Black tomato choices, need help

[SharonRossy]

So today I am going over the seeds that I want to germinate and when it comes to the blacks, I am stuck.
Last year I grew Black Krim and it wasn't great. Mind you, last year was a challenge. I decided to try Cherokee Purple and will grow Black from Tula again. I also have seeds from the dwarf variety - Perth Pride.
Any opinions are welcome. I found that the blacks in general did not hold up well once harvested. I did not let them ripen on the stem for the most part because of squirrel issues.
Thanks,
Sharon

[b54red]

Gary O' Sena is the black that I have had the best luck with at holding well once picked. Black Krim is probably the worst. Indian Stripe is a good black that falls in the middle as far as shelf life but it is near the top in production and taste.

Bill

[Labradors2]

Sharon,

You beat me to it as I was just about to ask about black tomatoes!

I have grown Black Krim and Cherokee Purple. Both were tasty but I liked CP more because it was early and smoother (although not terribly productive).

Indian Stripe is on my list for this year. However, I can't decide between Paul Robeson, Black Early, JD's Special C-Tex and Sarah Black, so if anyone has any preferences, I'd love to hear about them!

Linda

[charline]

my favorite black is Lila Sari
and of course Black Cherry

[livinonfaith]

I've really enjoyed Black Cherokee, but Black Trifele is probably the most reliable black for me. It just keeps on pumping out those little pear shaped beauties! And if you pick them before they get too ripe, they also hold for a long time on the counter. (at least they do at my house)

I think Black Cherry will always be on my grow list from now on. It isn't quite as prolific as some of the other cherries I've tried, but we really like the size, color and taste.

[PaulF]

Cherokee Purple, Carbon, Gary O'Sena, J.D. Special C-Tex in that order.

[SharonRossy]

Thanks for the replies! Livinonfaith, thanks for reminding be about Black Trifele. I grew it a few years ago and it was on my list to order and I forgot. It did hold up well and it was prolific. Any one had any experience with Black from Tula? One of the worst blacks I ever grew was Black Russian. There was absolutely nothing redeeming about it and Black Pear, which is not even close to Black Trifele.

[RobinB]

Margaret Curtain topped the list last year, followed closely by Japanese Black Trifele, and Tasmanian Chocolate. Black from Tula was good, as I recall, but I've only grown it once. I remember a lot of cracking with that one.

[discoprincess]

Black Plum is yummy and prolific (and small).

I second the suggestions for Black Cherry and the Japanese Black Trifele.

[Longlake]

Black from Tula is a yearly staple in my Zone 3 garden. For me, it’s early, productive and less prone to gray mold than Black Krim. Pink Berkeley Tie Dye is another winner, for all the same reasons. Other favorites would be Vorlon and Big Cheef. Lots of good choices out there!

[ChrisK]

Carbon! Good tomato for my location and taste buds.

Black from Tula has also been a good tomato for me.

[MissS]

My grow every season is Paul Robeson. It tastes great and does not go soft very fast at all.

You might be having some trouble with the blacks taste wise. They taste best in the heat of summer and last season was quite cool for them. PR is not as sweet as Black Krim or CP, but it does have a great flavor to me.

I bet that you get a different answer to this question from anyone that responds.

Patti

[ginger2778]

My favorites: Cherokee Purple, Spudakee, Daniel Burson. I grew Vorlon this season, as well as JDs, meh for both IMHO.

Marsha

[Anthony_Toronto]

Cherokee Purple, Indian Stripe. Black Krim was excellent for me here and there...some seasons huge and flavourful, other season small and less flavourful. Tried Gary O Sena a few years back, tomatoes looked great and produced well but tasted like poor quality store bought (in a season in which every other variety in the garden was close to perfect). I felt bad even giving them away. Two or three plants, all with the same poor results, shame because aside from the good producton they had the best shelf life, again much like poor quality store bought.

[Alpinejs]

A surprise entry into my overall top ten list last summer was Black Pear. It
tasted great and pumped out the 'maters like a machine gun. Strangely, it is
what got me into heirlooms. At a tropical nursery, the owner happened to
mention that her favorite tomato was black pear but she couldn't find seed for
it anymore. I searched the net and found some and gave her most. Somehow,
the search led me to Tomatoville and Black Pear appeared on no one's top
varieties lists and evidently my results weren't stellar, but growing it in Canada
last summer made me a cheerleader for it.