Help me choose some blacks

[Ann123]

Hi,

I am making my grow list for this year.
I will add some blacks but something in me is holding me back. I have only grow a couple of blacks and was not crazy about them. Last year I grew Rebel Alliance and Purple bumble bee and both were rather tasteless, no sweetness, just boring, like a soup without salt. Our summers are cool and I have a shady garden. The circumstances are thus not great. Two and three years ago I grew a black tomato that gave a huge production of enormous fruits. I got the plant from someone and in those days I wasn't aware that I would never find its name if I didn't ask it. I didn't realise there were so many varieties, so it is a nameless one that looks like Large barred boar. Anyway, I loved it for juices and gazpacho but again, boring to eat it as is.
But I'll give the blacks a new chance. I am growing the nameless black anyway plus a few other ones.
I have seed from these varieties. They are all early or mid season. The temperatures are just to low for late varieties here. I would like a tasty, sweet tomato with at least a decent production. Here is my list:

Black From Tula
Black Krim
Noire de Crimée
Paul Robeson
Bear Creek (tempted to choose this one)
Black and red boar
Chocolate stripes
Not chocolate stripes aka Mocha splash (tempted too)
Large barred boar (tempted to see if it is my nameless one)
Berkeley tie dye
Pink Berkeley tie dye
Margeret Curtain
Cherokee purple

Thanks for helping me out!

[Canehdian]

From the ones I have tried Chocolate Stripes will give you the taste and Margaret Curtain will give you the production. In my short season zone the ones that did well and tasted good are: Black Giant, JD's Special C-Tex, Black Pear, Black Early, and Black Aisberg. Never had good luck with Paul Robeson.

[eyegrotom]

Hi Ann I also say that you should try JD,s Special, also Paul Robeson I grew both of them last year with good production. I have extra seeds for JD,s if you want some send me a Pm. Thanks. Mike

[zipcode]

Pink Berkeley tie dye is good stuff, quality rich flavour. I wouldn't say it's sweet though, more like sweet and sour. Production is solid. The fruit itself isn't.

[HudsonValley]

Black Krim does o.k. with less than full sun -- I tried it in 2017 in a raised bed that didn't get bright sunlight until around noon. Margaret Curtain is also reported to do well with a bit of shade.

[Lotte]

I grow one you don't have on your list, Chocolate Cherry, and as I'm growing in Denmark I assume we have almost the same circumstances to grow the tomatoes.It is always on my list as it is very good and becomes really good to in taste even if the summer is not too good as last year.

[Ann123]

Originally Posted by eyegrotom

Hi Ann I also say that you should try JD,s Special, also Paul Robeson I grew both of them last year with good production. I have extra seeds for JD,s if you want some send me a Pm. Thanks. Mike

Thanks for your offer, but I have already so many varieties thanks to this wonderful forum. Maybe next year.

[Ann123]

I checked out some dtm's. I usually only pick varieties with max 75 dtm.
These are too late:

Black From Tula (80d)
Black Krim (80d)
Cherokee purple (80d)
Noire de Crimee (80d)
Paul Robeson (90d)

[Moshou]

In my opinion Black Krim = Noire de Crimee

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by HudsonValley

Black Krim does o.k. with less than full sun -- I tried it in 2017 in a raised bed that didn't get bright sunlight until around noon. Margaret Curtain is also reported to do well with a bit of shade.

I have the opposite situation to yours, hv. My raised bed gets full sun only until just after noon.

Black Krim, Margaret Curtain, Cherokee Purple, Black From Tula, Bedouin all gave excellent production and flavor for two years in a row in the same spot.

Black Cherry seems to taste sweeter in a full sun location, only one year trial in a shadier area though.

- Lisa

[pmcgrady]

I grew Blue Ridge Black last year, it was a mid season potato leafed black, with good taste and production. The plants and fruits both looked good also.
This year I'm going to give Brad Gates' Black Beauty a try.

[taboule]

I have limited experience with blacks, but have always enjoyed Black Krim, my earliest full sized tom for two years.

Not on your list but Striped Sweetheart, and Girl Girls Weird Thing have also done well for me. GGWT was the last variety that still produced late in the fall.

[Labradors2]

In your situation, I'm not sure I would grow any black tomatoes. I love them, but I believe that they thrive in full sun and hot weather. I don't think that the two varieties you grew should be tasteless .

Linda

[Ann123]

Originally Posted by Lotte

I grow one you don't have on your list, Chocolate Cherry, and as I'm growing in Denmark I assume we have almost the same circumstances to grow the tomatoes.It is always on my list as it is very good and becomes really good to in taste even if the summer is not too good as last year.

Thanks Lotte, yes I think we have a similar climate.
I have some blacks on my cherry list (chocolate cherry or black cherry, not yet chosen which one and Ron's Carbon copy), one on my small tomato list (ggwt) and one on my dwarf list (rosella purple, even if I réalise it needs maybe warmer weather).

[Ann123]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

In your situation, I'm not sure I would grow any black tomatoes. I love them, but I believe that they thrive in full sun and hot weather. I don't think that the two varieties you grew should be tasteless .

Linda

That makes sense. My experience with the bumble bees: Sunrise and pink were tasty and sweet but purple was blah. As if dark varieties need more heat.