Cherokee Purple Tomato

Type: Heirloom, open-pollinated
Packet size: 20 seeds

Solanum lycopersicum. Cherokee Purple Tomato is a beloved heirloom variety prized for its rich, complex flavor and distinctive dusky purple fruits. This classic purple heirloom tomato produces large, beefsteak-style fruits with reddish-purple flesh, dark shoulders, and a rich, sweet flavor often described as having slightly smoky notes.

Cherokee Purple tomatoes typically weigh 10–16 ounces and have juicy, meaty flesh that is excellent for fresh slicing, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and summer meals. Vigorous indeterminate plants continue growing and producing tomatoes throughout the season until frost.

🌱 Growing Information

How to Grow Cherokee Purple Tomato from Seed

Planting Depth: ¼ inch
Plant Spacing: 24–36 inches
Row Spacing: 36–48 inches
Germination Time: 7–14 days
Days to Harvest: 75–90 days
Sun Requirements: Full Sun

Planting Tips:
Start Cherokee Purple Tomato seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before your last expected spring frost. Maintain warm soil temperatures of approximately 70–85°F for good germination and provide seedlings with plenty of light after they emerge.

Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures remain consistently warm. Plant seedlings deeply, burying a portion of the stem to encourage additional root development.

Provide sturdy cages, stakes, or other support for the vigorous indeterminate plants and their large, heavy tomatoes. Water consistently throughout the growing season and mulch around plants to help retain soil moisture and suppress weeds.

Harvest Cherokee Purple Tomatoes when the fruits develop their characteristic dusky reddish-purple color and yield slightly to gentle pressure.

Classic Purple Heirloom Tomato: Cherokee Purple produces large, meaty beefsteak-style tomatoes with rich, complex flavor, making it an excellent choice for fresh slicing, sandwiches, burgers, and salads.