The origin of this tomato is believed to be from Dr. Harold Martin, who was a hobby gardener and a dentist. He did not release the tomato in the 1920s when it was first selected, but it was released later by a person who inherited Dr. Martin’s collection. Initially there were some concerns about the variability of the variety, and it has taken time for people to judge the plant. It is indeterminate and purple-maroon in color, weighing 5 to 8 ounces. It has a sweet fruity flavor. The current selection from the collection is a regular leaf type. 85 days.
Many of you have come to love the Chef’s Choice tomato series. The latest entry in the class is called Chef’s Choice Black, a beefsteak type tomato with a dark green, brown, and black hues. The flesh is juicy and sweet. The disease resistant plants can produce 30 or more 8-10 ounce fruit on each plant, under good growing conditions. Winner of the All America Selections award, with a good disease package and with good crack tolerance. Requires staking. Indeterminate. 75 days.
Delicious 9 to 10 ounce fruit are firm and smooth, having excellent flavor and purple color all the way through. If you love Cherokee Purple you will also like this tomato. Vigorous indeterminate plants mature in 80 days.
Small elongated-oval fruits are deep mahogany and sweet and fruity. These are small, teardrop-shaped morsels of sweetness, wonderful for snacking off the vine or for adding to salads. 6-foot tall plants produce a steady, large crop. This is a unique and very tasty variety. Indeterminate. 82 days.
A distinctive purplish-gray hue is what gives this 'black' tomato its name. What also sets it apart is its potato-leaved foliage, which is not often seen in black varieties. Tomatoes are medium-sized, about 8 ozs., and boast that uniquely robust yet sweet flavor that makes black tomatoes so outstanding. Indeterminate. 78 days.
Deep garnet round fruits really load up on these plants that stay fairly small. Tomatoes are medium-sized and full of juice and good, rich flavor. Originally from Siberia. This variety should be a favorite in most gardens. Indeterminate. 70 days.
Deep reddish-brown beefsteak tomato has a rich, sweet flavor that is delicious. Fruit is smooth in texture and weighs from 8 to 12 ozs. This outstanding variety is very productive and seems to set well even when weather turns hot. Russian heirloom. Indeterminate. 75-80 days.
This is the first truly black cherry tomato and our own exclusive variety. It is not a plum, but a perfectly round cherry with classic black tomato flavor, sweet yet rich and complex. Fruit picks clean from the stem and is produced in abundance on vigorous, tall plants. These cherries are irresistibly delicious and a unique addition to the color spectrum of cherry tomatoes now available. Selected by the founder for sweetness, increased crack tolerance and yield. Indeterminate. 65 days.
These black tomatoes appear in clusters of round, smooth fruit that is 6 to 8 ozs. each. Their flavor is excellent, sweet yet full of that special black tomato richness. Production is very good and fruit is reliably blemish-free. Indeterminate. 80 days.
Compact plants bear plenty of wonderfully rich, dark mahogany-brown tomatoes that average about 4 ozs. Black tomatoes have a delicious blend of sugar and acid and a distinctive, complex flavor that is to be savored. Some folks say this variety is one of the best-tasting black tomatoes and prefer it also for its nice, medium size. Russian heirloom. Indeterminate. 75 days.
This is among the darkest of the 'black' tomatoes that we've seen and one of the very best tasting tomatoes of any kind that we've sampled. Its flavor is exceptionally rich yet sweet and the essence of delicious summer tomato flavor. Medium to large, 8 to 12 oz. tomatoes are flattened round and smooth, without the cracking or blemishing that seems to plague some black tomatoes. They are dark purplish-brown on the outside with a deep brick-red interior. Indeterminate. 80 days.
This is the most truly purple tomato we know, not just pink-purple, but it is deep purple-burgundy. It is also uniquely shaped, extremely fluted and almost ruffled in appearance. Fruit is flattened, about 3 inches across, and flavor is described by some as distinctively winey and rich. Indeterminate. 80-90 days.
This heirloom variety bears 8 to 10 oz. burgundy-purple tomatoes that have an exquisite taste with the richness and complexity of fine wine. The fruit found growing in an Arkansas garden gets its name from the faint green stripes that fade as tomatoes ripen. This variety has been compared to Cherokee Purple, but Indian Stripe bears more heavily and the fruit is a bit lighter in color. Indeterminate. 80 days.
Very productive plants bear loads of 10 to 12 oz. dusky rose/purple fruit with deep brick red interiors. The tomatoes are absolutely delicious with a pleasantly sweet and rich flavor. With thin skin and soft flesh, the fruit is somewhat perishable, but they taste so good they will be eaten quickly anyhow. Heirloom from Tennessee. Indeterminate. 80 days.
Dark brown tomatoes are shaped like miniature pears and flavored with an excellent, rich taste. Potato-leaved plants produce an abundance of these beautiful, 4 to 6 ounce fruit, perfect for cutting up for salads or using as a unique addition to platters. Heirloom variety. Indeterminate. 80 days.
This Russian heirloom variety is well loved for its unusual appearance and outstanding, rich flavor. Pear-shaped, blemish-free fruit weigh 4 to 6 ozs. and are beautiful deep mahogany-brown with green shoulders. Highly productive plants have potato-leaved foliage, which seems to contribute to excellent flavor. Recent research shows that green shoulders are also an indicator of superior flavor, so it's no wonder that this tomato is famous for its incredible taste. Indeterminate. 75 days.
Dark brown-red tomatoes are large, 10 to 12 ozs., and very richly flavored with just a hint of saltiness. Color is darker in hot weather, and fruit seems to set well even in the heat. Prone to cracking, but a very heavy producer. Heirloom from the Black Sea of Russia. Indeterminate. 75-90 days.
This is an open-pollinated stabilized cross between New Big Dwarf and Paul Robeson. The result is a tomato with the same size, color, and shape of Paul Robeson growing on a dwarf-sized plant. Plants have dark green rugose foliage and grow 3 to 4 feet tall, bearing deep-maroon tomatoes with rich, complex flavor. This is one of the varieties shared by the Dwarf Tomato Project. Indeterminate. 75 days.
This deep burgundy tomato has jagged green stripes on the outside and solid mahogany-colored flesh inside. Sweet and juicy, its flavor also carries the rich complexity associated with black tomatoes. This is a natural and stabilized cross between a black tomato and Green Zebra, and its size and shape are like Green Zebra. Surely a unique and stunning variety, these will be a hit at farmers' markets as well as in your own garden. Vigorous plants produce an abundance of 3 to 4 oz. tomatoes. Indeterminate. 75 days.
A stabilized version of Cherokee Purple, this 10 to 16 oz. mahogany-colored variety has excellent flavor and beautiful large fruit. Very productive plants are vigorous and yield a large harvest of these chocolate-colored tomatoes with the ample size and wonderful flavor associated with Cherokee Purple. Indeterminate. 75 days
Another winning variety from the Heirloom Marriage(TM) series that crosses two heirloom varieties to create an offspring that is higher yielding and earlier but retains all the great flavor of the parents. This robust deep purple beefsteak is a cross of Cherokee Purple and Carbon, both of which are famous for their unique and delicious flavors. Expect 10 to 12 oz. unblemished tomatoes with exquisite taste. Indeterminate. 75 days.
One of the most highly regarded black tomatoes, this one features medium sized deep maroon fruits that are free of most blemishes and cracking. Their flavor is complex, sweet yet tangy, and characteristic of that distinctive richness that makes black tomatoes special. Russian heirloom. Indeterminate. 75 days.
This new hybrid heirloom type combines the flavor of heirlooms with the productive quality of a commercial variety. The attractive, dark purple fruit weigh 7 to 10 ounces, and have deliciously sweet and tangy flesh. And Darkstar is resistant to Late Blight. The strong, 6 – 7 foot tall indeterminate vines will produce over a long period of time, with great productivity. 75 days.