One of the most popular of the non - traditional heirloom miscellany of tomatoes , the Cherokee Purple spring up to both great acme and fall in yield of bombastic size , appealing to gardener tomato cognoscente . It ’s very tasty with what ’s normally described as a “ tomato - ey ” flavour and has a typical deep reddish - purple color and rich flavour . Cherokee Purples are some of the most middle - pleasing and distinctive of tomatoes in both visual aspect and taste .
This heirloom mixture was reintroduced to the populace by a gentleman’s gentleman discover John Green of Sevierville , Tennessee , who got some of the seeds from a woman who received them from her neighbor and institutionalize them to Craig LeHoullier , who grew heirloom Lycopersicon esculentum as a sideline and collected the seeds for the governance Seedsavers . In the handwritten note , Green state his neighbors had claimed that the varietal wine had been in their family for 100 years , and that the cum were originally received from Cherokee Indians . And so it seemed arrant to name them . NPR has written a great tarradiddle about it .
Best Soil for Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
As with all tomatoes ( Solanum genus Lycopersicon ) , rich soil is a must . The soil should be airy , heavy with nutrients , and should be on the loose down to six or more inches to account for the cryptical root that this improbable plant will set . For good answer soil should have a relatively eminent nitrogen content in the commencement ( leave to bleed off by harvest to encourage fruiting ) . The cherokee purple plant will thrive in a land pH of 6 to 6.5 and do all right in all the distinctive zone where tomatoes can develop .
Proper Care of Cherokee Purple Tomato Plants
set about seedsat least 8 calendar week before the last Robert Frost date . Cherokee Purples are comparatively slow in gestation and will grow slowly ( even in well potting dirt ) for the first three or four weeks after sprout . The best way to start seedling buy from a glasshouse is to keep them indoors for a week or so for hardening . When small , Cherokee purple heirloom tomatoes are very susceptible to clime government issue ( too much sunlight , cold , etc ) and should be protect .
embed them in the ground and be certain they incur direct sunlight and full sunlight . The soil should be rich and slightly acidic ( see above ) and plants will need at least three feet ( 36 column inch ) of space – 48 inches is recommended , however . They will produce to be tight to 9 animal foot in height and have a good spread of offshoot .
filch off early side shoots ( known as all-day sucker ) from the main stem to encourage rooting and strong stalk growth . Be sure cherokee Lycopersicon esculentum are watered regularly and that a side dressing of light fertilizer , compost or organic matter is tot up every 30 - 45 days . Use an evenly balanced plant food if your soil began with a high nitrogen content ( as recommended ) .
photo by Gardening Channel reader Martina Kaiser
Of course , tomato cages or hoop are want for these huge plants with their heavy fruit . stake can be used , but will not belike keep the large tomatoes on the vine once they near ripeness , so cages are choose . Many have had well fortune with teepee - elan frames .
When to Harvest Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
For most growers , it will take at least 80 days to reach maturity and be ready to glean , but as with many heirloom multifariousness of Lycopersicon esculentum , your Cherokee Purples are not likely to all ripen at once , but will often self - lurch the crop over a hebdomad or two . Pick the ripe fruit when they are large , and have a firm , deep regal hue amongst their ruby-red screen background . Their articulatio humeri usually remain green , but the green shoulders may get lighter in coloration when right .
Saving Cherokee Purple Tomato Seeds
Seeds from Cherokees are easily dried and lay in . Many tomato partisan hollow out the tomato plant for the seeds and use the shell to bake as stuff tomatoes . fresh and ramify the seeds carefully , then dry out slowly over time . Most well - dried heirloom seed like the Cherokee Purple will keep for 2 - 3 geezerhood in a cool , teetotal plaza .
Cherokee Purple Tomato: Pests and Diseases
Cherokee Purples are broadly resistant to Fusarium Wilt and Septoria , the most common of tomato diseases . If they are kept healthy , these heirlooms will resist almost every disease and most plague as well . Their principal enemy in the United States is the mosaic virus , which can not be cured once it set in . If you suspect any of your works have contract this ( it is usually carried by worm and marked by its curling of the leaf in a wilt - like fashion ) , you should remove the plants from your garden quickly and destroy them . heyday close rotis another common disease to avoid .
Keeping the tomato off the ground prevents most types of blight . Common gadfly like snort and grasshopper are not by and large as drawn to Cherokee Purples due to their odd colouring , but leaf - eaters like thetomato hornwormand other cat can ravage the industrial plant . Aphids should be treat againstquickly if they appear .
How to Prepare Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
Cherokee Purple love apple can be eaten in any of a thousand ways . For every gardener growing them , there are ten formula for consume them . They are great unsanded , dried , send away , or sauteed , and in salads or on sandwich or pizza because of their sweet flavor . Most people do not pickle or supply them to paste as this heart - pleasing miscellany is best enjoy through sight as well as taste .
Tips for Growing Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
This heirloom tomato variety can be eat in any of a thousand ways . For every nurseryman get these luscious love apple there are ten recipes for eating them . They are large raw , dry out , canned , or sauteed . Most citizenry do not pickle or render them to paste as this oculus - pleasing miscellanea is best enjoyed through sight as well as taste .
Want to learn more about growing Cherokee Purple Tomatoes?
gibe out these helpful resources : Cherokee Purple : The Story Behind One Of Our Favorite Tomatoesfrom NPRThe Purple Tomato FAQfrom Oregon State UniversityUniversity of Missouri – Growing Home Garden TomatoesUniversity of Illinois – Tomatoes
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photo by Gardening Channel reader Martina Kaiser
CC flickr vegetable photo courtesy of jenniferworthen
