 I just came in from harvesting a bowl of chocolate cherry tomatoes (Lycoperiscon esculentum) and I'll be honest with you. I was not aware that they were 'Black Krim' until I looked up the info on Gurney's site to compare my results with their product description. For those who are unaware, 'Black Krim' is an heirloom tomato prized for its flavor. Although I've never grown them (other than the cherry) they are now on my list of tomatoes I want to try next year. I'm in-love with these tomatoes. Here's why:
Size: My chocolate cherry tomatoes weighed in at an average of .5 to .6 ounce each and measured nearly 1-inch in diameter, which is right on the money for Gurney's description. To put it in perspective for you, they are much bigger than 'Sun Gold' or 'Sweet 100' cherry tomatoes. Color: The chocolate cherry tomato turns a light brown that deepens to a deep red/brown. Production: These tomatoes began ripening approximately 84 days after I set them out in the spring. According to Gurney's the days to maturity is 70 days, which means mine took a bit longer than expected. In fact, the majority of them are still green on the vine as of Sept 14. (I transplanted them to the garden the first week of June) To be honest, all my tomatoes were later than usual this year, so I'll chalk that up to the weather. Flavor: This tomatoes are delicious! They are bursting with tomato flavor with a hint of sweetness that makes them ideal for eating right from the vine or in salads. Growing Habits: These plants grew taller than I expected. In fact, they are still growing and have made their way over the fence at the back of my raised beds. The vines happily climbed into the nearby shrubs where they are still producing clusters of tomatoes. If they had produced earlier I think they would have been very prolific. As it is, I'd want more than one plant for eating them fresh. The vines are thick and stocky and resist breaking. Problems: The only problems I encountered was that they produced later than my other cherry tomatoes and didn't produce enough ripe tomatoes early in the year. Next year, I will transplant them earlier in the year with plant protectors to give them time to produce before fall arrives. I'd recommend these tomatoes to anyone who enjoys eating tiny tomatoes right from the vine. I wish I had realized they were heirloom tomatoes and had isolated them from other tomatoes so I could save the seeds. Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!
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