Gypsy is a good variety for market growers. The attractive, medium-size fruits are crack-resistant. They are a beautiful garnet-purple color, brushed with green on the shoulders. The flavor is good. It weighs about 4 ounces. This black tomato comes from the former Soviet Union and was introduced to the U.S. by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Heirloom Tomato Seeds - Black
Black tomatoes come in many shapes and sizes. The "black" coloring is actually a combination of red and green. Most black tomatoes have an earthy flavor.
Sowing Tomato Seeds
Start tomato seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date. Sow 1/8" deep. Transplant outside 2 weeks after the last frost date. Full sun. Spacing 30-36".
Tomato 'Black Icicle'
(90 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Black Icicle is a beautiful paste tomato. The thick-walled, burgundy-brown fruits are oblong with a pointed end. It is very productive, but so late to ripen that it can be disappointing for short-season gardeners. It was developed in the former Soviet Union and introduced by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds as one of a series of paste tomatoes in different colors.
Tomato 'Black Krim'
(80 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Black Krim is one of the most popular black tomatoes, and it deserves its good reputation. It was incredibly productive for us, producing loads of 8 oz. fruits that are maroon-red with green shoulders. The unique flavor is a combination of sweet, smoky and salty. This heirloom tomato originally came from the Crimean peninsula near the Black Sea.
Carbon has dusty rose-brown skin with green shoulders. The plants are very productive with medium-large fruits that weigh 8-12 ounces. Some people compare the flavor to that of Cherokee Purple, but I think that Carbon is milder, sweeter and less tangy. It was brought into circulation in 1998 by George Weiss of North Babylon, NY.
Cherokee Purple has dusky purple fruits that grow to 5" wide. The interior flesh is a beautiful brick-red color. The wonderful flavor is rich, sweet and smoky. It is the yardstick by which all other black tomatoes are measured. It's not the most productive tomato, but it's definitely worth growing for the flavor. Native American heirloom, pre-1890.
Tomato 'Carbon'
(80 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'
(85 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Black from Tula is one of the darkest black tomatoes. The fruits grow to 3-4" wide and weigh 8-12 ounces. The complex flavor is sweet, smoky and salty. This popular heirloom tomato originated in the Ukraine and was introduced to the U.S. in 1996 by Marina Danilenko, a pioneering seed seller from Moscow. It was then popularized by Seed Savers Exchange.
Tomato 'Black from Tula'
(85 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Tomato 'Gypsy'
(85 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Tomato 'Paul Robeson'
(85 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Paul Robeson is one of the best tasting black tomatoes we have ever grown. The dark brick-red fruits weigh 7-10 ounces and have a tangy, sweet and smoky flavor. This excellent tomato was named an African-American singer, actor and equal rights advocate. You can read about the history of this Russian heirloom and the man for whom it was named here.
Tomato 'True Black Brandywine'
(85 days)
25 seeds $3.00
True Black Brandywine has medium-size fruits that weigh 6-14 ounces. People are crazy about any tomato with the name of Brandywine in it, but it's not my favorite black tomato. I prefer more zing. The mild flavor is sweet and earthy, and production is very good. It was bred in the 1920's by Dr. Harold E. Martin of Westtown, PA from a cross between Brandywine and Feejee Improved.
Ananas Noire is also known as Black Pineapple. The skin has shades of green, yellow, orange and purple. The interior is bright green with red streaks. The large fruits weigh up to 1.5 pounds. The outstanding flavor is sweet and smoky with a tropical tang. Very productive. Developed by the Belgian horticulturist, Pascal Moreau, and introduced in 2005.
Tomato 'Ananas Noire'
(85 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Black Cherry is a popular variety with dusky purple-brown fruits. They have a rich, sweet flavor that distinguishes them from other cherry tomatoes. My kids love them, but I have mixed feelings because they haven't been as productive for me as I expected after reading other descriptions. Still, they are worth growing for the sake of variety. Heirloom.
Tomato 'Black Cherry'
(75 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Tomato 'Black Beauty'
(80 days)
25 seeds $3.00
Black Beauty is the darkest tomato we've ever grown. The medium-size fruits are red with black shoulders. Some of the fruits are almost completely black. The excellent flavor is tangy with a little earthiness. Prone to cracking.
Open-pollinated.
