Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cherokee Purple’ (Tomato)

Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cherokee Purple’ – Cherokee Purple Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum ‘Cherokee Purple’ is a celebrated open-pollinated heirloom tomato grown for its large, richly flavored slicing fruits and distinctive dusky pink-purple coloring. The fruits typically develop darker shoulders, deep rose to brick-red flesh, and a soft, juicy texture that makes this cultivar especially prized for fresh eating.

Unlike compact determinate tomatoes, ‘Cherokee Purple’ is indeterminate. It continues producing new stems, flowers, and fruit through the growing season and needs strong staking, caging, or trellising to support its vigorous growth and heavy fruits.

Quick Facts – ‘Cherokee Purple’ Tomato

• Planting: Plant after frost danger has passed in warm soil and full sun; allow about 24-36 in. (60-90 cm) between plants.
• Water: Maintain even moisture, especially while the large fruits are swelling; avoid repeated severe dry-wet cycles.
• Feeding: Use balanced fertility and avoid excessive nitrogen that produces excessive foliage at the expense of fruiting.
• Support: Use a strong cage, stake, or trellis capable of supporting an indeterminate vine and heavy fruit.
• Pruning: Prune according to the support system and available space rather than automatically removing every sucker.
• Mulching: Mulch after the soil has warmed to conserve moisture and reduce soil splash.
• Best use: Choose ‘Cherokee Purple’ when outstanding fresh-eating flavor matters more than perfectly uniform fruit, maximum disease resistance, or a concentrated harvest.

1 What Makes ‘Cherokee Purple’ Tomato Special?

‘Cherokee Purple’ is best known for the combination of its unusual appearance and rich flavor. The fruits ripen to a dusky rose-purple rather than conventional bright red, often retaining green or darker shoulders around the stem. Inside, the flesh ranges from deep pink to brick red and is soft, juicy, and richly flavored.

The fruits are large and somewhat flattened, commonly weighing about 8-12 oz. and often close to 10 oz., although individual tomatoes can be larger or smaller depending on strain, weather, fertility, and fruit load.

Its appeal is primarily fresh eating. Thick slices work beautifully in sandwiches, salads, tomato toast, and simple dishes where flavor is allowed to stand on its own.

2 History of ‘Cherokee Purple’

The modern history of ‘Cherokee Purple’ is unusually well documented. In 1990, John D. Green of Sevierville, Tennessee, sent seeds from an unnamed purple tomato to tomato collector Craig LeHoullier. LeHoullier grew the seed, recognized the cultivar’s distinctive characteristics, named it ‘Cherokee Purple’, and shared it with seed companies. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange introduced it commercially in 1993.

The seed arrived with a family story connecting the tomato to Cherokee people in Tennessee many decades earlier. That history is widely repeated, but the earlier provenance has not been independently documented in the way the cultivar’s modern 1990s history has.

3 Growth Habit and Support

‘Cherokee Purple’ is an indeterminate tomato. It continues extending and producing flowering shoots through the growing season rather than ripening one concentrated crop.

The original strain is relatively compact for an indeterminate tomato and commonly reaches about 5 ft. (1.5 m), although plants can grow taller in long seasons or under less restrictive training.

Use a strong cage, stake, or trellis from the beginning. Large fruits place considerable weight on the stems, and an unsupported plant can sprawl heavily onto the soil.

For help understanding growth habit, see Gardenia’s Determinate vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes.

4 How to Grow ‘Cherokee Purple’

Sun

Grow ‘Cherokee Purple’ in full sun, ideally with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight and preferably 8 or more for strong flowering, fruit development, and flavor.

Soil

Plant in fertile, organically rich, moist but well-drained soil. Tomatoes tolerate clay, loam, or sandy soil when drainage and fertility are suitable. Aim for a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH around 6.0-6.8.

Spacing

Space plants roughly 24-36 inches (60-90 cm) apart. Give additional room when plants are allowed to carry several stems or where humid conditions increase foliar disease pressure.

Water

Maintain reasonably even root-zone moisture. Large-fruited tomatoes can be prone to cracking when soil moisture fluctuates sharply, particularly while fruits are expanding or approaching maturity.

Feeding

Use balanced fertility and avoid excessive nitrogen. Strong vegetative growth is not the same as high fruit production, and a soil test is more useful than adding fertilizer by habit.

For broader growing guidance, see Gardenia’s Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) profile.

5 Common Problems and Disease Expectations

‘Cherokee Purple’ should not be treated as a modern disease-resistant hybrid with a standardized package of resistance genes. Performance depends on seed source, climate, disease pressure, and garden conditions.

Southern Exposure reports good resistance to Septoria leaf spot in its maintained original strain, but that observation should not be generalized into a broad resistance claim for every seed source sold as ‘Cherokee Purple’.

Potential problems include:

• Early blight and Septoria leaf spot, particularly where foliage remains wet or infected debris is present.

• Late blight where weather and regional disease pressure favor infection.

• Blossom-end rot, especially when calcium delivery to rapidly developing fruit is disrupted by moisture or root stress.

• Fruit cracking, which can increase after rapid changes in soil moisture.

• Catfacing or irregular fruit shape, particularly when flowers develop under unfavorable temperature conditions.

• Tomato hornworms and other common tomato pests.

If symptoms are unclear, use Gardenia’s Tomato Problems: What Is Wrong With My Plant?. For infectious diseases, see Tomato Diseases: Identification, Treatment & Prevention.

6 Harvesting ‘Cherokee Purple’

Do not wait for the shoulders to turn uniformly red. Mature ‘Cherokee Purple’ fruit often retains greenish or darker shoulders even when the rest of the tomato has reached its characteristic dusky pink-purple color.

Harvest when the fruit has developed its mature color and gives slightly to gentle pressure. Because the flesh is relatively soft and juicy, handle ripe fruit carefully.

If cracking, heavy rain, pests, or extreme weather threaten, mature fruit can be harvested once ripening has begun and allowed to finish indoors.

7 Growing ‘Cherokee Purple’ in Containers

‘Cherokee Purple’ can be grown in a container, but it is not one of the easiest tomato cultivars for small pots. Its indeterminate growth and large fruit demand substantial root volume, strong support, and careful watering.

For one plant, use a large container, preferably around 10 gallons or more. A larger root zone provides a more stable moisture reserve and makes it easier to sustain continued growth and fruit development.

Install the support at planting rather than after the vine becomes large. In hot or windy weather, container-grown plants may need frequent moisture checks.

8 Companion Plants for ‘Cherokee Purple’

Choose companions that tolerate the same sunny, fertile, moist but well-drained growing conditions and that do not crowd the tomato’s root zone or canopy.

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum) enjoys full sun, well-drained soil, and regular moisture and fits naturally into an edible tomato bed.

• French Marigold (Tagetes patula) thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and adds long-season flowers around the planting.

• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) can trail around the bed edge while sharing sunny, well-drained conditions.

• Garlic (Allium sativum) shares a preference for sun and good drainage and can make use of garden space before the tomato reaches full summer size.

For more ideas based on compatible growing conditions and useful garden functions rather than folklore, see Gardenia’s Companion Plants for Tomatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions