16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Cherokee Purple is the original variety named by Craig LeHoullier, seeds from John Green in TN.
Craig discovered fruits on a plant that were much darker than Cherokee Purple, which has a clear epidermis, and what he called Cherokee Chocolate seems to have a yellow epidermis.
So the two are exactly the same except one is darker than the other,
Below I've linked to Tania's page for this variety where opinions are given, pictures are shown and seed availability is indicated.
And yes, I've grown Cherokee Chocolate.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Cherokee Chocolate
Just looked at the weather online, severe weather (hail, tornados) in OK and surrounding area this weekend, moving east into MN (and WI?) next week. I'd hold off, see what they're predicting for your area in a few days. I may not even be able to harden mine off this coming week and plant next weekend as planned
Here is a link that might be useful: Severe weather coming
I am doing this for the first time as well. So far so good, but the mettle is always tested in Aug/Sept when growth skyrockets. My husband installed two others like this. I still have to transplant a few more. Keep in mind tomatoes still need to spread roots underground even though above ground it looks like there is pace for more plants
The string trellis works really well in Florida. Our summer humidity is coupled with daily afternoon showers, which makes for a less than ideal environment. Being able to spread things out allows for much better airflow. Also it makes pruning and harvesting really easy. This trellis is about 6.5 feet tall and I will either pinch off the plants once they reach the top, or just let the branches spill over towards the end of the season.
I checked two sites which usually give heights:
V = the big French database Ventmarin.
http://ventmarin.free.fr/passion_tomates/passion_tomate.htm
CF = the Cultivar Finder at the forum we can't link to or name.
Black Plum:
V = 5'10" - 6'6"
CF = in their 4'-6' category
Italian Paste:
V = no size listed
CF = variety not listed
Blondkopfchen:
V = 4'10" - 5'2"
CF = in both their 4'-6' and 6'-8' categories, which I interpret as perhaps 5'-7'
Thanks for the resources, I hadn't seen those yet.
So it looks like Blondkopfchen, Black Plum, Black Krim, Tula & Cherokee are good ones to try along the fence. I'll try an Italian Paste there too (the seeds were a freebie from TomatoFest, just listed as "Italian Paste", figured I'd try them out).
The amazing thing is that there is not shortage of truss clusters
Hudson, are you saying that you're getting trusses on a stem more often than the usual indet pattern of one-truss-after-three-leaves? If so, that would be an interesting mutation.
Missingtheobvious - I wasn't thinking that at all with the statement - just meant that there were the normal amount of trusses going up the plant. You got me thinking though and I had to check it out this morning. There are the normal - one truss after three leaves.
I did break off the top of one the plants this morning training the stem - dang it - hate it when I do that. There is another sucker close by but it just set the plant back some - I didn't apply more pressure than usual - just hit a weak spot I guess.
I had the same thing happen to one of my two larger plants that I had in a nursery pot waiting to transfer to the ground. It had been outside for a couple of weeks. The first day we go a sustained breeze with some fairly significant gusts, the same 'blisters' appeared. I think it was wind damage. I thought I had given it enough wind protection that day but apparently not. My leaves were a little droopy as well. I brought it back in once I saw it in this state.
It seems to be doing fine now...except for the stem marks.
"I am no longer in GA. Now I am in Seattle, WA area. So we do not have the scorching heat of the south hear."
Then you should go to your profile page and change that information. That way when you ask a question, you will receive more relevant responses.... Although in the case of "dwarfing" Brandywine, the responses you received are relevant, dwarfism just doesn't work that way.
Betsy
Ed- yes it shot up to 90 degrees the day after planting. But now it's back to the low 70s.
Dave- thanks, that's what I was hoping. But got spooked that it might be something worse. Many of the images online for Yellow Leaf Disease are fairly similar to those for Tomato Leaf Roll.
Or just cap off the one head. No point in losing the plants just because of one sprinkler head. Treat the problem, not the problems it causes. Especially when treating the created problems only makes them worse.
In addition to the reduced light they are getting leggy due to the trapped heat. Anyone with experience in growing in GH or plastic tunnels can assure you you are going to regret this set-up.
Dave
edweather
Sorry, I can not post a picture as I don't have a camera. After looking at them for a few days and reading the comments posted here I am convinced these are not Black Cherry tomatoes. They don't resemble any of the photos I have been able to find, they are decidedly plum shaped and more than a little fuzzy. It is disappointing not to have the Black Cherries but I am curious enough as to what they might be to grow them out anyway.
Carolyn
Thanks for the input, any thoughts as to what I might have?
I am hardly a fan of Monsanto to say the least and buy all my seeds from specialised online websites.
There are -- so far, at least -- only a handful of GMO crops, and no GMO seeds for sale to the home grower. Nor are there likely to be in the near future.
That's not to excuse Monsanto: merely my protest against seed ads I've seen online which imply a) only their site is a guarantee of non-GMO seed purity, and b) open-pollinated seeds are rare.
Really, I'm not trying to label it or trade it or anything. I just thought it was interesting and I was curious...
It was pretty tasty, by the way.
Carol is right people forget the name, and rename crating more varieties which are really the same . Another thing people do is grow abunch of toms and they harvest toms 5 days before the DTM so they think they have improved the original Tom ,so they rename it ,Some are just vain and dont get enough attention and rename a variety in their name or a friends or loved one name. Some get seeds from another country or region and do the same.