With their dusky pink skins and multicolor interior, ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomatoes are dazzling on the vine and in the kitchen. This unique heirloom variety has a full-bodied flavor and dense, luscious texture, perfect for slicing. This is reason enough to plant and grow ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomatoes! The large globe-shaped fruits are almost as meaty as a ‘Beefsteak’ and have similarly small seed cavities, making for an exceptionally rich culinary experience. Plus, the stout vines grow rapidly! Heirloom tomatoes come from seeds that have been passed down for centuries. While ‘Cherokee Purple’ plants enjoy similar conditions to your favorite garden hybrids, they have a few unique requirements you’ll want to meet to maximize your yields. Let’s dig into everything you need to know about growing this flavorful tomato! History and Cultivation While the ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomato carries the name of the Cherokee tribal people and stories claim that they originated with that tribe, there has never been conclusive proof of their tribal origins – only a story passed along to the man who spearheaded their popularity. Heirloom tomato specialist Craig LeHoullier received a packet of seeds of this almost-black tomato in the mail. The sender stated the seeds had originally come from a tribal member. While the tribal origin was never proven, LeHoullier chose to keep the name to honor the statement made by its originator. The rich flavor revealed in test trials proved that this tomato was worthy of further development. In 1993, the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange was the first seed company to offer it as a limited edition seed packet. Ironically, the owner of SESE was quoted saying the tomato “tasted fine, but was kind of ugly – people may not like it.” But the plant took the gardening world by storm. Its uniquely brown, green, burgundy, and rose tones have captivated gardeners for decades since, warranting tremendous seed-saving efforts to maintain the heirloom flavor. It’s extremely popular and, regardless of its origins, its flavor makes it worth growing year after year! In recent years, Craig LeHoullier has expressed regret for naming the tomato after the tribe without confirming its origination. In 2022, he and other seed growers discussed the seed naming process at the Organic Seed Alliance’s annual seed conference, as many seeds carry tribal names whether or not they actually originated with those tribal groups. Is ‘Cherokee Purple’ An Heirloom Tomato? This plant is an heirloom, meaning its seeds have been saved and passed down through generations. After many years of regular open-pollination in cultivation, ‘Cherokee Purple’ seeds stay true to type when grown. This means collecting seeds from the fruits and replanting them next year will yield the same delicious fruits. The genetics of this variety have remained strong through hundreds of years of cultivation and sale. This rich, old-time tomato flavor and eye-catching ribbed shape set it apart from other heirlooms. The extra-large-sized fruits are almost as big as a ‘Beefsteak,’ ranging from 3-5 inches in diameter. What is ‘Cherokee Purple’ Tomato Best For? Known for their rich, classic tomato flavor and dark color, ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomatoes are ideal for fresh eating. The treasured, award-winning tomato has a balance of sweetness and slight smokiness. The vine-ripened fruits have dusky rose-blushed skin with green, purple, or brown streaking on the interior. The seed cavities are small and don’t have the watery texture of other heirlooms, making them perfect for a sandwich or burger without the risk of soggy bread. They are delicious in salads, caprese, and fresh salsas or sliced with a sprinkling of salt on top. Are ‘Cherokee Purple’ Tomatoes Hard to Grow? ‘Cherokee Purple’ is ideal for beginner tomato growers because the stout vines are easy to maintain and thrive without much fuss. If the plant has full sunlight and plenty of warm weather (over 60°F), these tomatoes will ripen to their dark, luscious color in less than three months! This old-fashioned heirloom is adapted to intensely hot summers of the Southeast and tolerates humidity fairly well. Propagation You can grow this treasured tomato from seed or a pre-purchased seedling. The most critical factor in a tomato’s early growth is light. Avoid leggy tomato starts by ensuring 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. Seed ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomato seeds are widely available and easy to plant. It’s best to start them indoors because spring weather is unpredictable in the garden. About 5-6 weeks before transplanting, prepare 6-packs, cell trays, or 4-inch pots. Fill them with a quality, well-drained seed starter mix. Avoid compacting the soil too firmly. Sow 1-2 seeds ¼” deep in each cell and lightly cover. Seeds should only be sown at a depth twice their largest dimension. Since tomato seeds are relatively flat and round, they wind up very close to the soil surface. Don’t bury them too deeply. Thoroughly water in the seeds and keep them consistently moist but never soggy. Use a fan-nozzle hose or wide watering can to distribute the water across the surface without dislodging the seeds. Use a soil thermometer probe to ensure the mix stays 75-85°F. For the best germination, add a seed heating mat beneath the trays. ‘Cherokee Purple’ germinates within 5-10 days. Grow the seedlings at a continuous 60-75°F ambient temperature. When plants have their first set of true leaves, thin to one seedling per cell. Fertilize with a diluted fish emulsion to encourage rapid establishment. Supplemental Lighting If you don’t have a south-facing window or greenhouse, you will probably need to grow lights to ensure vigorous, healthy plants. Suspend your grow lights close to the trays initially, or lift the trays until they are 6-8” below the light. As the tomatoes grow, slowly bring the light away from them. If they look spindly or like they are “reaching” upwards (long spaces of stem between new leaves), the light is too far away. Don’t Start Too Soon! Be careful not to start your tomatoes too soon. Rootbound, leggy, or flowering transplants have difficulty adjusting in the garden. You may miss out on early production if the plants undergo a shock period. ‘Cherokee Purple’ grows surprisingly fast, and you don’t want a bunch of overgrown seedlings waiting by the windowsill for the weather to warm. If you plan to plant 1-2 weeks after your last frost date, sow the seeds no sooner than three weeks before the last frost date. For most temperate gardeners, this window is around February or March in the south and April or May in the north. Seedling Starts If starting seeds indoors sounds like too much trouble, you can usually find ‘Cherokee Purple’ plants at most nurseries or garden stores. Purchasing tomato starts saves you the trouble of germination and indoor growing, but you still must harden off the plants (explained below) to prevent transplant shock. When choosing a tomato start, pay careful attention to: Leaf Color: The foliage should be vibrant green and free of yellowing or brown spots. Signs of Disease: If the plant has any halo spots, wilting, or shriveled dead leaves, leave it at the garden store! Root Binding: Remove the seedling from its pot and check to ensure the roots are not tangled or spiraling around the container. Height: A happy tomato seedling should have a height proportionate to its container. Leggy, spindly stems indicate that the young plant didn’t have enough light. Flowers or Fruit: Contrary to popular belief, you want to avoid buying a tomato seedling that is already flowering or fruiting. This is a sign of stress and may stunt early growth after transplanting. Pests: Check the undersides of leaves to be sure there are no aphids or hornworms that might get imported into your garden. Purchase your seedlings as close to your last frost date as possible. Generally, late-season tomato seedlings are rootbound, leggy, and sickly from being in a pot for too long. Planting Once nighttime temperatures are consistently above 45°F, you can safely plant tomatoes in the garden. This is usually 1-3 weeks after your last spring frost date. If your region tends to have unpredictable springs, it’s best to cover tomato seedlings with row fabric or a cold frame to protect them during the initial few weeks of establishment. How to Grow As one of the easiest-to-grow heirlooms, ‘Cherokee Purple’ is a resilient plant that won’t fuss. As long as you provide a sturdy trellis, warm temperatures, and consistent water, you’ll be delighted by how abundantly these tomatoes yield. Maintenance Pruning is not essential, but it is beneficial. Fortunately, these heirlooms don’t send out as many suckers (side shoots) as hybrid varieties. Still, the vines benefit from weekly pruning to signal them to channel their energy into more fruit production. Suckers are aptly named because they “suck” the energy away from the pain plant. In other words, they are the tomato’s attempt to produce more vines than fruit. Use sharp, sanitized pruners to remove suckers at the “elbows” where each stem connects with the central vine. Depending on your trellis system, you may want to prune each plant so it only has one or two “leader” vines and remove the rest. When the tips of vines are young, they are pliable enough to maneuver them where you want them to go easily. Use twine or plastic tomato trellis clips to weave them upward. If you trellis your plants a little bit every week, they easily become “trained” to grow up the trellis. However, if you wait until the stems are rigid and big, it can be challenging to trellis them without snapping or bending the vines.

Dozens of tomato types exist, and pole varieties are some of the best kinds! These climbing tomatoes reach epic heights while they grow in the summer garden. Give them the care they need, and they’ll reward you with bushels of ripe red fruits. Many of the most recognizable tomatoes are pole varieties. ‘Brandywine,’ ‘Cherokee Purple,’ and ‘Sun Gold’ are all pole types! These climbers may extend over six feet long when given support. They’ll clamber up trellises and arbors to produce a pillar of green leaves, yellow flowers, and bulging fruit. Pole tomatoes are often indeterminate, meaning they produce fruit as long as the weather remains warm and sunny. With proper watering, fertilizing, and care, you can enjoy endless harvests from spring through fall. Some lucky growers, like those in Florida and Southern California, can grow tomatoes year-round! No matter where you live and what pole types you’re growing, these care tips will guide you through the process. Grab some seedlings from the store or find seeds online, and get ready to cultivate gorgeous tomatoes for canning, snacking, and slicing. What Are Pole Tomatoes? Tomatoes are fruits of the tomato vine, a perennial plant that originated in South America. They’re an old favorite with hundreds of varieties to choose from! Plant breeders, enthusiastic gardeners, and farmers created many types with various growing habits, sizes, and structures. With the wealth of options, there’s sure to be a perfect type for your garden. Two main types of pole varieties exist: cherry and slicer. Cherry tomatoes are small, sweet, and perfect for snacking, while slicers are large, juicy, and full of flesh and flavor. Native Area Pole tomatoes originated in Peru and parts of South America. Growers and farmers of the Inca Empire cultivated the plants we know today from wild ancestors. They helped give rise to the ripe red fruit we know and love today. Nowadays, tomato plants grow all over the world! Cultivated varieties are popular wherever growing seasons are long, warm, and sunny. Pole types work best in warm climates with long summers, as they need time to mature and fruit. Determinate and bushy tomatoes are better for cold climates with short springs and summers. Characteristics Pole tomato plants have long, flexible stems with green skin. The stems, leaves, and flowers have a dense coating of white fuzz. You’ll see the hairs when you look at the plants up close. Off the stems sprout yellow blossoms that mature into tomatoes. They form in clusters on short stems that attach to the main ones. When bumblebees or other pollinators visit these flowers, they shake them and cause pollination to occur. Tomatoes have perfect, or bisexual, blossoms. This means they have both male and female parts, and they can fertilize themselves when bumblebees are in short supply. Simply shake the blossoms to help pollinate them. Pole tomatoes are often indeterminate or endlessly growing. They thrive when the weather is warm and sunny and can reach up to ten feet tall when supported. Give them cages, stakes, or similar support, and they’ll clamber upwards until the first frost arrives in autumn. Planting There are multiple ways to get tomatoes in your garden. Find potted seedlings available in garden centers, nurseries, and plant shops in late spring and early summer. If you have a short growing season, it’s a good idea to plant seeds indoors for easy transplanting after the last frost date. How to Grow These nutrient-hungry crops need plenty of water, sunlight, and nutrients to thrive. Though they require more time and maintenance than other fruits and vegetables, their incredible flavor is well worth the effort! Homegrown tomatoes taste nothing like store-bought ones—they’re more flavorful, juicy, and sweet than their counterparts. Maintenance Tomatoes are high-maintenance! Don’t be fooled by their deliciousness and juiciness. It’s important to stake them when you plant them to provide support for their climbing stems. Continuously attach the stems to the supports to keep them upright and vertical. Aside from staking, adding compost is a beneficial maintenance task that protects and feeds tomato roots throughout the season. Add more after it sinks and dwindles to a thin layer, keeping it between two and three inches thick.

Everyone's looking to cut costs these days, and grocery bills are a good place to start. Though not all of us have the luxury of space to start growing our own veggies, herbs are generally low-maintenance and low-material plants you can grow in your own kitchen. Not only that, but some of them you don't even have to buy seeds or a plant for. Here are five herbs you can start from the ingredients you buy at the grocery store for a lower grocery bill and fresher ingredients. Mint Mint is a plant that is famously easy to grow and hard to kill. This is because (when planted in-ground) it's actually considered invasive, meaning it grows robustly, choking out other plants for light and nutrients. In a container on your kitchen counter, however, this just means an endless supply of fresh herbs. To start your own plant, take a few sprigs from the grocery store and place the stems in water. Ensure that no leaves are touching the water, as this can lead to rot, mildew, and mold. Change the water every few days, and in a few weeks, you should start to see root growth. Take these sprigs, plant them in a small container, and ta-da! You've got a plant that will continue to give fresh ingredients whenever you need them. Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more! Basil Basil is not only easy to grow in the kitchen—It will also add a lovely aroma to your space. As with mint, simply pick a few leaves with developed, long stalks from what you bought at the supermarket and place them in water. After a few weeks of changing the water regularly, roots should begin to appear. Replant them in a medium-sized, well-draining pot, and harvest leaves as needed for cooking. Oregano Though it might take a while, oregano is yet another herb you can grow from supermarket propagations. Follow the same steps as for mint and basil: Pick a few healthy stems, put them in a cup of water, and pick off any leaves that might sit on or below the waterline. Change the water every few days to prevent mold, mildew, or rot. When you see roots form, transplant to a well-draining pot with soil. Water and provide light as with any other plant. Don't Prune Too Much For all herbs, make sure you're never taking more than 1/3 of the plant at a time. Rosemary Grow supermarket rosemary the same as basil: Pick sprigs with long, hardy stems and put them in water (with no leaves touching the water). Change water frequently, and plant in a pot when roots have grown out. Thyme For thyme, follow the same processes as for other herbs: Pick strong stems, place in water, replace water every few days, and—when roots have formed after a few weeks—transplant to a well-draining pot with soil and care for normally.