Cherokee Purple Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum 'Cherokee Purple'

vegetable

Cherokee Purple is a smoky, sweet pre-1890 Tennessee heirloom, said to trace to the Cherokee people, with dusky rose-purple shoulders over brick-red flesh that many rank among the best-tasting slicers ever grown. The 10 to 12 ounce beefsteak fruit carry a deep, almost wine-like flavor that intensifies in heat. Indeterminate vines produce all season and need sturdy staking or caging. As a classic heirloom it lacks modern disease resistance and the soft fruit does not keep long, so it is grown for flavor and fresh eating rather than shipping or storage.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Basil — Repels thrips and whiteflies and may improve flavor
• Borage — Attracts pollinators and parasitic wasps that prey on hornworms
• French Marigold — Suppresses root-knot nematodes in the soil
• Calendula — Acts as an aphid trap crop and draws in hoverflies

❌ 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 →

  Interplant dill, borage, or basil to attract parasitic wasps; handpick at dusk; rotate nightshades each year

• Early blight →

  Mulch to stop soil splash, prune lower leaves for airflow, and avoid overhead watering

• Aphids →

  Draw in ladybugs and lacewings with nearby flowering herbs; blast colonies off with water

🌾 Harvest & storage

Look for ripe fruit around 80 days from transplant. Pick when the tomato is fully colored but still firm with a slight give; the shoulders stay greenish even when the fruit is ripe, so do not wait for them to redden. Harvest in the morning when fruit is coolest, handle the soft skin gently, and store at room temperature, never refrigerated, to protect the rich flavor. Use within a few days. Because the fruit cracks if it sits through rain, check the vines daily in late summer and pick promptly.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Cherokee Purple is rich in vitamins C and K, potassium, and the antioxidant lycopene linked to heart and skin health, while staying low in calories. Its dusky color comes from extra pigments layered over the usual red, and the deep, low-acid flavor makes it shine sliced raw with a sprinkle of salt that draws out its smoky sweetness.

⚠️ 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.