Cherokee Purple
Heirloom tomato · Solanum lycopersicum · introduced 1990
- Breeding
- Heirloom
- Growth habit
- Indeterminate
- Days to maturity
- 80-85 days
- Fruit
- purple-black, beefsteak
- Weight
- 10-16 oz
- Bred by
- -
Origin & history
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.
Measurements
| Measurement | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 80-85 days | Consensus range across the cited sources, which include both independent references and commercial catalogs. |
| Fruit weight | 10-16 oz | Typical range for the cultivar, as a consensus across the cited sources. Not a measured mean from any single crop: fruit weight varies with season, spacing and where on the plant the fruit set. |
Traits
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistance, typical of heirlooms and older open-pollinated varieties. See tomato diseases for the cultural playbook that fills the gap.
Related varieties
- heirloom
Carbon
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Aker's West Virginia
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Aunt Gertie's Gold
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Aunt Ginny's Purple
78-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Aunt Ruby's German Green
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- open-pollinated
Beefsteak
85-90 days · Indeterminate
Head to head
Explore all tomato varieties · compare any two · when to plant it where you are
Sources & References
Evidence: 3 sources, including 1 independent reference.
- 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, University or Government