Black tomato choices, need help - Page 3

bower · February 25, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

That's because they are small tomato bigots.

..
Poor neglected small tomatoes.

Worth

Oh, Worth that is so funny.

I had small, early tomatoes but neglected to plant any cherries last year - not enough room at the inn - and I really missed them. I forgot that they are the ones that still pump out when it's too hot for the rest.
And some of the best tasting tomatoes are cherries, too.

March 13, 2014

Sharon- I have been growing Cherokee Purples with great success for 19 seasons. It is easily one of my favorites. This year I am growing Paul Robeson, Black From Tula, Eva's Purple Ball, and Tim's Black Ruffles in addition to the Cherokee Purple "black" type. I have consistently found that Cherokee Purple and most heirlooms do not lend themselves well to "keeping" after being picked. They need to be consumed very shortly after being picked. One characteristic of Cherokee Purple that I have noticed over the years is the rapid tendency to split at the shoulders after any large rain storm when they are close to maturity. I have had very good luck with this variety and the flavor has remained superb.

topazgirl170 · March 13, 2014

Last season I grew Japanese Black Trifele, Black Prince, Cherokee Purple, Black From Tula, Paul Robeson, Black Cherry and Black Krim.

Black from Tula was without a doubt the best tasting. Closely behind it was Paul Robeson and Black Cherry. I liked the Japanese Black Trifele and Black Prince for taste and production. I'm on the fence about Black Krim and Cherokee Purple. I will be growing them again this season, I wont' give up on a tomato after one season.

I'm adding Sara Black and Carbon to my grow list for this season.

Steve Magruder · March 13, 2014

I was looking up tomato plants today and I ran into this description of Paul Robeson by a seller who deals in a wide variety of plants: "my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller" -- that sold me and I'm trying it this year. I'm also intrigued by "Black from Tula" as it gets so many positive reviews.

halleone · March 13, 2014

Japanese Black Trifele and Black Sea Man have permanent positions in my garden; the two together make a fabulous roasted tomato sauce, and they are great fresh, also.

ddsack · March 13, 2014

Spudakee has been a repeat for me because it's relatively early, and very tasty. This year I plan to compare it to Spudatula which I have not yet grown.
I also like Black from Tula, Indian Stripe, Brad's Black Heart, Cherokee Chocolate and JD's Special C-Tex. Not sure if I'll have space to grow any of them this year, as I have a bunch of new blacks for trialing this season. The last few years I have found I am being drawn back to the reds, having overloaded on chasing the other colors.

dustdevil · March 13, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by dipchip2000

I have 5 packs of Carbon Copy seeds(12 seeds)

Post here and PM me for SASE address

5 only

ron

Hi Ron. PM sent. Dust

Fusion_power · March 13, 2014

And nobody has grown Bear Creek? You are missing one of the best tomatoes around.

Bear Creek, J.D.'s Special C-Tex, Cherokee Purple, Black From Tula, Black Krim, Paul Robeson, Carbon. I also love Perth Pride.

matilda'skid · March 13, 2014

Black and Brown Boar is a reliable salad sized striped black.

kevn357 · March 14, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

You have to find the black for your climate, soil, and weather conditions. Keep trying different ones and go from there. What works for others in different zones and climate is just a vague opinion of what might work for you.

Add in soil types, amount of rain/watering, PH, pruning styles, temperatures, feedings, etc...

In my current climate and soil, since I moved 2 years ago, I learned the tomatoes I used to grow and depend don't do much here. I had a black cherry plant grow to 10 feet before finally topping over and was just loaded with fruit during a very wet year. Every other black I grew (about 8 more that did fantastic the previous year) produced a few pounds of fruit.

gnol · March 14, 2014

Hi Everyone.
I'm just nearly finishing up my season here and I grew Brads Black Heart.
I must say for me it was the standout of all the new ones I grew. Taste was fantastic. This one will go on the grow a lot list.
I grew 2 plants.
One had a few fruit that were more rounded than heart shaped.

halleone · March 14, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by matilda'skid

Black and Brown Boar is a reliable salad sized striped black.

I absolutely agree with you on this one.

parah · March 14, 2014

Mmmm, black tomatoes...yummy

How about Amazon Chocolate for a tasty robust indeterminate and Perth's Pride for a tasty robust dwarf plant, they don't know how to fail. The tastiest black is useless if it doesn't give you fruit in your garden. Some people have reported that Amazon Chocolate is cold tolerant, that might be helpful for Montreal.

I would like to hear more about Wessel's Purple Pride. It is a long plum shaped tomato from the parents Cherokee Purple & Sausage. I have 2 growing now the first time and so far I am very impressed with its disease resistance and ability to set fruit in hot weather.
It does seem to struggle a bit in the 100 degree afternoons, but as long as it keeps setting fruit I am very happy.

But I'm trying to tone done my enthusiasm, because Wessel could be having a lucky season.
I would like to hear from other growers, is Wessel an undiscovered gem?

FarmerShawn · March 14, 2014

Here in Northern Vermont, in sandy soil, I have had some successes and some failures. Both Black Krim and JD's Special C-Tex have not worked at all - after three years trying, I have yet to get a decent tomato from them. They're off the grow list. Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Black from Tula, and Paul Robeson have performed well most years, usually making my most delicious list. I'm still trying new ones - Amazon Chocolate and Carbon were pretty good. I love Kazachka (Courtney). I also am still fiddling around with a Vince PI from Carolyn's offer - when it works and I pick them just before they are fully ripe, they are transformingly scrumptious, but they split wide open at the mere whisper of humidity, even when still very green.

HoosierDaddy · March 14, 2014

I used to grow Black Krim every year, but last year was a bad year for that one in SE Michigan (zone 5). We had a lot of rain last summer and Black Krim did not taste good. It was one of my favorites the previous 3 years.
Black from Tula did great last year, my first year growing that strain.
I just started seeds for this year and my three blacks will be Black from Tula, Black Prince (first time with that one), and Black Krim.

JD's, Paul Robeson, and Cherokee Purple did not grow well for me the previous 3 years. I've given those up.

March 13, 2014	#36
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Spudakee has been a repeat for me because it's relatively early, and very tasty. This year I plan to compare it to Spudatula which I have not yet grown. I also like Black from Tula, Indian Stripe, Brad's Black Heart, Cherokee Chocolate and JD's Special C-Tex. Not sure if I'll have space to grow any of them this year, as I have a bunch of new blacks for trialing this season. The last few years I have found I am being drawn back to the reds, having overloaded on chasing the other colors. __________________ Dee **************

March 14, 2014	#43
parah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Asia Posts: 152	Mmmm, black tomatoes...yummy How about Amazon Chocolate for a tasty robust indeterminate and Perth's Pride for a tasty robust dwarf plant, they don't know how to fail. The tastiest black is useless if it doesn't give you fruit in your garden. Some people have reported that Amazon Chocolate is cold tolerant, that might be helpful for Montreal. I would like to hear more about Wessel's Purple Pride. It is a long plum shaped tomato from the parents Cherokee Purple & Sausage. I have 2 growing now the first time and so far I am very impressed with its disease resistance and ability to set fruit in hot weather. It does seem to struggle a bit in the 100 degree afternoons, but as long as it keeps setting fruit I am very happy. But I'm trying to tone done my enthusiasm, because Wessel could be having a lucky season. I would like to hear from other growers, is Wessel an undiscovered gem? Last edited by parah; March 14, 2014 at 01:16 PM.

March 14, 2014	#44
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	Here in Northern Vermont, in sandy soil, I have had some successes and some failures. Both Black Krim and JD's Special C-Tex have not worked at all - after three years trying, I have yet to get a decent tomato from them. They're off the grow list. Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Black from Tula, and Paul Robeson have performed well most years, usually making my most delicious list. I'm still trying new ones - Amazon Chocolate and Carbon were pretty good. I love Kazachka (Courtney). I also am still fiddling around with a Vince PI from Carolyn's offer - when it works and I pick them just before they are fully ripe, they are transformingly scrumptious, but they split wide open at the mere whisper of humidity, even when still very green. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

March 13, 2014	#32
Sebring222 Guest Posts: n/a	Sharon- I have been growing Cherokee Purples with great success for 19 seasons. It is easily one of my favorites. This year I am growing Paul Robeson, Black From Tula, Eva's Purple Ball, and Tim's Black Ruffles in addition to the Cherokee Purple "black" type. I have consistently found that Cherokee Purple and most heirlooms do not lend themselves well to "keeping" after being picked. They need to be consumed very shortly after being picked. One characteristic of Cherokee Purple that I have noticed over the years is the rapid tendency to split at the shoulders after any large rain storm when they are close to maturity. I have had very good luck with this variety and the flavor has remained superb.

March 13, 2014	#33
topazgirl170 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: 8A -Charlotte, NC Posts: 34	Last season I grew Japanese Black Trifele, Black Prince, Cherokee Purple, Black From Tula, Paul Robeson, Black Cherry and Black Krim. Black from Tula was without a doubt the best tasting. Closely behind it was Paul Robeson and Black Cherry. I liked the Japanese Black Trifele and Black Prince for taste and production. I'm on the fence about Black Krim and Cherokee Purple. I will be growing them again this season, I wont' give up on a tomato after one season. I'm adding Sara Black and Carbon to my grow list for this season.

March 13, 2014	#34
Steve Magruder Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Louisville, Kentucky (Zone 6B) Posts: 89	I was looking up tomato plants today and I ran into this description of Paul Robeson by a seller who deals in a wide variety of plants: "my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller" -- that sold me and I'm trying it this year. I'm also intrigued by "Black from Tula" as it gets so many positive reviews.

March 13, 2014	#35
halleone Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Walla Walla, Washington Posts: 360	Japanese Black Trifele and Black Sea Man have permanent positions in my garden; the two together make a fabulous roasted tomato sauce, and they are great fresh, also.

March 13, 2014	#38
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	And nobody has grown Bear Creek? You are missing one of the best tomatoes around. Bear Creek, J.D.'s Special C-Tex, Cherokee Purple, Black From Tula, Black Krim, Paul Robeson, Carbon. I also love Perth Pride.

March 13, 2014	#39
matilda'skid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 309	Black and Brown Boar is a reliable salad sized striped black.

March 14, 2014	#41
gnol Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 125	Hi Everyone. I'm just nearly finishing up my season here and I grew Brads Black Heart. I must say for me it was the standout of all the new ones I grew. Taste was fantastic. This one will go on the grow a lot list. I grew 2 plants. One had a few fruit that were more rounded than heart shaped.

March 14, 2014	#45
HoosierDaddy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Zone 5 SE Michigan Posts: 50	I used to grow Black Krim every year, but last year was a bad year for that one in SE Michigan (zone 5). We had a lot of rain last summer and Black Krim did not taste good. It was one of my favorites the previous 3 years. Black from Tula did great last year, my first year growing that strain. I just started seeds for this year and my three blacks will be Black from Tula, Black Prince (first time with that one), and Black Krim. JD's, Paul Robeson, and Cherokee Purple did not grow well for me the previous 3 years. I've given those up.