Tomato 'Black Cherry'

On Jul 2, 2018, will335 from San Antonio, TX wrote:

Very good tasting tomatoes, does well in Texas heat.

On Sep 15, 2014, BetsyKeep from Ellsworth, ME wrote:

These have been a delight! I have them growing in planters in front of my west facing windows as a natural awning. I tied them as they grew and they are now up to the gutters and covered with beautiful fruits. The flavor is great and my friends love getting goodie boxes with them.They make for a beautiful salad when combined with green zebras and golden cherries.

Nights have been in the low 40's and upper 30's and they are thriving. The only problem is that they are so laden with green tomatoes that they'll be all over the house ripening after our Maine frost which will be her

On Aug 21, 2014, CalgaryGardener from Calgary, AB (Zone 3a) wrote:

i must be one of the ones that got the bad batch, the fruit i grew were bland in flavour and have been for several years. i finally decided to quit growing them.

i believe for 2015 i will purchase new seed from McFayden Seed(part of MacKenzie Seed), i have had good luck with their sungold, so perhaps i will find the same luck with their black cherry.

tried burpees black pearl and they are even blander(if such a word exists).

On May 18, 2014, elsutor from Penn Hills, PA wrote:

Big monster of a plant, with dark, iridescent plumes of tomatoes in late summer. In my garden production seemed to start a little late for a cherry, but likely that is because of this variety's long germination time-- nearly 2 weeks beyond all of the other tomatoes I sprouted (32 varieties this year, and more last year). I have tried seeds from two different sources and had the same experience both times. I plan to start these earlier than the rest next year.

Once these start, they just keep coming-- in my garden, they are ripening long after my other tomatoes have mostly quit for the season. Be prepared for the size, which required some creative staking. These also resisted the blight that got some of my other tomatoes for a good long while. I see there are mixed revi... read moreews on disease resistance here, but they did seem to resist blight a little better than many other varieties.

On Mar 17, 2013, Bigfeet from Los Alamos, NM wrote:

I grew Black Cherry from seed one year (I moved the next year) in Knoxville, TN. Soil was a slightly raised bed, TN clay tilled with sand and depleted potting soil, and generously amended every fall with leaf mulch and livestock manure, and treated with lime early in the year to correct pH.

Holy crap! In brief, a single plant grew fairly huge (5ft+x4ft+) in only 5 hours direct sunlight, and during peak season (July-Nov) produced at least a quart+ of fruit daily. Tomatoes were ~3 centimeters diameter with a sweet grapey flavor. Thin skin and fabulous meaty texture. The trick is to pick them before they swell and split... when they start to get olive/eggplant color, roll them in your fingers; if they come off the stem, they're ready, and you can thus judge when to pick.
... read more
I've been growing different tomatoes for a decade in TN, and these were far and away the tastiest of ~40 varieties I have tried.

On Dec 1, 2012, cowgirlamy from North Tonawanda, NY wrote:

Ive grown these a number of years. Buying plants from a local nursery. This year they were unable to get them. My garden isnt complete without it. I love them. Off another site i bought plants and they tasted like yuck.

On Jul 31, 2012, Calalily from Deep South Coastal, TX (Zone 10a) wrote:

One of my favorite large cherry tomatoes and also a favorite of our market customers. Produces year round in south TX.

On Jul 15, 2012, Pitcom from Avondale, PA (Zone 6b) wrote:

This is quite simply one of the best tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten. It grows large so be sure to cage it well. It also sets an incredible amount of fruit. For me, it blows Sungold and just about every other cherry tomato out of the water in terms of flavor. The taste is rich and earthy without any bitter or acidic undertones. Even through this difficult summer of drought and 100+ temps, it has produced extremely well.

On Dec 18, 2011, donnyczech from Sioux Falls, SD (Zone 4b) wrote:

The plant was not as monstrous as other cherry types, but the flavor was excellent. Along with the icicle types, it was the family favorite.

I am growing again in 2012.

On Jul 16, 2011, Californian from Fullerton, CA wrote:

Either there is a bad batch of Black Cherry seeds being distributed or the genes have mutated because a lot of posters on the gardenweb tomato forum, including myself, are reporting disappointment with Black Cherry. Last year for sure I had some bad seeds as the tomatoes produced weren't even round and tasted terrible. I ordered seeds from different supplier and this time the tomatoes were round, but not as sweet as some other cherry tomatoes. However if one lets the fruit get really ripe the flavor improves as the season progresses. The plant itself is large and vigorous. The tomatoes also take a long time to ripen compared to other cherry tomatoes.

On Jul 13, 2010, pupsicle from Davis, CA wrote:

This is my new favorite tomato. My one plant is EXTREMELY productive, though the fruit are a little slower to ripen than my Sungolds and SuperSweet 100s. The flavor is outstanding -- very sweet, a little tangy, with a tender skin.

This one will definitely be coming back next year.

On Nov 24, 2009, jimh6278 from Salt Lake City, UT wrote:

I got my seeds from tomatofest and as always had good germination. The plant was strong and vigorous. Like most cherry tomatoes very prolific. I found the skins thick but when you bit into the fruit the flavor exploded in your mouth. I gave plants to 2 friends and we all agree that this is a keeper. All of us will grow these again.

On Jun 5, 2009, betta5 from Gainesville, FL wrote:

I grew black cherry for the first time this year. WONDERFUL flavor. I will definitely grow this one again next year. Very prolific with lots of tomatoes. It is still setting fruit in early June. The drawbacks are that the plant does not seem to be all that disease resistant and attracts white flies and aphids more than the other types I am growing this year and the plant has some sort of black disease that slowly creeps up the stems and causes the leaves to turn dark brown and die. So far removing the dying leaves has kept the plant going. It is possible this is a combo of the early Florida rains (2 weeks straight, not good for disease) and the fact that I only had one plant...it could have just been weaker. I still have to give a positive though for absolute excellent flavor and its prol... read moreific nature.

On Aug 20, 2008, Joan from Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) wrote:

I tasted this tomato for the first time last year (07), and I loved them. I grew them for the first time this year (08) and they are performing 2nd best in my garden as far as earliness, production and vigor. They are second only to 'Sungold'

I love the flavor, and will make sure that I have these in my garden every year.

On Jun 22, 2008, browniiz from Black Mountain, NC (Zone 7a) wrote:

I planted Black Cherry last year for the first time. We were totally impressed with it. We had tons of tiny, tasty tomatoes to munch on as we did our daily gardening. My 3 year old grandaughter can't wait for them to ripen so she can start picking and eating them again this year.
I can't imagine my vegetable garden without a Black Cherry plant

On Jan 14, 2008, ddrsheden from Bushnell, IL wrote:

Always willing to try an odd variety of tomato, I came acrossed this variety at a nursery my area. I loved the taste, it was one of the sweetest tomatoes I have ever tasted. Being dark, mine were about the color of a Washington or Bing Cherry, friends were a little leary about giving it a taste. They also loved the flavor. This variety will be in my garden this year and years to come.

On Jul 23, 2006, dlnevins from Omaha, NE wrote:

Lovely color and very crack-resistant fruit, but I've found the flavor to be blander than I expected.

On Jan 18, 2006, Suze_ from (Zone 7b) wrote:

I really enjoyed this variety in '05 and am growing again. Yummy (great depth of flavor) and nice coloration both whole and cut in half.

On Sep 23, 2005, oldetowne from Southington, CT wrote:

I tried Black Cherry for the first time this year and my wife fell in love with the taste. Very good production, although we did experience an unexplained lull in late August when the ripening simply halted. It has since resumed and continues to make everyone happy.

On Aug 29, 2005, RickardE from Goshen, IN (Zone 6a) wrote:

An early maturing variety. Very prolific. I picked them when they were red, green and purple. The inside of it is predominantly purple. They look great and have been thoroughly enjoyed by all who have tried them. Slightly larger than cherry tomotoes.