Tomato 'Black Krim'

On Sep 4, 2019, KevinMiller from Winnipeg, MB (Zone 3a) wrote:

A friend gave me Black Krim seeds from 4 different tomatoes in 2016. I've planted many of the seeds indoors for the past 4 years, grown seedlings under a GrowLight, and transplanted one or two seedlings in my garden in early June each year.
My experience with Black Krim is mixed, although mostly positive.
Seed germination has been generally OK, and some mortality of seedlings has occurred, but by planting a number of seeds, I've always had seedlings to transplant.
Black Krim is a great-looking tomato, and very tasty, as other growers have mentioned.
My single 2019 plant has been excellent: vigorous, healthy, and very high-yield (13 medium to very large tomatoes harvested as of September 3, with another 12 growing/ripening tomatoes on the plant.

On Jul 19, 2017, lssfishhunter from Jonesville, SC (Zone 7b) wrote:

This is the most productive dark tomato that I have grown to date. However, some plants seem to put on more fruit than others and this takes my rating from a positive to a neutral.

On Jan 4, 2016, 5333Taylor from Austin, TX wrote:

Planted five Black Krim in my garden in Central Texas in Spring 2014. The plants produced an average of 30 tomatoes per plant. A minor disappointment was the skin cracking on many tomatoes.

On Jun 14, 2015, lottaTomatoes from Stockton, CA wrote:

I planted a Black Krim last year that I found at some nursery. It was
in partial shade and outgrew the Early girl next to it.
It produced pretty good sized fruits, until the blue Jays found
it so enticing. I lost 5 fruits to those birds before I could put netting around the plant. When I did get 4 or 5 more fruits, I could not believe the taste. Hands down the best tomato, and well worth growing.
This season I have 3 in 5 gallon pots, they are loaded with blossoms
and one has 9 fruits set on it, It averages 95 degrees F here.
I will continue to grow this variety. The seedlings were strong and
this tomato is one that resists disease as long as you add
potassium, calcium and manure to the soil. Grows almost 9 feet tall!

On Sep 8, 2014, ocean_314 from Ukiah, CA wrote:

One of the best but very low production with small tomatoes that did not come n until very late in the season.

I have no idea why, the black brandywines and Cherokee purple did great and where planted right next to the krims.

Everyone in our small town experienced the same thing so maybe is was bad seeds used by the nursery.

On Aug 18, 2014, sssusieq from San Antonio, TX wrote:

A Facebook friend here in San Antonio, TX grew Black Krim for the first time and said it tasted like dirt. She tried several and they all had the same disagreeable flavor. She was so disappointed that she pulled up the healthy plant! Could this have come from an issue with too little/much water or too little/much of a mineral? Was it just that she had never grown a black tomato before and wasn't prepared for the intense, smoky taste that I see in several comments here?

On Jan 24, 2014, JULIETABER from Fort Worth, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

I had one top out at over 12 ounces and several other were in the half pound range. This sweet tomato makes very good pizza sauce, save your other varieties for the salad.

On Aug 6, 2013, idealpeggy from Lexington, KY (Zone 6b) wrote:

Giving it a Positive even though the whole vine died after producing about a dozen tomatoes because-1) This was my first producer-I grew it from seed, 2) it tastes marvelous!, 3) it is beautiful-green at the top, and burgundy at the bottom, 4) wonderful texture-velvetty smooth-slices beautifully.
I read somewhere that one should pick heirlooms when they first start to turn color and that has really saved my tomatoes this year. I did not have a single one crack or get insects or bird damage. These ripen up perfectly inside in about a day.

On May 20, 2013, mhherr from Pomona, CA wrote:

I'd like to be able to report a "positive" experience, but I'm not sure yet. My garden is raised beds with Netafim subterranean drip with odd-day watering -- everything is lush and doing nicely with full sun exposure.

I have two beautiful, seemingly healthy Krim plants, each now about 24" - 32" tall (in the ground almost 2 months), dutifully pruned to eliminate the "armpit" scions (some of which I have rooted in water), and they are making lots of flowers. But none of the flowers are setting fruit.

Our weather here in the Los Angeles, CA area has been rather bizarre. We've had days in the past couple of weeks into the 90s followed by overcast days in the 70s, with warm to cool -- and even a few chilly -- nights.

I am routinely foliar feeding... read more kelp, and have recently begun adding a bloom enhancer (Fox Farms "Tiger Bloom") to the spray.

Are the bizarre weather days to blame or is there something I'm not doing right? My other tomato varieties are several days behind the Krims because they were all planted from seed rather than small starts. I was really looking forward to some nice 1-pound-plus fruits.

On May 12, 2013, techpro6 from Yreka, CA wrote:

Grows great in the volcanic soil of this town. Late planting helps it keep away from the frosty mornings and snow of spring at our house, part way up the mountain side. Cracks easily but still gives a large yield. Wonderful flavor and plenty of seeds from the cracked tomatoes. It will be on my list for years to come. BEWARE the deer love to munch on these beautiful plants...
poison or not it does not seem to effect them. The local market has potted one gallon starters for sale and the seeds are great for starting the next year. The best years are the ones with cooler summers and long falls found often in this area. Last year they were producing up to the first snowfall.

On Feb 8, 2013, sly2kusa from Placentia, CA wrote:

This is hands down the best heirloom Tomato on the planet (and I have grown many other 'black' tomatoes including Cherokee Purples, Black from Tula, Black Sea Man's and others). I still have plants from May of last year that are still going strong, and with the warm snap that came through during January - more fruit with just a spike of some epsom salts and bone meal. I'd recommend this as a great add to anyone's veggie garden. You will not be disappointed!

On Aug 5, 2012, donnyczech from Sioux Falls, SD (Zone 4b) wrote:

Black Krim is a great tomato and is growing well in my garden in drought stricken South Dakota. No problem with the blight this year probably because of the heat. In July we had less than 1/2 inch of rain for the entire month, so I water a lot. I had to keep my eye of the fruit because when it is ripe, it needs to be picked right away because it can split easily. The fruit is beautiful, green on the top and the rest is a dark black red. The taste is fantastic and I enjoy eating Black Krim right after I pick it. I will definitely grow it again.

On Apr 22, 2012, dda1974 from Bonaire, GA (Zone 8a) wrote:

I have a small backyard container garden and I make sure I grow these every year. They taste AWESOME. I usually plant them at the end of April and I have learned that they tend to struggle a little in the heat of the summer (August especially) but they perk up in late September and for the past few years I've had fresh tomatoes well into November. (central Georgia zone 8b)

On Sep 20, 2011, SoCagardner from Escondido, CA wrote:

Black Krim tomatoes are real winners. They have a strong, sweet, smoky flavor that I love. Production far exceeded any other tomato variety in my garden this year. Also, along with Stupice were easily my first to produce ripe tomatoes. Tomatoes are small to medium in size and consistently perfect in shape. The plants are large and do require staking. In the spring, I had some problems with wilt, but the plant survived it and then thrived. No problems with blossom end rot or sun scald. My two favorite tomato plants from this summer were Black Krim and Brandywine Sudduth.

On Aug 14, 2010, tomatofrog from Echuca,
Australia wrote:

Purple pink in my estimation. Some people say it is brownish red.
Grew well for me two years ago ,even in a pot! Good flavour.
Growing again this year.

On Jun 7, 2010, mandogal from Largo, FL wrote:

This is my first time growing Black Krim. I use an Earthbox. The plant is large and lush and is producing many tomatoes. The tomatoes are large and splitting. The Earthbox is watered daily but the reservoir is dry every night. The fruits are delicious. My other heirlooms have had the fruit worm damage but the Black Krim does not seem to be effected. Any suggestions about how to prevent cracks?

On Sep 18, 2009, DonShirer from Westbrook, CT (Zone 6a) wrote:

I grew 5 Black Krim plants this year, and all but one succumbed to blight, so I am reporting on a rather small statistical sample! (The one that lasted was in an HEB, but I don't think that made any difference.) The taste is better than average, but not as good as Cherokee Purple. Yield was average. Birds or squirrels loved them too and I had to put up netting to protect them. I'll hope for better luck next year.

On Sep 22, 2008, tuttamatta from Portland, OR wrote:

It is for sure a winner in my garden, I love the flavor, out of 30 varieties I grew the only one I liked better is Black from Tula, but not by far.

On Sep 7, 2007, majaz from Middlebury, VT (Zone 4b) wrote:

This was my first year with Black Krim. I was looking for Black from Tula which I grew several years ago and found this one. The taste I think is great and the plant produced quite a lot and pretty early. It does look pretty weird with the green and dusky pink and you have to pick it before it looks ripe. Gets very soft quickly, and does tend to get cracks.

On Mar 3, 2007, berrygirl from Braselton, GA (Zone 8a) wrote:

Slightly flattened 4-5" globes with dark greenish-black shoulders, turns almost black with enough heat and sun.

On Nov 26, 2005, blameitonkarma from Lancaster, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

The Black Krim was by far my favorite this year. Delicious taste and lots of fruit. The tomatoes split like crazy though, but maybe I was more inconsistent with my watering than I thought I was.

Will definitely grow this one again.

On Aug 18, 2004, makshi from Noblesville, IN (Zone 5a) wrote:

These are very good mild tomato. They weigh approx. 6oz., dark red and blackish color. I at first thought I didn't like the flavor but have decided that I do like it. The plant has held up very well. The only thing I found about this tomato is that it gets cracks on the stem end that don't go all the way through and have not hurt the flavor at all.

On May 31, 2004, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote:

Unique fruits from the Crimean Sea area of Russia. (Krim is Russian for Crimea)

Dark brownish red tomatoes with darker gel in the locules. They look almost rotten, but have a wonderful smokey/sweet taste totally unique to the variety.

Large blemish free fruits that produce well in the South. I like them and they are in my rotation to grow every few years.