Black Cherry Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum 'Black Cherry'

vegetable

Black Cherry is the original dark cherry tomato, introduced in 2003 by Vincent Sapp of Tomato Growers Supply, who never disclosed its exact parentage. Indeterminate vines reach 4 to 8 ft and carry heavy clusters of 1 to 1.5 inch round purple-brown fruits with the rich, complex, slightly smoky flavor of the larger black heirlooms in a poppable cherry size.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Basil — Companion classic that masks tomato scent from hornworm moths and improves flavor in close plantings
• Carrot — Loosens the deeper soil around tomato roots without shading the canopy
• French Marigold — Suppresses root-knot nematodes that weaken indeterminate tomato vines over a long season
• Parsley — Lacy umbels feed hoverflies and parasitic wasps that hunt aphids and hornworms

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Tomato hornworm →

  Scout leaves every few days; handpick the green caterpillars or spot-treat young ones with Bt

• Aphids →

  Hose off colonies, plant alyssum nearby, and let ladybugs and lacewings build up

• Whiteflies →

  Use yellow sticky traps in the canopy and avoid heavy nitrogen feeding

• Cracking →

  Keep moisture even and mulch heavily; cherry skins split fastest after a downpour following dry days

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pick when the fruits shift from green-shoulder red to deep purple-brown all over and give slightly to the touch; ripe Black Cherries pull off the truss with a light twist. The vines crop heavily over a long window, so harvest every two or three days to keep ripe fruit from splitting. Eat fresh; this is not a paste or canning tomato.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Cherry tomatoes deliver the same vitamin C, potassium, folate, and lycopene as larger tomatoes in a snackable package. The dark purple-brown skins of black varieties also carry anthocyanin antioxidants. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so a drizzle of olive oil or a quick roast multiplies what your body can absorb.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Eat the ripe fruit only. Tomato leaves and stems (and large amounts of very unripe green fruit) contain solanine-type compounds and are not for eating.