I love cherry tomatoes. I have since I was a little girl and my Uncle Walter grew them in his yard. Whenever we visited in summer he would lead me across his manicured lawn to the back of the house where his cherry tomato plants grew. I ate them like candy savoring every warm juicy bite. Uncle Walter never grew tomatoes like the heirlooms I’m harvesting in the garden now, but I bet he’d like them!
‘Black Cherry’ tomatoes are truly one of the most beautiful cherry tomatoes I’ve ever grown. The color is a deep brownish red with dark green (almost black) at the shoulders. Planted near the grape arbor in compost-rich soil and mulched with comfrey leaves and hay, the only water they received was rainfall. They didn’t seem to mind… the plants currently stand at 6′ and are loaded with fruit.
The flavor is characteristic of dark tomatoes, quite different from the usual cherry tomato varieties grown for their high sugar content. Not noticeably acidic, the tomato flavor is more smoky with a dash of salt. After the first taste I was smitten; black cherry tomatoes will definitely be a ‘regular’ in our garden from now on. I think they’d be really lovely planted with purple basil and daisies…
‘White Currant’ is a wild-type cherry tomato that’s super-small and extra-sweet. Its natural habit is to trail and the vines are l-o-n-g even for an indeterminate variety; ours measure about 8 1/2′ at the moment. I caged our four plants and they easily grew up, over and out of the cages and now resemble tomato fountains with sprays of small fruit ripening on the straw mulch. Next year I’m training them along a horizontal support!
The tiny pale yellow fruits (they aren’t truly white), are somewhere between that of a small grape and a currant in size and grow in clusters. The flavor is amazing, unbelievably sweet with just a hint of tangy, which is good because our plants are very productive even by cherry tomato standards! I’m sure a few have escaped into the straw mulch to emerge as volunteers next spring… that’s fine by me! I’m eager to pair them with the Black Cherry tomatoes, perhaps very lightly roasted with olive oil and tossed with fresh chard and pasta? Of course I’ll have to stop eating them all first… Happy gardening!
Gosh, Lisa, you almost have me thinking I’d like to eat these! (Even though I don’t like fresh tomatoes!)
You just might! Our youngest daughter doesn’t care for fresh tomatoes either and she was almost able to swallow the currant tomato… real progress! LOL!
I am growing the black cherry tomatoes this year…when I found a ripe one…I ate it, right there in the garden. Delicious!
Oh Yum, they look delicious. They would be so good with pasta! Happy harvesting.
Where do you get the seeds for heirloom varieties such as these? The stores around here have heavily treated seedlings or seeds for just the common types of tomatoes.
Hi Stephanie! I have a page with a lot of wonderful organic, open pollinated and heirloom seed suppliers and growers…check the Seed Sources link on the right sidebar (I have ordered from most of them at one time or another). Remember, once you grow an heirloom/open pollinated variety you can save the seeds to plant the following year!
Best of luck!
Thank you Susan…it’s fun to have such a colorful bounty!
Aren’t they? The color is so lovely, too! I hope you’re enjoying a big harvest this season Trina!