Solanum lycopersicum
Black Cherry Cherry Tomato, black cherry: developed in the 1990s by crossing heirloom varieties with dark flesh, it quickly won over gardeners. Its deep brown-purple color is spectacular, but it is above all its flavor that sets it apart: an intensity and complexity rarely found in a cherry tomato.
Characteristics:
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Deep color: almost-black brown-purple fruits, highly decorative when growing in clusters.
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Intense flavor: sweet and complex, with the rich notes of dark-fleshed tomatoes.
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Early and vigorous: it produces early and abundantly, with good disease resistance.
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Suitable for growing in pots: perfect for a balcony in a deep container.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun and warmth — this is what fully develops its dark color.
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Soil: rich, loose and well-drained, enriched with compost. Less demanding than large varieties, it still appreciates well-nourished soil.
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Method: sow from February to April under cover, at a minimum of 20 °C — below this temperature, the seeds will not germinate. Cover with 5 mm of soil. Transplant into pots at the two-true-leaf stage. See how to sow your seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant after the last frosts, spacing plants 60 cm apart. Bury the stem up to the first leaves: tomatoes produce roots along the entire buried portion, resulting in a more vigorous plant.
- This is an indeterminate and particularly vigorous variety: it easily exceeds 2 meters in height. Provide a sturdy stake at planting time.
Care advice:
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Always water at the base, never on the foliage, preferably in the morning: water on the leaves provides an entry point for blight. Apply a thick mulch.
- Water regularly and evenly to prevent the fruits from splitting.
- With cherry tomatoes, removing suckers is optional: allowing the plant to bush out increases the number of fruits if you have enough space and adequate support.
- Rotate crops every three to four years.
Harvesting advice:
- Color alone is not enough to judge ripeness in a dark variety: rely on touch—the fruit should yield slightly. If harvested too early, it is acidic.
- Store at room temperature, never in the refrigerator, which destroys its aromas.
Beneficial pairings:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its flowers are pollinated by vibration: only bumblebees make full use of them. Welcoming bumblebees directly improves your harvest.
- As an open-pollinated variety, it allows you to sow your own seeds year after year. See our heirloom tomatoes to sow.
Uses:
- As an appetizer, in salads, on skewers or oven-confited. Its dark color creates a striking contrast when mixed with yellow or red cherry tomatoes.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Take the pulp from a few fully ripe fruits and let it ferment for two to three days in a little water — this step destroys the gelatinous coating that inhibits germination — then rinse: the healthy seeds will sink to the bottom. Dry them flat. See how to store your seeds.
Our Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, without any chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
The most flavorful and spectacular cherry tomato.
