Thursday 10 April 2014

Striped Black Cherry tomatoes

I just adore the colour combination of black striped tomatoes, coupled with being cherry size, this makes them look irresistible to me!

One common trait I've found in most of the varieties I've tried, is they all have firm to very firm flesh and good keeping. They are tasty fresh cherries to eat but are particularly good pan fried with bacon or roasted in the oven either on their own or with mixed vegetables.

Varieties I've tried, Black Zebra cherry, Green Tiger, Highlander F1, Purple Bumble Bee, Tigris F1, Tigro F1, Val's Black Striped, Zebrino. I also have a few segregating varieties of Tom Wagner's varieties, which have been very good too.

I grew Tigro and Tigris, both F1's last year, similar good tomato taste, firm texture in both and production was excellent. I'd be happy to grow them again. Also grown last year Purple Bumble Bee (along with Pink Bumble Bee) and Val's Black striped, production was fair and the fruit were indeed very pretty to look at, but for me the flavour was not there. I'm going to try them again and hope their flavour comes through.  I've grown Highlander F1, Black Zebra Cherry, Green Tiger and Zebrino F1 in previous years. These were again quite similar to each other, not overly sweet with good tomato taste and firm flesh, production was good with the F1's making slightly taller vines.

I'm growing Green Tiger alongside Tigris this year to compare the two and I'd like to make a couple of crosses with Green Tiger to see if I can keep the taste, colour and stripes but have a slightly 'softer' fleshed and sweeter tasting cherry.

Black Zebra Cherry (unripe)

Highlander F1

Purple Bumble Bee

Tigris F1

Tigro F1

Zebrino (unripe).

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