Recommend a 'black' cherry tomato?

LindyAdele · January 7, 2015

So I have now grown "Black Cherry" and "Chocolate Cherry" - and both totally underwealmed me. They were prolific, but had a very ordinary flavour, and in the case of Black Cherry, they had tough skins, a chewy yet mushy texture and were very seedy. Not all that pleasant to eat. I loved Blue Berries, Ildi, Isis and many other cherries.

My garden is half cherry tomatoes - I will grow 8-10 plants this year. Does anyone have another recommendation to me for a sweet, pretty dark cherry?

I am wondering about:

- Haley's Purple comet
- Lost Marbles
- Black Hole Sun
- Black Opal
- Black Plum

Salsacharley · January 7, 2015

I grew Black Opal 2 years ago and it was very similar to Black Cherry. I couldn't tell them apart when put side-by-side. I prefer Black Cherry for flavor and I liked Black Cherry very much and still grow it. I don't know what happened to yours to make them so underwhelming.

I grow Black Plum every year. It is an extremely beautiful tomato and has the flavor characteristics of black tomatoes that I consider a "richness". If you mix a basket of Black Plum with Amish Gold it is a beautiful combination.

I grew Haley's Purple Comet last year but the dirty rotten spider mites got it before I could get any production from it so I will grow it again.

I also grew another large black cherry type called Black Crick from Edible Antiques in Canada. It was superb.

Below is a picture of my Black Opal from 2013, and the spider mites were after it before I knew what the affliction was.

NarnianGarden · January 7, 2015

Oh I'm so sorry! My balcony garden was infested with spider mites last summer, and they really managed to destroy lot of plants - although I had plentiful harvest despite of the dead leaves. It all started with Eggplant, and spead from there... They might have been attracted by the marigolds I planted to repel bugs...
Next year I'll be prepared and gonna fight! At the first sign of trouble I'll go into full attack mode ... with a pyritrine spray. It's supposed to be organic and harmless to the edible parts. Whatever is needed, I'll do it - and no marigolds!

AlittleSalt · January 7, 2015

Lindy, I have been wondering how black tomatoes grow/turn out in different areas with different amounts of sun. Kind of like how Indigo tomatoes turn dark purple when exposed to direct sunlight. Here in Texas, there's no lack of direct sun. I have never been north of Texas, but I've been told by my brother, who lived in Indiana, that the sun isn't as intense there. That makes me wonder if it affects the taste of black and indigo varieties?

Black Plum is one that many have suggested I grow.

LindyAdele · January 7, 2015

Thanks for the input!
Is black plum a little larger than a cherry, or more of a saladette tomato? I really am looking for a cherry if possible.
I think my complete lack of sun here in Canada may explain my blah black cherry experience. Maybe I should try once more, since everyone truly loves them. I might not fair any better with others (even if they have really cool names!)

Fiishergurl · January 7, 2015

That's too bad about Black Cherry. We love it but we are in Florida and maybe it likes the heat and sun we have here. It's one of our favorites.

Ginny

NarnianGarden · January 7, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by LindyAdele

Thanks for the input!
Is black plum a little larger than a cherry, or more of a saladette tomato? I really am looking for a cherry if possible.
I think my complete lack of sun here in Canada may explain my blah black cherry experience. Maybe I should try once more, since everyone truly loves them. I might not fair any better with others (even if they have really cool names!)

Lindy: How can you not have sun in the summer? We in Finland are as far in the north as you guys, and there is plenty of sun - last year, it was scorching, to say the least (yes, it did rain a lot, too). Wintertime is dark, but soon the days are getting longer..

Edit. It's been said that long summer days of the north are what produce the tastiest results. Don't know if that's the case for every variety, but strawberries sure are completely different than those you can get in the southern Europe..

Labradors2 · January 7, 2015

Try Carbon Copy!

I didn't like Black Cherry either! I wanted to like it because so many people do, so I grew it for a few years but always ended up feeding them to the dogs.

We had LOTS of sun last summer in southern Ontario

.

Linda

AlittleSalt · January 7, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by LindyAdele

Thanks for the input!
Is black plum a little larger than a cherry, or more of a saladette tomato? I really am looking for a cherry if possible.
I think my complete lack of sun here in Canada may explain my blah black cherry experience. Maybe I should try once more, since everyone truly loves them. I might not fair any better with others (even if they have really cool names!)

This is the best description of black plum tomato that I found: http://www.rareseeds.com/black-plum-tomato/

ginger2778 · January 7, 2015

I wonder if you got the right Black Cherry seeds. I know there are a few that call themselves that, but aren't the one from TGS' now deceased Vince Sapp. Want to try some of my seeds? I love them, firm but not tough skins, you bite em and they put an incredible burst of lavor in your mouth.
My garden will always have them.

Labradors2 · January 7, 2015

Hi Ginger,

Many thanks for your kind offer. I probably should try some good tasting black cherries, just to make sure that mine were indeed wrong! I'll be in touch.

Linda

**carolyn137** · January 7, 2015

Black Cherry bred by Vince Sapp, deceased husband of Linda Sapp who owns TGS has always been my best black cherry since the year it was introduced.

And yes, I've grown Chocolate Cherry and Brown Berry as well.

I've read good reports about Black Opal, bred in England, and was supposed to have it in my seed pffer but the person doing the seed production didn't get enough seeds.

One that I really like is Kazachka which I've been offering in my seed offer for the past couple of years.Try it.

And it's very true that varieties can perform differently, not just in one season, but also in different parts of the country. For instance. UV is higher in the southern climes so so called blacks color up more deeply than they do here in the more northern climes where I live.

If I see a variety that is praised by quite a few folks I never make a decision to not grow it again if it doesn't deliver, b'c I always give such varieties a 2nd and sometimes a third chance as well, knowing that no two seasons are the same as to weather, etc.

Carolyn

Labradors2 · January 7, 2015

Kazachka looks like a good one Carolyn!

It would be fun to grow:

Carbon Copy
Kazachka
Black Opal
Black Cherry

all together to find out which one tastes best!

Linda

MrsJustice · January 7, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by LindyAdele

Thanks for the input!
Is black plum a little larger than a cherry, or more of a saladette tomato? I really am looking for a cherry if possible.
I think my complete lack of sun here in Canada may explain my blah black cherry experience. Maybe I should try once more, since everyone truly loves them. I might not fair any better with others (even if they have really cool names!)

I think that's a great Ideal because Black Cherry need completely full sun for the sweetness. Black Plum is a super great producer with a good deep tomato taste, but not on the sweet side like the Black Cherry.

Farmer Joyce Beggs

gardenmermaid · January 7, 2015

I have found that with black tomatoes especially it seems to make a difference the soil and fertilizer you use. I went to a local tomato tasting a couple of years ago and the person who held it grew many of the same tomatoes I grew that year. In a side by side comparison my tomatoes tasted very different from hers. I thought mine had a lot more flavor. I especially noticed it in the black tomatoes. Some of my favorite black tomatoes tasted terrible from her garden.
The main difference in how we grew our tomatoes was that she used one general commercial fertilizer and did not rotate her crops.
I have a family member who is very allergic to chemicals so I grow mine with lots of compost and add lots of high-mineral natural things to my soil such as seaweed, eggshells, milk, and when I put on a new layer of my homemade compost I use "organic" label mineral supplements with things like bonemeal to make sure there are enough minerals mixed in there. I also rotate my crops. I thought maybe that was what made the difference, though I know there is a huge list of variables when growing any plant that could effect the flavor and texture, such as how much and when you water.
However, her plants were bigger than mine.
I am still fairly new to this and learning, so someone else I'm sure knows more on the subject, but I would like to try growing two test groups with chemical fertilizer in one and compost and more natural things in the other to see what type of a difference it really makes in flavor.

January 7, 2015	#1
LindyAdele Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 323	Recommend a 'black' cherry tomato? So I have now grown "Black Cherry" and "Chocolate Cherry" - and both totally underwealmed me. They were prolific, but had a very ordinary flavour, and in the case of Black Cherry, they had tough skins, a chewy yet mushy texture and were very seedy. Not all that pleasant to eat. I loved Blue Berries, Ildi, Isis and many other cherries. My garden is half cherry tomatoes - I will grow 8-10 plants this year. Does anyone have another recommendation to me for a sweet, pretty dark cherry? I am wondering about: - Haley's Purple comet - Lost Marbles - Black Hole Sun - Black Opal - Black Plum

January 7, 2015	#8
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,896	Try Carbon Copy! I didn't like Black Cherry either! I wanted to like it because so many people do, so I grew it for a few years but always ended up feeding them to the dogs. We had LOTS of sun last summer in southern Ontario . Linda Last edited by Labradors2; January 7, 2015 at 01:51 PM.

January 7, 2015	#12
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Black Cherry bred by Vince Sapp, deceased husband of Linda Sapp who owns TGS has always been my best black cherry since the year it was introduced. And yes, I've grown Chocolate Cherry and Brown Berry as well. I've read good reports about Black Opal, bred in England, and was supposed to have it in my seed pffer but the person doing the seed production didn't get enough seeds. One that I really like is Kazachka which I've been offering in my seed offer for the past couple of years.Try it. And it's very true that varieties can perform differently, not just in one season, but also in different parts of the country. For instance. UV is higher in the southern climes so so called blacks color up more deeply than they do here in the more northern climes where I live. If I see a variety that is praised by quite a few folks I never make a decision to not grow it again if it doesn't deliver, b'c I always give such varieties a 2nd and sometimes a third chance as well, knowing that no two seasons are the same as to weather, etc. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

January 7, 2015	#3
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Oh I'm so sorry! My balcony garden was infested with spider mites last summer, and they really managed to destroy lot of plants - although I had plentiful harvest despite of the dead leaves. It all started with Eggplant, and spead from there... They might have been attracted by the marigolds I planted to repel bugs... Next year I'll be prepared and gonna fight! At the first sign of trouble I'll go into full attack mode ... with a pyritrine spray. It's supposed to be organic and harmless to the edible parts. Whatever is needed, I'll do it - and no marigolds!

January 7, 2015	#4
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Lindy, I have been wondering how black tomatoes grow/turn out in different areas with different amounts of sun. Kind of like how Indigo tomatoes turn dark purple when exposed to direct sunlight. Here in Texas, there's no lack of direct sun. I have never been north of Texas, but I've been told by my brother, who lived in Indiana, that the sun isn't as intense there. That makes me wonder if it affects the taste of black and indigo varieties? Black Plum is one that many have suggested I grow.

January 7, 2015	#6
Fiishergurl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oak Hill, Florida Posts: 1,781	That's too bad about Black Cherry. We love it but we are in Florida and maybe it likes the heat and sun we have here. It's one of our favorites. Ginny

January 7, 2015	#10
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	I wonder if you got the right Black Cherry seeds. I know there are a few that call themselves that, but aren't the one from TGS' now deceased Vince Sapp. Want to try some of my seeds? I love them, firm but not tough skins, you bite em and they put an incredible burst of lavor in your mouth. My garden will always have them.

January 7, 2015	#15
gardenmermaid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: In the snowy desert of SE Idaho Posts: 111	I have found that with black tomatoes especially it seems to make a difference the soil and fertilizer you use. I went to a local tomato tasting a couple of years ago and the person who held it grew many of the same tomatoes I grew that year. In a side by side comparison my tomatoes tasted very different from hers. I thought mine had a lot more flavor. I especially noticed it in the black tomatoes. Some of my favorite black tomatoes tasted terrible from her garden. The main difference in how we grew our tomatoes was that she used one general commercial fertilizer and did not rotate her crops. I have a family member who is very allergic to chemicals so I grow mine with lots of compost and add lots of high-mineral natural things to my soil such as seaweed, eggshells, milk, and when I put on a new layer of my homemade compost I use "organic" label mineral supplements with things like bonemeal to make sure there are enough minerals mixed in there. I also rotate my crops. I thought maybe that was what made the difference, though I know there is a huge list of variables when growing any plant that could effect the flavor and texture, such as how much and when you water. However, her plants were bigger than mine. I am still fairly new to this and learning, so someone else I'm sure knows more on the subject, but I would like to try growing two test groups with chemical fertilizer in one and compost and more natural things in the other to see what type of a difference it really makes in flavor.