Best Market Black Tomato?

[PaulTandberg]

But, to be as clear as I can be, I didn't pose my query to diss OPs or start any kind of argument. I was just curious. I thought that if the category was "market growers growing dark tomatoes for market" there would be at least some talk about some of these new dark hybrids that have been released... and other than me, who is not a market grower and who doesn't grow for the market, there hasn't been a peep.

[Fusion_power]

Paul, sounds like you are growing the wrong varieties for your climate. I am not aware of a really good black tomato that would perform well in your area. The best possibility would be J.D.'s Special C-Tex which gets enough earliness from the Early Girl parent to give it a chance.

For red/pink tomatoes, Bloody Butcher, Eva Purple Ball, Sasha's Altai, Jagodka, and Gregori's Altai would be good possibilities. Manyel is a possible yellow.

Going back to the original query re black market tomatoes for the southeastern climate, the best flavored are J.D.'s Special C-Tex, Bear Creek, Gary'O Sena, Cherokee Purple, Indian Stripe, and Black From Tula. Unfortunately, they all have flaws such as cracking, large core, non-uniform, etc. Probably the best of the bunch are J.D.'s, Indian Stripe, and Bear Creek when considered from a market perspective.

[gssgarden]

Paul, I mentioned early on in the thread to try Cherokee Carbon. Very impressed with size, production and taste.
You should look into it.

Greg

[TomatoDon]

Fusion...I thought JD's had significant issues with cracking. Maybe I only saw one report. What is your experience with JD's and cracking?

[PaulTandberg]

I've grown Cherokee Carbon. And Black Krim, and Black Prince (in addition to Cherokee Purple and Paul Robison).

Black Krim actually did work really well for me at times. I had a couple bad years and I gave it up, but I did have a couple really good years. I should try it again. It was really good in the good years.

Black Prince was a big disappointment. I did get fair production, but I thought the taste and texture was so poor, I just stopped picking them and let them go. I had big hopes for it due to its earliness.


I am looking forward to the new Dwarfs I'm adding to the mix: Rozella Purple, Rozella Crimson, Boronia, and the two Freds, Wild and Tie-Dye.

And I'll be growing Estiva, Big Beef, CC Black, Marnero, Buffalosun, New Girl, and Summer Girl. Oh, and Black Krim. And there will be a couple others, there always are.

[Fusion_power]

Cracking is a affected by turgor pressure (water buildup), skin thickness, and plant propensity to pump too much water into the fruit. There may be other factors, but these are the primaries. J.D.'s should not give much problem with cracking though it can have some near the stem. I've seen a lot of pictures that are supposedly J.D.'s and am certain that many of them are not. It should be a medium size fruit in the general range of Cherokee Purple and should not have major problems with cracking. It is consistently a good producer of good flavored black tomatoes in my garden.


Best suggestion, if you want to try it, be sure to get from a reputable supplier who has the original.

[sjamesNorway]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

sJamesNorway How do you compare the taste of Indian Stripe to Cherokee Purple?

I haven't grown Cherokee Purple. Someone recommended ISPL, and I haven't looked for another black since.


Steve

[zipcode]

I see there's some confusion about Marnero. It is bread by Gautier Semences, you can buy it 'cheaply' on their site: https://www.boutiquegautiersemences....5979_S1000.htm

[b54red]

Although I am certainly not a market grower I do have some experience with black tomatoes and have been growing here in the SE for over forty years.

For sheer production no other black variety touches Indian Stripe PL year in and year out in my garden.

After years of taste testing black varieties I find JD's Special C Tex is usually at the top or near every year.

For a large black tomato I would go with Gary O' Sena. In a good year it can also be a massive producer and it has the best shelf life and fewest splits and flaws of all the black varieties I have tried so it might be your best bet for a market tomato. I have found that it is very vegetative and needs pruning for best fruit production and the plant can get massive.

Another that is an always plant for me is Spudakee which is the potato leaf version of Cherokee Purple. I find it far more consistent a producer here in lower Alabama and it is less prone to splitting. It is also a bit more disease tolerant than most of the black varieties I grow.

To sum it up my two black varieties that are the most consistent producers are ISPL and Spudakee. The best tasting is JD's and largest least splitting is Gary O' Sena. I do find that the black varieties seem to have more bad years due to heavy rain and too much moisture more than most other varieties and they are far more likely to be ruined by Gray mold. If you can keep them growing into late summer they are probably the most productive during that hot dry time so I generally set out more of them for mid summer to fall production as they taste better than reds and pinks produced in the hottest driest time of the season. I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket with these varieties because they all can have good and bad years. You need to find at least three varieties of black tomatoes to give yourself a good chance for success. I have never tried the hybrid blacks but would certainly give them a try especially if they have good flavor.

Bill

[Greatgardens]

If you want to offer your customers a (pretty much) defect-free dark tomato, why not invest a few bucks in several "black" hybrid seeds for trial. Chef's Choice Black is widely available and pretty inexpensive. This series does have a pretty good track record. For several bucks more, there is Burpee's Darkstar. I have had good luck in general with Burpee Hybrids, but I have not grown this one. There is at least one other dark hybrid, but I can't can't remember its name at the moment. IIRC, it is a slightly smaller tomato, but certainly not a cherry or cocktail variety. Google may help.

[PaulTandberg]

Originally Posted by zipcode

I see there's some confusion about Marnero. It is bread by Gautier Semences, you can buy it 'cheaply' on their site: https://www.boutiquegautiersemences....5979_S1000.htm

Thanks. I will go back and correct my post to credit Gautier Semences.

[PaulTandberg]

Arggjh! Moderators, I can't edit my posts on p.2 from two days ago that mistakenly credited Johnny's Seeds with releasing Marnero. Can you let me back in to those posts? Failing that, let yourselves in and post a correction.

Someone someday will do a google search on Marnero and my post could pop up and I got the credit wrong and credit should be right. (I found you guys doing google tomato search and an old thread popped up)

[TomatoDon]

It's been a while since this thread was posted and I appreciate all of the information and knowledge that the members here at Tomatoville commented about the best black tomatoes for market.

It appears that Indian Stripe PL wins, overall. Everyone seems to love it. I don't remember anything negative being said about it.
Chef's Choice Black rated high, so I will put it in second place....but still in the top tier.
JD's Special C Tex was another of the most mentioned, so it will rank in the top tier, also.
One that wasn't mentioned a lot was Carbon, but from the pictures and the descriptions I believe this is another variety I will try. I don't recall any negative feedback about Carbon as a market tomato, but if there is some, please post it.

Another variety of high interest is Girl Girl's Weird Thing, which is new to me and appears to be the prettiest of all.

Two more that seem to be very good are Pale Perfect Purple and Burpee's Darkstar., even if they are smaller and sweeter. Overall, they look and sound like good tomatoes.

Oddly, one variety that almost always makes everyone's list is Paul Robeson. However, it didn't draw any interest here.

I'll probably try Berkeley Tie as a novelty tomato just to see how it does here and how it tastes.

Another curiosity is that the King of All the Darks - Purples, Cherokee Purple, was rarely mentioned as anyone's top favorite, probably because it seemed to ignite a lot of interest in dark tomatoes and so many have come out since its release. all these other darks have come out. However, Cherokee Purple still appears to be the measuring stick by which all others are judged. Time and again Cherokee Purple was mentioned, but mostly when comparing other varieties to it. I will be growing it again.

This isn't a real poll or a scientific study -- I just read over the three page thread again and took notes. If I missed anything, please add it. I'd also like opinions on this informal and unofficial survey.

Thanks to all!
Don

I should have emphasized in the beginning that when I say "market" tomato I don't mean picking, boxing, and holding them for several days, or shipping them. I pick them just before the peak of ripeness and usually sell them all in 24 hours, hardly ever more than 48 hours, so I'm still wondering if Berkeley Tie Dye would be a contender even if the main drawback was short shelf life.

[zeuspaul]

I'll put in a vote for Carbon. I am not a market grower but this is the tomato my better half chooses first when placed on the counter with many others. Then she asks for more even though there are lots of others remaining. She doesn't know its name but can recognize it.

It has few cracks or blemishes and is a good sized slicer with good flavor. I will be planting a lot more this year.

[Gardenboy]

Yes Carbon is great but Black from Tula is the darkest and most tasty in my garden.