Black Tomatoes Finally Ripening

The larger black beefsteak tomatoes finally started blushing and ripening at the end of August and beginning of September. The tomatoes took between 75-92 days from transplant to breaking color. Cherokee Purple was the first to blush on August 22nd, 80 days after transplant. Just like last year the flavor of the first ripe fruit was amazing! The first three fruit ripening were between 4.8-6.5 oz. 

Fruit ripening on Cherokee Purple on August 31st

Spudakee and Vorlon were both planted on July 17th, two weeks after Cherokee Purple, Indian Stripe, and Gary'O Sena. Spudakee started blushing on August 31st, 75 days after transplant. It was the fastest of the black tomatoes to break color, possibly because it was in full sun from 10am to sunset and had the advantage of being planted within a foot of the top of a short concrete window well. Vorlon started blushing on September 3rd, 79 days after transplant. Vorlon got about two hours less sun but was planted one to two feet from the south-facing wall of the house. Thus, both plants benefitted from the extra heat radiating from the concrete window well and foundation when the sun went down. 

Spudakee breaking color on August 31st, 75 days after transplant

Vorlon fruit ripening on September 4th

Indian Stripe fruit first started blushing on August 31st, 89 days after transplant. Some of the fruit on Indian Stripe have the namesake stripes, but many are simply dark reddish-purple with green shoulders, very similar to Cherokee Purple. 

Fruit blushing on Indian Stripe on September 3rd

Gary'O Sena started blushing on September 2nd, 92 days after transplant. Gary'O Sena was the second to last black tomato to blush since Paul Robeson still hasn't started blushing.

Gary'O Sena fruit ripening on September 4th