Feb 25, 2012: Day 0, sowed 6 Chocolate Cherry tomato seeds (from 2011) in 1 6-pack.

“Appearing in clusters of 8 all over this compact vining plant, these 1-inch beauties ripen delectably from green to lavender to richest mahogany. They have a fresh-grown flavor and texture no store-bought variety can equal, from their rich fragrance to that great bite as they are popped whole into your mouth or scattered on salads. 70 days. Indeterminate.”

Mar 1, 2012: Day 5, Chocolate Cherry tomato seeds have sprouted. Well, 2 have. Actually 1 is normal, the other is still trapped in the seed case so it might not survive.

Mar 3, 2012: Day 7, another Chocolate Cherry tomato seed is sprouting.

Mar 9, 2012: Day 13, 5 Chocolate Cherry tomato seeds total have sprouted. The trapped seedling is still trapped, but still struggling.

Mar 13, 2012: Day 17, the Chocolate Cherry tomato seedlings are showing their true leaves.

Mar 23, 2012: Day 27, I up potted 8 Chocolate Cherry seedlings (there were a couple of extras) to 4" pots using just sifted leaf mold from my compost pile. This is the first time I’ve used compost from my own compost pile, but it looks very dark and rich.

Jul 19, 2012: Day 145, I transplanted 1 Chocolate Cherry plant into the vegetable garden. It was leggy, but I was able to bury most of the stem in a trench.

I have space for 4 more plants and I have to decide whether to put 4 California Wonder peppers or 4 more Chocolate Cherry tomatoes.

Aug 24, 2012: Day 181, the Chocolate Cherry plant is really taking off. It seems to like to grow tall and since it’s in only a 5 foot tomato cage, it’s already shooting above the cage and hasn’t set any tomatoes yet. Despite its good taste, perhaps it’s not suited for my garden.

Day whenever, I transplanted the Chocolate Cherries too late to produce many tomatoes.

Although it’s very tasty, it grows pretty tall, so it might be better suited to a greenhouse where it can grow up a string or a trellis instead of a relatively short tomato cage.