Mountain Magic

Described as very sweet, with vine-ripened fruit rated consistently as having very good flavor and high sugar. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

An F1 hybrid campari or cocktail type developed at North Carolina State University's Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center.

• Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
• Ripens early, under about 70 days, one of the safer picks where the summer is short.
• Generally forgiving and beginner-friendly to grow.
• Skins resist cracking, even after a heavy rain.
• One of our picks for the cold, short-season gardens of New England.

Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.

Sungoldbut a red campari type rather than an orange cherry, and far more blight resistantCelebritybut much smaller fruit and a focus on late blight

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Is Mountain Magic determinate or indeterminate?

Mountain Magic is an indeterminate variety. Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.

How long does Mountain Magic take to ripen?

Mountain Magic ripens in about 66 days from transplant. Ripens early, under about 70 days, one of the safer picks where the summer is short.

Is Mountain Magic an heirloom or a hybrid?

Mountain Magic is a hybrid (F1), so seed saved from it will not come back true to the parent and is best bought fresh each year.

What can I grow instead of Mountain Magic?

A close swap is Sungold, but a red campari type rather than an orange cherry, and far more blight resistant.