌍 Origin: Bred by the renowned American breeder Fred Hempel (Artisan Seeds) and released in 2019. It is a cross between Lucky Tiger and Green Zebra Cherry.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate but very compact. It is noticeably shorter and sturdier than the original Blush, making it an outstanding choice for container growing (though it still requires staking or a cage). It performs well even without aggressive pruning.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, plum-shaped cocktail tomatoes with a cute little point (beak) at the blossom end. They ripen to a beautiful golden-yellow with pink marbling and yellow stripes.
- 👍 Improvements over the Original: Blush 2.0 was specifically bred to address the cracking issues of the original Blush. The skin is firm but not obtrusive, and the fruits are highly resistant to splitting.
- 👅 Flavor & Storage: The flesh is juicy, firm, and noticeably sweeter than its predecessor. It also boasts an excellent shelf life, holding up beautifully both on the vine and on the counter without losing quality.
Blush 2.0 is a new variety from Fred Hempel, released in 2019, who describes it as follows:
“Blush 2.0 is a new true-breeding cocktail tomato, not just a variant of Blush. It was bred as a result of crossing Lucky Tiger and Green Zebra Cherry; Blush became a grandfather through Lucky Tiger.”
The plant is indeterminate, productive, and the fruiting period is extended. The bush itself is sturdier than Blush and shorter, grows perfectly in a container, but you definitely need to provide support. The biggest improvement is that Blush 2.0 is much less prone to splitting.
Elongated plum-shaped, slightly pointed golden-yellow fruits with pink marbling and yellow stripes are gathered in clusters. The fruits of Blush 2.0 are more tender, more resistant to cracking, and store better than Blush. The skin is quite firm, but it doesn’t get in the way. The flesh is juicy and firm, sweeter than Blush. When ripe, the fruits store for a long time without deteriorating in quality.
I grew 2 bushes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. The bushes are compact, not sprawling, and do not take up much space. I grew them unpruned. The seeds were from Svetlana (777) from Germany, for which I am very grateful to her. I really liked Blush 2.0. I definitely need to grow it in a container next time.
Svetlana’s photo, my fruits also had these cute little beaks on the ends:
