No. 047 · open-pollinated
Chocolate Cherry
Chocolate Cherry is an indeterminate open-pollinated cherry tomato with rich brick-red fruit. It ripens in about 70 days.
Flavor
Described as sweet and delicious with an exceptional fresh flavor that is rich and complex, the dusky depth typical of dark tomatoes. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
An open-pollinated dark brown-red cherry tomato; catalog sources do not give a documented breeder or release date.
What it does well
- Rich complex dark-tomato flavor
- Heavy dense clusters of fruit
- Vigorous productive indeterminate vines
Where it frustrates
- Tall vines need staking or trellising
- Best picked just before fully ripe to limit splitting
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.
- Generally forgiving and beginner-friendly to grow.
- 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.
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Where to buy seed
Common questions
- Is Chocolate Cherry determinate or indeterminate?
- Chocolate Cherry 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 Chocolate Cherry take to ripen?
- Chocolate Cherry ripens in about 70 days from transplant. Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- Is Chocolate Cherry an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Chocolate Cherry is open-pollinated, so seed saved from it comes back true to type.
- What can I grow instead of Chocolate Cherry?
- A close swap is Black Cherry, but a brick-red to mahogany fruit rather than a dusky purple-brown one.
Sources
- Chocolate Cherry Tomato (Indeterminate) · Annie's Heirloom Seeds
- Chocolate Cherry Tomato · Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.
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