Cherokee Purple vs Black Krim
American heirloom against Crimean import in the dark-tomato class.
| Cherokee Purple | Black Krim | |
|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Heirloom | Heirloom |
| Growth habit | Indeterminate | Indeterminate |
| Days to maturity | 80-85 | 75-80 |
| Fruit color | purple-brown | purple-brown |
| Fruit size class | beefsteak | beefsteak |
| Typical weight | 10-16 oz | 8-16 oz |
| Primary uses | slicing | slicing |
| Introduced | 1990 | - |
| Documented resistances | 0 | 0 |
| Saves true from seed | Yes | Yes |
Measured against each other
These two have never been grown in the same trial AMSeed holds. Every difference in the table above is a difference between what each variety's own sources say about it, which is not the same as a difference between the varieties. Two catalogs counting days from different starting points, or reporting fruit weight from different seasons and soils, can differ by more than the seed does.
Where head-to-head measurements do exist: the trial record · what else we do not know
Disease resistance
Cherokee Purple
No documented resistance, typical of older open-pollinated varieties.
Black Krim
No documented resistance, typical of older open-pollinated varieties.
Traits
Both: Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, Indeterminate, Purple / Black, Beefsteak, Slicing
Only Cherokee Purple
- Late Season
Only Black Krim
- Mid Season
Origins
Cherokee Purple
A dusky purple-brown beefsteak given to tomato historian Craig LeHoullier in 1990 by J.D. Green of Tennessee, with an account tracing it to Cherokee gardeners a century earlier. LeHoullier named it and released it through Seed Savers Exchange; it became the gateway heirloom of the modern movement.
Black Krim
A Russian heirloom from the Crimean peninsula near the Black Sea, among the first of the 'black' tomatoes to reach American gardens. Deep mahogany shoulders and a bold, salty-rich flavor.
More: all comparisons · every tomato variety · filter the full database
Sources & References
Evidence: 5 sources, 3 seed catalogs and 2 community collections. No independent reference documents this yet.
- Seed Savers Exchange catalog & variety histories · Seed Savers Exchange, Community Collection
- Victory Seeds variety histories · Victory Seed Company, Seed Catalog
- Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners · Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Community Collection
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog · Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., Seed Catalog
- Tomato Growers Supply catalog · Tomato Growers Supply Company, Seed Catalog