Black tomato is a stunning ‘Cherokee Purple’ type of tomato.
It is a beautiful black, bronze, and pink beefsteak with medium and large fruits ranging in size from 140g to 450g (5oz to 14oz) and a good balance of sweet and tangy flavours.
A bit of history:
Its recent history traces to Tennessee. Black tomato was donated to the Seed Savers Exchange in 1990 by seedsman H.W. Alfrey of Knoxville, Tennessee. H.W. Alfrey, whose seed company, Alfrey Seeds, started selling seeds in the 1960s, was famous for introducing the ‘Peter Pepper’ to the seed trade. After the seed company closed in 2002, his son Alan, wrote about his dad on the gardening website Dave’s Garden:
“Dad loved growing things, it was his favorite pastime and when he found the Peter Pepper he decided to try and to make a home-based business. It was semi-successful, for a kitchen table family business. The income helped pay some bills. To all our regular customers, ‘Thank you’ for helping to keep a smile on dad’s face during his last years.”
Alfrey Seeds sold local favourites and heirlooms, mainly peppers and a few tomatoes, including Black tomato. Unfortunately, there is no history on where Alfrey received his seeds for Black tomato from.
Cherokee Purple vs Black Tomato?
In case you are wondering, Cherokee Purple, which resembles Black tomato, entered the seed trade in 1993 via the seed company Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Southern Exposure received their seed from Craig LeHoullier who named it ‘Cherokee Purple’ after receiving the unnamed seed from John Green of Tennessee in 1990. Although we don’t know when H.W. Alfrey started selling Black tomato, we do know he was selling it in at least 1990, as that is when Craig LeHoullier (mentioned above) bought it from Alfrey.
This is what LeHoullier wrote about the topic on his website in 2022:
“I purchased this tomato [Black] from Alfrey, the person who introduced the Peter Pepper, in 1990. I grew it in 1991 and was surprised to find a tomato very much like Cherokee Purple – regular leaf, indeterminate, large, purple and flavorful. Since Alfrey was from Knoxville TN, and Cherokee Purple from Rutledge, TN – could they indeed be one in the same?”
As LeHoullier points out, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that John Green of Tennessee was growing Black tomato (from Alfrey or locally saved seed), which was then renamed Cherokee Purple.
Our seedstock comes from the original seed Alfrey donated to the Seed Savers Exchange.
Second Photo Caption: Undated page from an ‘Alfrey Seeds’ catalogue. Cited in Heirloom Seeds of Tennessee: Seeds and Their Stories, Fiona McNally (2013)
How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Keep moist. When true leaves appear, transplant to a larger container if needed. Transplant outside after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.