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I've been so impressed with my black cherry tomatoes. First time I've grown them. I've got a massive yield from one plant and they taste absolutely gorgeous - sour them sweet. They're not really black, sort of purple with a green top. A real beauty! They tend to grow most from the top trusses and I just let them do their own thing with 8 or 9 trusses. They went a bit high but what a yield!! Definitely growing them again next year. Ailsa craig did well too.

Any one else got any tomato successes this year.

Couldn't agree more. We still have one or two trusses left, hanging over the crop bars in the poly, I just let them grow, bit of seaweed feed every week and a fantastic crop. Definite for next year 

I grew Black Cherry too for our Plant Sale.  Quite a few people were not
interested in buying them....because of the name.  However, the ones who did grow
them have all commented on how delicious they are!

I also grew Sweet Baby which started ripening early and is still producing
lots of tiny fruit, so many in fact that it's hard to keep up with it.

Sungold has been excellent outdoors and is still my husband's favourite.

I've been impressed with Black cherry too.  I did not realise they have to start to turn red first but when I did- superb!

It's funny, I've been feeling there is something wrong with me! I just don't get what others do from Black Cherry, I find them a bit plain, mushy and boring! I've tried growing Black Cherry quite a few years, as I have envy for those who rave about it. I've even tried seed from different suppliers in case it made a difference to their taste. I've grown it inside and out, but it's no good I don't much like it!!!

But I have been wowed by Black Opal cherry this year, http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/blogs/graham_rice/archive/2012/10/28/tomato-black-opal-new-black-cherry-tomato-from-dobies-and-suttons.aspx very tasty and juicy, slightly spicy with just the right sweetness. I'm not quite sure if this is a hybrid or not, but I'm going to save seeds to grow next year. And just in case they don't come true, I've also bought some seeds, 'cos they are so yum!

Love Black Cherry too here and also ChocoDel.  I must admit that Black Opal is the best of the blacks, with a quite distinctive flavour.  Black Cherry tastes like many black tomatoes and it is probably the different mineral content in soil that does change flavour.  ChocoDel has flavour hints to Gardener's Delight, which it was bred from.  Black Opal is very different again.  As Jayb said elsewhere, it does not look like the others, because it's skin is see-through, which gives it a purplish, rather than brown hue.  The fruit grows on very big sprays with dozens of fruits on each truss, some bigger others smaller.

I can find no evidence that it is a hybrid.  For example here:
http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/Vegetable-Seeds/Tomato-Black-Opal.html#.UkanJltwZjo

In the UK any seed company would need to state that a variety is hybrid quite clearly and they have not, therefore it is very likely that this one is OP.

Jayb sent me one of her plants - a lovely surprise - and I have also taken a sideshoot cutting from it and rooted it.  The plant in the greenhouse was about as early as Sungold, the plant outside much later and never grew to full height outside either.  So perhaps better in the greenhouse unless you live in the balmy South of England.  However the outside plant is still going strong and has shown no sign of blight, whereas Matina growing next to it, does have leaf blight lesions and so do the maincrop potatoes (we have had blight warnings for a while now).

Black Opal is a bit special - only slight downside is that the fruit tends to crack when pulled off a spray.  Perhaps best harvested by cutting a whole spray and treating them as 'on the vine' tomatoes.

I've grown Black Cherry a few times in the past - including last year. I find them a little tarty compared to Sungold (my favourite - which I know is orange - before someone points it out!). Black Cherry IS a heavy cropper though.

One of my favourite "black" toms is Black Krim. I know it's not a cherry - the opposite in fact - it's a 'beefsteak' variety. I find it's a really impressive tom to look at and to taste. Not a prolific cropper, but what it does produce is large. Here's a photo of one of them that I grew this year:



This year I had Sungold (grown every year), Ailsa Craig (an old time favourite of mine), Shirley (another brilliant cordon), Yellow Sunrise (OK but it looks more impressive than it tastes - it also seems a bit blight prone) & of course Black Krim.

Here's another photo of Black Krim alongside some Ailsa Craig:



A very satisfying year on the tomato front!

Tried Black Cherry a few years back: colour looks good but somehow lacked the Wow factor on taste.

Another fan of Sungold here - they always do well - but maybe they are the tomato for people who don't really like tomatoes as they are so sweet, mine leave the plot in my tummy most of them.

Also Orkado F1 have done fabulously well for 2 years running and hence make the "must grow" list.

Makes me think that it is not worth growing greenhouse tomatoes when there are great varieties which do well outside.  Save GH space for chilies and MELONS!!!

All my toms did well this year but Black Krim are high on the success list along with Coeur de boeuf and a seemingly endless supply of Sungold.

Amish Paste were a little odd in that they seemed a little unstable - some fruit were typical Roma types while other looked like beefsteak toms..  Good paster though with few seeds

Quote from: Ellen K on September 28, 2013, 12:16:28
Tried Black Cherry a few years back: colour looks good but somehow lacked the Wow factor on taste.

Another fan of Sungold here - they always do well - but maybe they are the tomato for people who don't really like tomatoes as they are so sweet, mine leave the plot in my tummy most of them.

Also Orkado F1 have done fabulously well for 2 years running and hence make the "must grow" list.

Makes me think that it is not worth growing greenhouse tomatoes when there are great varieties which do well outside.  Save GH space for chilies and MELONS!!!

You're probably right about the people who like Sungold - me included! I also have a little craving for them, almost like sweets for a child! Too damned easy to pop one into your mouth as you walk past - so many never make it to the salad!

Peas are the other temptation - especially when the five year old grandson visits. But who cares really? 

Quote from: Ellen K on September 28, 2013, 12:16:28
Another fan of Sungold here - they always do well - but maybe they are the tomato for people who don't really like tomatoes as they are so sweet, mine leave the plot in my tummy most of them.

I adore Sungold too  Perhaps that's why I liked Black Opal so much, they are on the sweet side, yum

Looks like i'm going to try Sungold and Opal cherry toms next year. Sound very tasty, although i did like my Black Cherry!

Quote from: galina on September 28, 2013, 11:11:37
I can find no evidence that it is a hybrid.  For example here:
http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/Vegetable-Seeds/Tomato-Black-Opal.html#.UkanJltwZjo
In the UK any seed company would need to state that a variety is hybrid quite clearly and they have not, therefore it is very likely that this one is OP.

That's what I though Galina, but when I was looking for info last year I came across an article or catalogue which indicated hybrid, though all others did not make any reference. I can't find it now so I'm wondering if it's been changed? Also I've just received my seeds from Mr Fothergill's and there is definitely no mention of hybrid/f1.

black krims yummiest for me of those mentioned above
sliced black krim, bread, feta cheese and a bit of olive oil dressing = heaven or just black krim naked
but then i am biased towards black tomatoes

Quote from: GREGME on September 29, 2013, 20:19:53
black krims yummiest for me of those mentioned above
sliced black krim, bread, feta cheese and a bit of olive oil dressing = heaven or just black krim naked
but then i am biased towards black tomatoes

BK sanwiches - THE sannie to die for! So say I at least! And I'm not alone obviously.

I had a good tomato year but I grew a few too many green ones - which are nice but I keep "missing" their ripe stage and they have gone too ripe! I had that great ribbed beefsteak that did brilliantly (the voles like them too if they are too close to the ground!! a couple got seriously nibbled) and also a small salad tom that I suspect was Moneymaker with Lidl seeds! I really liked it and it was very prolific.