Purple Prince is an excellent tasting tomato. It is sweet and juicy with chocolate brown fruits ranging in size from 60g to 80g (3oz to 4oz). It’s also hardy and easy to grow.
Intriguingly, Purple Prince’s genetics suggest it is closely related to the famous Black Cherry tomato and another famous, and mysterious tomato, Purple Calabash (Barry and Pandey 2009). This puts it in good company.
All three tomatoes share a specific gf gene (‘green flesh’ gene) that suggests common ancestry (of the 26 varieties of brown, black and purple tomatoes included in the study). The authors of the study write:
“The green-flesh gene of [this] tomato possesses a stay-green phenotype resulting in fruits that ripen to a red-brown color, due to the retention of chlorophyll and the simultaneous accumulation of lycopene.”
In other words, the gf gene causes tomatoes to retain both their green chlorophyll and red lycopene–which causes the tomatoes to turn brown/black/purple rather than red. The green flesh gene is responsible for the brown/black/purple colouration of other famous varieties of tomatoes such as Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, and Black Zebra.
Note: There is another tomato out there called Black Prince, which is a different tomato than Purple Prince. We know they are different varieties based on the study cited above (Barry and Pandey 2008); the gf gene found in Black Prince is different that the gf gene found in Purple Prince (the seeds we are offering). (The gf gene found in Black Prince is the same as found in the tomato varieties Purple Russian and Nyagous.)
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.
