Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

Solanum lycopersicum

How to grow Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

  • Full Sun

  • Medium

Needs to be staked.

Position in a full sun location and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Cherokee Purple is thought of as tender, so it is really important to ensure that the outside temperature is well above freezing before planting or moving outdoors. Cherokee Purple requires a loamy soil with a ph of 6.0 - 6.8 - it grows best in weakly acidic soil.

Growing Cherokee Purple from seed

Start seeds indoors six weeks before last frost date.

Look to ensure a distance 2.60 feet (80.0 cm) between seeds when sowing - bury at a depth of at least 0.78 inches (2.0 cm) deep. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 12°C / 54°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Cherokee Purple about 42 days before your last frost date.

Transplanting Cherokee Purple

Transplant out when around 15cm (6 inches) high.

Plant to first leaves to promote strong roots.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Cherokee Purple is a tender plant.

Harvesting Cherokee Purple

Expect harvests to start to occur in late summer.

Tomato Cherokee Purple Etymology

Heirloom native american tribal tomato with purple to dusty rose coloured fruit.

Cherokee Purple folklore & trivia

Cherokee Purple was sent to Craig LeHoullier by John D. Green of Sevierville, Tennessee, in 1990 as an unnamed variety. The original letter sent with the seeds that describes all that is known of its history is referenced here (http://nctomatoman.topcities.com/Reference/CherokeePurple.jpg). Mr. Green got the variety from a woman who, in turn, received them from her neighbor. The neighbor claimed that they have been in their family for 100 years, originally receiving them from the Cherokee Indians. Craig named the variety and listed it in the SSE yearbook the year after he first grew them (1990). He also sent seeds to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, then, a few years later, Johnny’s Selected Seeds. 1

Other Names for Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

Cherokee People

Footnotes

1 http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Cherokee_Purple

2 rareseeds.com

3 mvseeds.com