I'm planning my varieties to sow and am thinking about the black varieties: Black Krim, Nyagous, Black Zebra and Chocolate Stripes. If anyone had any experience with these varieties I would appreciate their input. I read in one of the feedbacks (can't remember where) that Nyagous doesn't like the heat. I certainly don't want to plant any variety that doesn't like the heat here in Georgia. I've been pretty successful with the red types but am new to the varieties I listed. Any input would be welcomed.
Black Tomatoes in GA
I haven't tried those varieties yet. My favorite blacks are Indian Stripe, Gary'O Sena, Amazon Chocolate, and Cherokee Purple. Cherokee Purple is not a big producer, especially once the weather gets hot, but the tomatoes are delicious.
I grow both Cherokee Purple and Black Krim. Agreed that Cherokee Purple sputters when the heat cranks up but the flavor is worth it and you can get a good harvest. Black Krim produces very well throughout the season. I plant a number of them. My favorite though is Black Cherry. I stopped growing cherries altogether a number of years ago but have restarted. I don't care for any of those tiny tomatoes that over ripen in a day and fall off the vines when picked. Black Cherry is a large cherry with big clusters. It stays well anchored on the vines. It does not crack quite as readily as other cherries. Its flavor matches the big blacks I grow. I have tried several varieties of stripped tomatoes and have either not cared for the flavor or not grown them well. I grew Black Prince several years ago and it was terrible. Flat flavor and very seedy. Apparently others here concur.
I agree with Laurel on the Black Cherry. It is the only fresh tomato my son (he's 36, so not a picky child...) will eat. I didn't grow any last year and he was not happy. I've grown Cherokee Purple with mixed results. Some years they are wonderful, some they take forever and the results don't taste good to me. I tried Nyagous one year. It was OK, but only got 4 tomatoes from the plant. I am going to try Indian Stripe this year.
Thanks for this thread, because I was just wondering about black tomatoes that would take the heat. I may just try a black tomato this year.
Glad this is helpful. I forgot to add Eva Purple Ball to the list that I grow every year. It is a good, firm slicer. I've also grown Black Brandywine. It does not like heat. You can see from my zone that we are cooler longer and earlier than some others here in Georgia. I might be the furthest north gardener that posts. My garden is in the mountains.
SO reminded me about another flaw with Black Russians. They have weak stems and fall off the vines. After tasting them it might be safe to say nature intended it that way.
Regarding the heat...I love the German beefsteak varieties but they don't take well to heat. I just plant more.
DM if you are interested in a seed swap. I have all the varieties mentioned favorably and many more.
Laurel
Interesting listings of these tomatoes. I grew Cherokee purple last year. Did not get many, but I loved the flavor of this one.
Think it got too hot quickly.
I am trying Brad's Black Heart. Does anyone have any experience with that one?
I missed this post but no, I've not tried it. I'll be planting out my usual blacks this year, and a collection of favorites and several older seed varieties that need seed updating. I was given Principe Borghese, Cream Sausage and Johnny's 749 Valenciano and Speckled Roman seed. These will be new to me. I'm trying to hold to no more than thirty six tomatoes (famous last words) and like to grow doubles of several varieties including the blacks mentioned previously.
Didn't know where to post this, but, my cousin Wanda in College Park, Ga. inherited all my 5-gallon, self-watering eBuckets, and she is now ready to pass them on.
If anyone is interested in having them, or knows any Georgia growers you think might be interested in the offer, please send me a dmail, and I'll let Wanda know. There are between 20-30 buckets available.
Linda
(P.S. I'm posting this in several forums...)
Very nice of you, Linda. Surely there will be a happy taker.
Here at Maypop, thirty-something tomatoes have turned into approximately fifty. After a weak start because of all the rain things are picking up. The biggest problem is that due to lower than usual light plants are spindly and top heavy. Holding my breath while draping vines from one cage to the next. I just came in with a half produce bag of Black Cherries. There are some enormous Cherokee Purples out there too. Many tomatoes are headed to the sauce pot and canning jars.
Well none of my black tomatoes produced well. In fact due to the humidity, rain and lack of Sun the plants didn't do well either. The only plant that produced for me was Bush Beefsteak that I had in containers. But that's not typical because I had planted Black Cherry before and it did well, so I do believe it has been the weather that caused my miserable production this year, but will try again nxt year.
Miserable weather in this area this year. I had very few tomatoes and over 60 plants. My best producers were Big Beef, Akers West VA. And even then, just so so. Cherokee Purples, Cherokee Chocolate and JD's Special C-Tex were worthless. Luckily I reconciled myself to no tomatoes early on because of the weather. Hopefully next year will be better.
This was probably the worst year ever for tomatoes here. My Big Beef plants did produce enough that I was able to do some canning, and they are still producing some smaller tomatoes. I rooted some cuttings from these for a fall crop.
Most of my other plants, including Indian Stripe, Amazon Chocolate, ang Gary'O Sena, only yielded a couple of toms before succumbing to the effects of too much rain and the resulting disease pressures. Several plants never produced any tomatoes. They bloomed well, but the blooms all dropped off. I've never had that happen before. Definitely hoping for a better year in 2014.
We have had SO MUCH RAIN this summer! I got a pretty good yield, but with 7 inches at a time, they are just yellow and sad looking now. I will do some fall tomatoes, and hopefully they will do better.
Well, after this summer I would love to know if anyone has grown a successful purple/black tomato yet it south GA? I have grown a few and none of them have been good producers or stood up to the lower south's heat/humidity.. Very interested to know.
Thanks..