The Chocolate Cherry tomato stands out before you taste it: small round cherries mature to brick red beneath dusky purple-brown shoulders. Its tall vines keep setting clusters through the season, so a sunny spot and sturdy support can provide plenty for snacking, salads, and sauces.
This open-pollinated heirloom variety is generally listed at about 65 to 75 days from transplant, though estimates vary by seed supplier and weather. Here is what to expect, how to grow and harvest the plants, and how they differ from Black Cherry tomatoes.
Origin and history
Seed catalogs attribute the cultivar to breeder Aaron Whaley, who selected and stabilized purple and red cherry tomato lines in the early 2000s. The stated goal was a more uniform crop with dependable flavor and better crack resistance than Black Cherry. Catalog histories place its commercial introduction around 2004 or 2005, though the exact timeline is not consistently documented. SeedStore’s variety history describes the breeding background; treat the precise dates as catalog-reported history rather than a formal release record.
It is not simply another name for Black Cherry. Both are dark-fruited, open-pollinated tomatoes, but this cultivar was selected as a separate plant. Seed descriptions commonly emphasize its more uniform crop and sweet, savory flavor.
Botany and plant facts
This tomato is Solanum lycopersicum, the cultivated tomato species. It is open-pollinated, with a vining growth habit that continues producing flower clusters until cold weather or disease ends the season.
- Fruit: Round cherries, usually about 1 inch across, with ripe skin described as brick red, dark purple-brown, or mahogany. Suppliers list fruit at roughly one-half to one ounce; Reimer Seeds and Sandia Seed show examples of the range.
- Plant habit: Vining, with suppliers commonly listing plants around 4 to 7 feet tall. Actual height depends on conditions and training.
- Maturity: Seed suppliers list roughly 65 to 75 days after transplanting. Count from the date you set a healthy transplant outdoors, and expect cooler weather or other stress to delay ripening.
- Resistance: Some catalogs describe the skin as crack resistant, but specific disease-resistance codes are not consistently listed. This is not a guarantee against cracking or tomato diseases.
Flavor descriptions are subjective. Seed sellers often call the cherries sweet, rich, smoky, or earthy. Taste several fully colored tomatoes in your garden, since temperature, watering, and maturity can all change flavor. If you are comparing profiles beyond dark cherry types, see the Jet Star tomato.
How to grow Chocolate Cherry tomatoes
Start with a sunny site that receives at least six to eight hours of direct light. Sow cherry tomato seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before your local last frost, then set transplants outdoors after frost danger has passed and the soil is warm. Leave about 2 to 3 feet of space between plants, or follow your seed packet if it is more specific. A large container with drainage can work if it holds enough potting mix and has a tall support ready.
Choose a sturdy stake, tall cage, or trellis at planting time. An indeterminate Chocolate Cherry vine can outgrow a short cage, and its long fruiting branches need support as clusters develop. Tie the main stem loosely with soft ties. Prune only if you want a more open, manageable plant; heavy pruning can reduce the number of fruiting branches.
Water deeply at the soil line and aim for even moisture. A layer of clean mulch helps slow evaporation and keeps soil from splashing onto lower leaves. Work finished compost into poor soil before planting, guided by a soil test. Feed according to the product label rather than adding repeated high-nitrogen fertilizer that can favor leafy growth over tomatoes.
Good spacing, airflow, and steady watering help reduce common problems, but no single practice prevents every disease. Remove badly diseased foliage, avoid working among wet plants, and rotate tomatoes to a different bed when possible. Since resistance codes are not consistently listed for this cultivar, check the seed packet for the lot you buy. For a broader guide to selecting a tomato, visit the tomato varieties hub.
Harvesting and ripeness cues
Color is the trickiest ripeness cue on a dark tomato. These cherries change from green to warm brick red with dusky purple-brown shading. Pick one when it has developed full color, feels slightly yielding but still firm, and releases with a gentle twist. Taste the first ripe one to learn the shade on your plants; photos and supplier descriptions do not always show it accurately.
Check each cluster every day or two during peak season. Harvest ripe tomatoes promptly, especially after rain, because fully mature cherries can split. If heavy rain or frost is forecast, pick mature tomatoes that have begun to color and let them ripen indoors at room temperature.
Storage and preserving
Keep ripe tomatoes at room temperature and use them soon for the best texture. Refrigeration can dull flavor and make the flesh mealy, so chill fruit only when you need to slow softening; let it return to room temperature before serving. Store unripe fruit in a single layer out of direct sun and check it daily.
Chocolate Cherry tomatoes work well frozen whole or halved for cooked dishes. Freezing softens their texture, so use thawed fruit in sauces, soups, or stews rather than expecting it to stay firm in a salad. For shelf-stable canning, follow a current tested tomato recipe exactly. Tomatoes must be acidified as directed, even when pressure canned; the National Center for Home Food Preservation gives the required acid amounts and methods.
How to use Chocolate Cherry tomatoes
The small fruits are easy to eat fresh, and their dark color adds contrast to green salads, grain bowls, and vegetable platters. Pair them with fresh basil, olive oil, and a little salt, or roast a tray until the skins wrinkle and the juices concentrate. Their sweet, full flavor also suits quick pan sauces for pasta, toast, or eggs.
For a different kind of homegrown tomato, explore the German Pink tomato profile next. German Pink is a pink-fruited tomato with a different plant and fruit style, a useful comparison if you want a slicer rather than a snacking cherry.
