Cherokee Purple is an American heirloom tomato, probably passed down from a Cherokee community. While the plants are not the most productive, the flavorful, low-acid fruits are delicious and appreciated for their delicacy. The plants produce slightly flattened beefsteak tomatoes ranging from 340 g to 450 g with a beautifully dark and complex pink-brown-purple color with green shoulders. Indeterminate plant.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Seeds           ~25

Difficulty        Medium

Sowing         Indoor

Lifecycle       Annual

Root cellar    No

Sowing

Season         Spring

Color            Brown, Burgundy, Green, Pink, Purple

Growing tips

Conditions of germination:

depth of sowing: 5 mm

optimal temperatures of germination: 21 to 32ºC

time for germination: 7 to 14 days

When to sow:

sow seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date in your area

Sowing technique: in pocket

Inside the same hole, sow 3 to 5 seeds spaced about 1 to 2 cm apart; when the seeds have germinated and the seedlings have reached a height of 5 cm, keep all the plants if space is available or keep only the best plants. Transplant into individual containers while waiting for transplanting into the garden.

Transplanting in the garden:

Transfer outside once the danger of frost is over (10 consecutive days without frost): after hardening off the plants for a few days, add compost to the planting hole. Remove the lower leaves on the plant, then bury the plant standing or lying on its side, leaving about 10 cm of stem sticking out of the ground. Water. Install support (stake, cage, rope), if needed.

Distance in the garden:

between plants: 45 to 60 cm

between rows: 75 to 90 cm

Height of the plants: 120 to 180 cm

Soil: rich in organic matter and well drained

Water:  regular watering until the fruit begins to ripen, then space out the watering to encourage ripening and not diminish the flavor of the fruit. Avoid irregular watering and the fluctuation between dry and overwatering periods. This can help prevent blossom end rot.

Exposure: full sun

Days to harvest (after transplanting): 80 days

General information on tomatoes:

Indeterminate (climbing) plants continue to grow and produce fruit all season while determinate varieties generally produce their fruit within a defined period of time and have a bushy habit.

Support recommended (stake or tomato cage).

Can be grown in containers of about 10 gallons/40-45 liters, 40-45 cm wide and 40-45 cm deep.

Planting recommendations:

Rotate the crop position in the garden each year or space plantings in the same location one year every two years to prevent certain diseases present in the soil.

After planting, apply mulch around the base of the plants to maintain constant moisture and reduce soil-borne disease.

Apply a natural fertilizer 3 to 4 times during the summer season, avoiding those too rich in nitrogen that encourage foliage growth at the expense of fruit