Plant Database / Tomato / Cherokee Purple care

Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

Solanum lycopersicum

256 plantings
39 available for swap
17 wanted
132 stashed

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Cherokee Purple is part of the Solanum genus and is a Tomato variety. Its scientific name is Solanum lycopersicum 'Cherokee Purple'. 'Cherokee Purple' is considered a heirloom OP (open polliated) cultivar. This variety typically blooms in the following colours: Redwood and Ruddy brown and Dark olive green.

Fruit is produced is non-uniform, and ranges from purple, to a dusty rose colour. Disease resistant, including blight resistance.
Productive plants produce large crops of 6-16 oz beefsteak-type oblate fruit. Regular leafed plant, this is one of the most popular for heirloom tomato growers.

It is an Fruit and is treated mainly as a Annual, This means that it grows best over the course of a single year. Cherokee Purple is known for growing to a height of approximately 1.20 metres (3.90 feet).

United States is thought to be the country of origin for Cherokee Purple.

Typically, Cherokee Purple Tomato is normally fairly low maintenance and can thus be quite easy to grow - only a basic level of care is required throughout the year to ensure it thrives. Being aware of the basic growing conditions this plant likes (soil, sun and water) will result in a strong and vibrant plant.

This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Tomato 'Cherokee Purple' have been kindly provided by our members.

How to grow Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

Full Sun
+
Medium

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. As a rough idea of the types of climates Cherokee Purple does best in, check to see if your local area is within USDA Hardiness Zones 3 and 14. Cherokee Purple requires a loamy soil with a ph of 5.0 - 6.0 - it grows best in moderately acidic soil to weakly acidic soil.

Growing Cherokee Purple from seed

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.

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 mid summer.

Tomato 'Cherokee Purple' information

Lifecycle The lifecycle that Cherokee Purple exhibits. Annual Category The category for the Cherokee Purple plant. Fruit
Hardiness Is Cherokee Purple frost hardy? Tender Country of Origin Where does Cherokee Purple come from? United States
Harvest Time When is Cherokee Purple ready for harvest? Mid Summer
Mature Height How tall does Cherokee Purple grow? 1.20 metres / 3.90 feet Mature Spread How wide does Cherokee Purple grow? 50.0 cm / 1.62 feet
USDA Zone Range What zones does Cherokee Purple grow best in? Zone 3 - Zone 14 pH Range The level of acidity for Cherokee Purple. 5.0 - 6.0
Sun How much sunlight does Cherokee Purple need to grow? Full Sun
Water Requirements How much water does Cherokee Purple require? Medium Nitrogen Requirements How much nitrogen fertiliser does Cherokee Purple need? Medium
Ideal Germination Temperature Range What temperatures does Cherokee Purple need in order to germinate? 12°C / 54°F to 32°C / 90°F Growing Temperatures What temperatures are best to grow Cherokee Purple in? 13°C / 55°F to 35°C / 95°F
Sowing Depth How deep to plant Cherokee Purple? 2.0 cm / 0.78 inches
Sowing Distance Apart How far apart to sow Cherokee Purple 80.0 cm / 2.60 feet
Edible? Is Cherokee Purple edible? edible
Planting Distance Apart How far apart to plant Cherokee Purple seedlings? 45.0 cm / 1.46 feet

How long does Cherokee Purple take to grow?

These estimates for how long Tomato 'Cherokee Purple' takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

Days to Germination How long does it take Cherokee Purple to germinate? 6 days Average 6 days | Min 2 days | Max 19 days (96)
Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Cherokee Purple? + 49 days Average 49 days | Min 5 days | Max 92 days (57)
Days to Maturity How long until Cherokee Purple is ready for harvest / bloom? + 99 days Average 99 days | Min 18 days | Max 165 days (141)
Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Cherokee Purple? = 154 days

When should I sow Cherokee Purple?

Folia's when to plant Tomato 'Cherokee Purple' estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!

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

Latest Tomato 'Cherokee Purple' Reviews

04 Feb 2013

JGarfield's Tomato: 'Cherokee Purple' [Heirloom] '2012' was Reviewed day 1

Had to add 0.5ml water

0 stars
25 Jun 2011

El_Bano's Cherokee Purple Tomato was Reviewed day 105

Nice flavor, more tart than sweet. Harvest wasn’t quite as good as I hoped, only netting me about 7 per plant. This could be my fault though. I will not be planting these next year as I don’t have much room and I prefer sweeter varieties.

3 stars
21 Jun 2011

TangoFlowers's Tomato Cherokee (was: CP)- Reviewed! was Reviewed day 14

Atypical compact, dusky rose strain, 22" hi, 14" wide. LOADED in fruit. Bugs ignore it. Extremely disease resistant. Drought tolerant, flood tolerant, early bearing, low fertilizer need. MUST replant!

5 stars
20 May 2011

angelchrome's Tomato 'Cherokee Purple' was Reviewed day 440

I realise this is a popular variety for flavour, but the low production per plant and the time from transplant to harvest just does not justify the effort/space requirements for me.

2 stars

See all reviews for this variety »

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Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'