Do you like black strawberry tomatoes? Then get ready to grow your garden fresh black strawberry tomatoes. Many of us think it takes a lot to start a veggie or fruit garden. But with simple tricks and maintenance, you can thrive over it.
The black tomatoes are also known as the black cherry tomatoes. Some think that tomatoes can bring out the tangy flavours all the way. But it’s wrong. In the case of black cherry tomatoes, they are sweeter than the pungent salsa flavour. However, it is 70% sweetness and 30% tangy.
So, craving black strawberry tomatoes? Then get ready and have a tomato-growing journey through this reading to explore more about the black cherry tomatoes and their growing tips.
Let’s have the Tomatina Festival with black cherry tomatoes pupils.
All about Heirloom tomatoes
There are a lot of varieties of tomatoes, Solanum Lycopersicum. Black heirloom tomatoes are sources of different antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids that seem to have dose-dependent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and hypnotic effects, and the information was found in a research work published in the Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Science. Here are the following heirloom tomatoes:
- Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato, it stays green even when it’s ripe, sweet, soft and giant.
- Green giant is another ripening fruit. They are giant and the plant can bear tons of fruits at a time. The flesh of this fruit is so juicy and tasty.
- Brandywine is a well-known heirloom tomato in any American garden. They are red, fleshy, and sweet.
- Paul Robeson is rusty brick tomatoes and got balanced flavours.
- Thorburn’s Terracotta is another heirloom tomato love. The sweet and savoury flavour can make you grow it again and again.
So, these are the famous heirloom tomatoes of 2022. Now let’s move on to the heirloom seed growers, interesting? Baker Creek is a seed-providing company. The company has a massive success in providing good heirloom seeds. It makes the gardener and farmers happy with top-notch heirloom seeds with a bulk of varieties and is best for creating new heirloom seeds for upcoming seasons.
Baker Creek has popularity in the USA and started its journey in 1988. Well, a hobby can bring out something nice. And the pioneer of Baker creek seed company, Jere Gettle, proved it right away. The black strawberry tomato baker creek is a new trend in recent years. Moreover, the purple tomatoes, Thai bottle guard, pumpkin, and evil olive tomatoes are also some creations of the Baker Creek seed company.
From seeds to harvesting
Here are some black strawberry growing tips for you. If you have the market-bought black cherry tomatoes, then utilize the seeds. How come?
You can cut the tomatoes into two pieces, take out the seeds of the tomato and let them rest in a bowl full of water. It will reduce many seed diseases and give a rigid beginning to the next black strawberry generation. After 2-3 days, a mould will appear above the seed solution.
Pour more water and dilute. Then strain the seeds and let them dry in sunlight for 2-3 days. After mould formation, don’t linger to plant them because the seeds will germinate. However, after drying out the black strawberry seeds, prepare your soil.
Your potting mix should have 70% coco peat and 30% compost. Then sow the seeds and gently pour water. Try to keep the pot in full sunlight. Usually, the tomato seeds take almost 9-12 days to germinate.
Okay. When the seedlings peek out of the soil, immediately transplant them. Notice the growth of at least 6-12 inches long the seedlings. Moderate watering is a must, don’t make it soggy.
You need well-drained and organic-rich soil. Remember, the potting mixture for the transplant soil would be 60% garden soil and 40% compost. The pot should be big enough, at least 22 inches in diameter and 18 inches in depth. A big jar can accommodate 2-3 plants.
The strawberry tomatoes can have roots along with the stems. So, it is beneficial to plant them deeply.
After 45 days, you will see a flowering of the black tomato plant. If the plants are long, you need to give them support through any stick. Regular prune out the bottom leaves or damaged leaves for better growth.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders. So, you need to give them regular fertilizer. After every 15-20 days, add compost to boost your plant growth. Within 45-90 days of planting, the black tomatoes will come out and grow bigger until it reaches it’s harvesting time.
How big do black tomatoes get? Usually, the round, black beauties can grow up to 80 gm -200gm in size. They are cute, tiny and tasty, of course. The size of the black tomatoes can vary according to the plant growth. And the plants can grow up to 90-120 cm long.
Is black strawberry plants determinate or indeterminate? Well, these tomato plants are indeterminate and can grow up to 152 cm which means 5 ft approx. And they can produce fruits as long as they are alive so they are indeterminate. The determinate plants give fruits for once and die. So, planting these black beauties will never go in vain. You can continue production by applying the optimum amount of manures and compost to your strawberry tomato plants.
Is black strawberry tomatoes heirlooms? Black tomatoes are heirlooms because the seeds are passed down from generation to generation. There is a contradictory theory about heirlooms. Well, a group of growers say 100 years of passing the seeds are heirlooms, while others say 50 years of seedling passing is enough to be heirlooms.
Do not let your plant soil dry out while fruiting because this will result in fruit cracking and splitting. Finally, after 120- 140 days, the black tomatoes will start to ripe. When you squeeze the tomatoes and feel soft then they are ready to cut off. Don’t rush to pluck your tomatoes because the more they will rip in the trees, the sweeter they will get.
The black tomatoes may take a little time to ripen nevertheless it is worth waiting for these gorgeous, hefty, and farm black beauties. Try to cut off the ripe black strawberry tomatoes more often allowing the plant to grow more.
More with the Black Heirloom Tomatoes
The USDA zones for black strawberry tomatoes are 2-12. So, you need to find out your USDA zone. Pruning is necessary for tomato plants. And the hair of the tomato plant has the potential to become roots.
The Common Tomato Diseases
Heirloom tomato diseases are common though the plants can give production all year long; the problem with these plants is the disease.
The heirloom diseases can cause suffering from a small gardener to a farmer with a large acre. The most common types of heirloom black cherry tomato diseases are the following:
Early blight: The black spots on lower leaves, spots on the fruits and stems. It happens due to the high heat and rain, and humidity. It is a fungal disease.
Late blight: Massively destructive, can appear in moist and cool conditions and affects the fruits and stems.
Southern blight: Mostly occurs in the summer seasons. This disease can discolour the lower leaves, wilt the plant foliage, and ultimately cause death to the plant.
Fusarium Wilt: Wilting of the plant is the first symptom; yellow leaves fade and move from one half of the plant to leave to the other half of the plant.
Verticillium wilt: This disease is similar to the fusarium wilt. The leaves curl, discolour and then drop off. Once this infection occurs, you have to cut off the plant because there is no cure.
Among all these diseases, the early blight, late blight, and fusarium wilt can get cured. A gardener should put the proper amount of fungicides to control the disease and sanitize the garden tools to reduce the infection.
The Delicious Strawberry Tomatoes Recipes
The famous black heirloom tomato recipes are mouthwatering and always easy to manage. Let’s check out some best recipes for the back strawberry tomatoes. One can cook strawberry tomato bruschetta for your summer appetite strawberry tomato salad and it can pop up as great sides with steaks and a common ingredient of salsa salad. Moreover, you can use it as a pizza topping.
FAQ
Get a glimpse of some FAQs about these luscious tasty heirloom strawberry tomatoes.
Is black strawberry tomatoes cherry tomatoes?
Yes. These round and tiny tomatoes are cherry tomatoes. They are not savoury but sweet and give a mouthful flavour. Black cherry, heirloom tomatoes are a surprise due to the crossing of strawberry tiger and bosque blue.
What does a ripe black strawberry tomato look like?
This heirloom variety looks tempting reddish and black strawberry tomatoes. They are almost red- and black colour shaded when they are ripe. People admire it as the tastiest cherry tomatoes.
How long does it take the black strawberry tomatoes to ripen?
Well, it takes almost 40-60 days to ripen. The ripening of the tomatoes depends on the plant type and the growth rate of your strawberry tomato plant.
Conclusion
Black strawberry tomatoes are love. They are full of nutrition and flavours to amaze you. You can easily grab these heirloom seeds from the baker creek company or any nearby garden shops and plant them after the last frost on a bright sunny day.
Extra care, optimum sun, well-drainage, and fungicides to control pest is all you need to have tons of black tiny tomato goodies on your plant.
Do not rush after the savoury, market-bought tomatoes to prepare your tomato recipes. Make tasty dishes with your garden-grown black strawberry tomatoes!
Cheers to sweet, black tomatoes!