No. 083 · open-pollinated
Cherokee Chocolate
Cherokee Chocolate is an indeterminate open-pollinated beefsteak with brick brown fruit. It ripens in about 80 days.
Flavor
Described as rich and sweet, very close to Cherokee Purple with a slightly cleaner finish. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
A brown-fruited color sport of Cherokee Purple, observed and stabilized by Craig LeHoullier in the mid-1990s.
What it does well
- Rich, well-balanced dark flavor
- Large, attractive mahogany fruit
- Productive and reliable
Where it frustrates
- Dark skin makes ripeness hard to judge
- Indeterminate vines need staking
- Can crack in wet spells
Growing it
- Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- A moderate grow, no special tricks but worth steady attention.
- Prone to cracking and splitting after wet spells.
- One of our picks for the cold, short-season gardens of New England.
Disease resistance
An open-pollinated variety, sold without formal disease-resistance codes.
Why no hardiness zone?
Tomatoes are warm-season annuals, so variety choice comes down to days to maturity and your local frost dates.
Like Cherokee Chocolate, but...
Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.
Browse similar
Where to buy seed
Related reading
Common questions
- Is Cherokee Chocolate determinate or indeterminate?
- Cherokee Chocolate is an indeterminate variety. Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- How long does Cherokee Chocolate take to ripen?
- Cherokee Chocolate ripens in about 80 days from transplant. Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- Is Cherokee Chocolate an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Cherokee Chocolate is open-pollinated, so seed saved from it comes back true to type.
- What can I grow instead of Cherokee Chocolate?
- A close swap is Cherokee Purple, but a brown-skinned color sport of it.
Sources
- Cherokee Chocolate Tomato · Victory Seed Company
- Cherokee Chocolate Tomato · Bounty Hunter Seeds
Stay in the loop
From the Almanac
Updates from Tomato Almanac, when there is something worth sharing.