I’ve been watching this tomato for a while now (Indigo Rose seeds available from Plant World Seeds), and many neighbours and passersby have been commenting on these alluring fruits too. They seemed resolutely black and rock ‘ard up until a day or two ago, but now things are changing. Michelle at Veg Plotting luckily wrote about how to tell when this black tomato is ripe, so I’ve been patiently waiting for any sign of red.
And here it is. The green underside has slowly but surely started to redden up. What a gorgeous thing!
On eating, this, sadly, isn’t the most tasty tomato I’ve ever tried. Rather bland and with a mushy, watery texture. My favourite tomato ever is Ananas Noir (freshly plucked last summer when holidaying in the Loire) and it’s a hard act to follow, but I may well grow this variety again, just for its amazing good looks alone.
Meanwhile, I’ve been tucking into these delicious ‘Golden Crown’ cherry tomatoes, supplied by Sea Spring Seeds for lunches and dinners and these fruits have been remarkably sweet and full of flavour. A definite for next year.
‘Black Cherry’ (more of a muddy red), also from Sea Spring Seeds has also been a little disappointing in taste, so the search continues for a truly delicious ‘black’ variety that will sweeten-up well when grown outdoors in our northern clime.
I grew Blue Bayou this year (Chiltern Seeds). They are slow to mature and I’m like you. I’m not sure I need my tomatoes to be black!
But they do taste good, once they are ripe. I think the late maturing might be used to advantage in a late sown, autumn crop. I’ve just potted my ‘lattes’ into the greenhouse, replacing gardeners delight that had all but finished. The new plants look sturdy and green, quite unlike the wasted delights!
Hi Wendy,Yes, why am I even trying to grow Black tomatoes when there are so many tasty red varieties out there, not forgetting the delicious orange Sungold? I am a bit of a sucker for good looks!
Tasty Blue Bayou sounds interesting, and with access to a greenhouse next year, who know what might be possible!! N x
Love the look of the indigo rose toms. Where did you get the seed?
Very good question Tracey-have now added this to the post! Bought mine from Plant World Seeds, but noticed that there’s a few more seed suppliers stocking them now and that Suttons Seeds were selling grafted plants this year too. Happy Growing!!
Oh dear, poor Indigo Rose, the reviews have not been favourable! I’ve had only one of mine ripen so far and found the taste reminiscent of a large watery beefsteak tomato. I have a few ripening indoors (stems broken by wind or football) and the rest on the plant – hoping for a bit more sunshine to ripen. I’ll be growing them again but try to put up a mini-greenhouse for them so see if that helps! Sungold from Sea Spring and Yellow Pear have been my most successful tomatoes this year.
Hi Caro, yes, you can’t beat Sungold and good to hear that Yellow Pear have been worthwhile growing too. Hoping to install a greenhouse over winter this year, so will be able to experiment and see if growing indoors will affect ripening and tastes….
Something of a black mark for the black tomato, then! They do look dramatic, but I think I’ll stick with the tasty ones. Thanks for intrepidly trying them out.
I know, I know, but they are rather gorgeous to look at though! Next year, I’ll grow a few tried and tested varieties, but I do love experimenting, if I can squeeze everything in!
Thanks for this introduction to a new (to me) vegetable seed supplier – and the reminder that I’d always meant to try growing Sungold tomatoes, too. Not enough space to grow others just for their looks, but thanks for doing the field research anyway.
Hi Diana, If I was only able to grow one tomato, it would probably be Sungold. Definitely worth a go next year…..
Reblogged this on Linda's wildlife garden and commented:
Awesome thank you for sharing
Thanks Linda!
I grew out all the various types of purple tomatoes( indigo too) this year and I agree-totally tasteless, but one of the healthest plants in my tomato area! All of them were prolific! I am so glad you posted this since I never could figure out when they were ripe. Black Cherry-my favorite forever + ever-lol…Beautiful tomatoes you have in your garden!
I guess, they need to work on the “taste” of the purple tomato but it sure is pretty + prolific!
Hi Robbie, Yes, my Indigo Rose plant was incredibly healthy looking (and prolific). Lovely long wavy leaves and not a single sign of blight, although I have completely escaped blight this year with all my tomato plats as we’ve had such a hot, mostly dry summer.
that is interesting…I did not have any blight either…never thought of that, but we did have a lot of rain towards the end. My Orange Banana did well this year and no sign of blight since they usually do get it early:-)
Interesting. I grew some under glass and they ripened pretty quickly. Then red spider mite struck, so I put them outside. They’ve taken much longer to ripen out there, and have been nibbled by slugs etc in the process. They seem to go from underripe to overripe pretty fast – quite a few have fallen off before I could get to them! That said, I do think they look pretty impressive, on the plant and on the plate. So I’ll probably grow a couple of plants next year. x
Hi Veronica, I’ve had so many people comment on these plants as they’ve been growing in the front garden that you could call them a conversation starter!
For looks alone they’re a winner, so I might grow one plant next year, but also follow Wendy’s suggestion and try Blue Bayou for a more tastier fruit. Decisions, decisions…
Interesting to read your comments about this new tomato Naomi. It seems that despite their glamorous appearance they are not pulling their weight taste wise. Disaster here this year with my tomatoes – my fault so back to the drawing board now with plans for next year. ‘Golden Crown’ sounds rather yummy.
Hi Anna, sorry to hear about tomato disaster. Very disappointing, but luckily there’s always next year!
Yes, will definitely grow ‘Golden Crown’ and ‘Sungold’ next year, but won’t be able to help myself for having a go at some more experiments with tomatoes. Just the sight of Caro’s tomato haul on her latest post is enough to inspire and it’s wonderful to have a salad bowl that looks amazing, as well as having sweet and juicy tastes. Already getting excited about what to order for next year!
Whatever the taste, I think the black tomatoes look amazing in your front garden!
Thanks Nicolette! People having been stopping for a chat about them nearly every time I’m in the front garden!
There is not substitute for the fast of a fresh tomato and Heirloom just makes it better. These are beautiful specimens.
Thanks Judy!
I like to try different tomato varieties too. I’ve got a yellow one this year (Golden Sunrise) that’s done really well. The one that never lets me down is Sungold, I grow it every year and it’s never failed. I’m glad to have found your blog (via Caro’s), and I’m looking forward to following along.
Hi CJ, Golden Sunrise looks like one for trying next year. Thanks for dropping by. Caro’s tomatoes look simply gorgeous!
Wellyman summed them up as ‘out of season supermarket tomatoes’. I was distinctly disappointed with them, particularly as they took SOOOOO long to actually ripen. Oh well! At least I had some good old tumbler.
Hi WW, Yes, such a disappointment after the long wait. Always good to grow a few old faithfulls. More Sungold for me next year…
Oh dear, I will strike them off my list for next year. TBH all mine have tasted soapy and watery this year, and I haven’t a clue why ! Even old faithfuls haven’t had the sweetness they usually have which is weird as it has been a fantastic season. Maybe my tastebuds have been on strike …
Tasteless tomatoes-what a shame! Hope you have a better year next year…
Sadly, Indigo Rose didn’t make the cut for us this year after disappointing us last summer. I do agree, it has the most amazing color. But flavor? Not so much. It did make a pretty addition to a mixed heirloom tomato salad. Great post! Cheers! Ben
Aha Benjamin, you’re ahead of the game! Yes, I’ll sneak it into salads, because it looks so darned gorgeous, and give it a nice punchy dressing to make up for its lacking in flavour!
Thanks for the link love Naomi 🙂 They certainly are a winner on looks (my niece and nephew called them Goth tomatoes), but sadly not on taste. I have a glimmering of hope, the latest batch I used for tomato sauce yesterday did seem to have a bit more flavour, so perhaps they come into their own later in the season. I heard when I was out in Oregon in the summer there are some beter varieties in the pipeline, so fingers crossed. Sungold has been fabulous this year.
Hi Michelle, tomato sauce may be the way to go, but every time I answer the front door, be it to someone collecting for Amnesty International or a previously unknown neighbour, everyone wants a tomato to try (despite the fact that I tell them that it’s not that tasty), so they may all vanish before I get to the sauce making……..
They sound a bit like the Blauwschokker peas I tried this year. They also look fantastic, a friend thought they were sweet peas, but are not worth eating. Still, because they are so pretty I’ll probably grow a few again next year.
I’m in Scotland and grew Indigo Rose in a polytunnel. I had some trouble with blossom end rot on my tomatoes early in the season but managed to rescue them by adding gypsum to the soil. I’m not sure if this had a negative effect on the Indigo Rose, remained hard and didn’t taste nice at all. Maybe I’ll give them another go next year though.
Hi June, It sounds like we’re all intrigued by this black tomato and hoping against hope that it’ll taste as good as it looks! Think I’ll try Blue Bayou next year instead and some Sungold, Gardeners Delight and a yellow variety or two as a colourful mixture look so great in salads. Good luck for next year!
I was really disappointed by ‘Indigo Rose’ too, hey ho, but thank you, I have put Golden Crown on the list to try next year!
Hi Janet, another disappointed soul! Yes, definitely will grow Golden Crown next year and maybe Honeydrop and Snowberry from Sea Spring seeds too. Feeling excited already!
It is interesting to read these comments, especially as they confirm what I thought about the blue toms I grew this year (‘Blue Berries’). I also found that unless the fruits are exposed to lots of sun they don’t develop much ‘black’ colour either and yours look as good as they get! I won’t give up on them quite yet but they haven’t got me hooked yet. I also agree that ‘Sungold’ just can’t be beat!
Hi Geoff, It is great fun to experiment, but you’re right, those sweet Sungold tomatoes are tough to beat. I’m sure there’ll be many more ‘black’ tomatoes to try in the next few years, but it’s good to have some reliable sweet fruits to have after all your efforts at the end of the season too!
I’ve never seen indigo rose tomatoes. I was wondering whether they have the same taste as the red one. But they looks amazing on these pictures! Regards!
Hi Emma, No, these don’t taste as great as some of the red and orange tomatoes I’ve grown in the past, but as a conversation starter, they can’t be beat! Easiest and tastiest tomatoes to grow to date must be Sungold ( a wonderful orange cherry tomato), but I will always persevere with trying out exciting sounding new varieties!
I’ve never heard of any of these tomato breeds previously, I normally go for something that will grow fast as my climate has short growing seasons (think “Early Girl” breed). Thanks for sharing!