What Is A Black Strawberry Tomato And How To Grow It

Black Strawberry Tomato is a very decorative and very tasty tomato variety that can be easily grown on a permanent garden patch or even in a large enough pot.

Black Strawberry Tomato can be consumed both fresh and processed, but personally, it is perfect for salads, cocktails, and for decorating various meals.

Published: October 4, 2022.

Photo republished with explicit permission from Croatian Seeds Store

Intro to Black Strawberry Tomatoes

Black Strawberry Tomatoes are mid-early, indeterminate tomatoes with regular leaves and large vines. The fruits ripen in ~60-65 days.

They are a cross between Bosque Blue Tomato and Strawberry Tiger Tomato.

The fruits are the size of cocktail cherry tomatoes, maybe slightly larger, round in shape with an average weight of around 25-30g (~1 ounce).

Note:  well-fertilized plants can provide Black Strawberry Tomatoes up to 50-60g (~2 ounces) in weight.

Black Strawberry tomatoes are pink-reddish with golden-yellow, sometimes even scarlet, blue and deep purple veins, with dark, sometimes almost black tops - again, both the plants and the fruits are very decorative, both in the garden and on the table.

The flavor is excellent, sweet, but not too much, just a little bit tart - the flavor is very well-balanced.

Note: overripe Black Strawberry Tomatoes tend to be a little bit floury, still tasting well, but they are best processed.

How To Grow Black Strawberry Tomatoes

Black Strawberry Tomatoes are grown just like any similar tomato plant, and they can be grown in pots like other cherry tomatoes.

Since Black Strawberry Tomatoes are not a very common variety, the seedlings rarely can be found in local garden centers. But, the seeds can be ordered from online stores.

The seeds of the Black Strawberry Tomatoes sprout in 7-14 days - since Black Strawberry Tomato is sensitive to low temperatures and especially frost, the best thing to do is to sow seeds in small containers (0.2-0.3 liters will do just fine) filled with good potting soil.

Depending on the number of available seeds, one can sow 1-4 seeds in each pot and leave only the strongest plant to grow - the ideal seed depth is ~1/8 inches (~3-4 mm). And when the plants are 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) tall, they can be transplanted to a permanent position.

Note: If there is a danger of low temperatures, it is better to let the plants grow even taller (10-12 inches) than to risk frost killing them all.

Black Strawberry Tomatoes prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0-6.7. The soil should be rich in organic matter, it should retain moisture well but also drain well - tomatoes don't like "wet feet."

The soil should be fertilized with aged manure and/or organic compost with some balanced NPK fertilizer (15:15:15, for example) added.

Black Strawberry Tomato is an indeterminate plant, and with the abundance of nitrogen, it can grow large but weak - the soil should be rich in nitrogen, but not too much!

Other organic fertilizers may be used, for example, worm castings and similar.

Note: organic fertilizers gradually release nutrients feeding the plants for a longer period of time. Also, they improve the soil quality.

Black Strawberry Tomatoes prefer full sun positions, with ideal temperatures between 75 and 95°F (24 and 35°C).

The seedlings should be planted some 22-24 inches (~56-61 cm) apart - the distance in the row can be even somewhat smaller (20 inches, 51 cm, for example), but the plants should be pruned regularly to allow as much air and sun around all parts of the plant.

The distance between rows should allow the gardener to work around the plants easily.

When the Black Strawberry Tomatoes are grown in the pots, a 22-24" pot can accommodate 2-3 plants, but they must be watered and fertilized more often than the plants on the garden patch.

Support

Black Strawberry Tomatoes require support to grow properly in the form of stakes and cages.

Since support must be stable and resilient to wind, stakes and cages must be driven in the soil - in order to avoid damaging the roots, it is highly recommended to place them as soon as seedlings are replanted.

Note: Also, if there is a sudden danger of cold weather, stakes and cages can be used to support plastic cover used as an improvised greenhouse - better than losing the plants due to the cold weather.

Watering

During warm weather, Black Strawberry Tomatoes require at least 1-2 inches of water per week, provided every 2-3 days. During really hot weather, especially if the tomatoes are grown in pots, the plants must be watered practically every day.

A dripping irrigation system with a timer is an excellent method of providing the plants with an ideal amount of water, allowing the gardener even to save water.

Fertilization

During vigorous growth of plants and during the potentially long harvesting season, Black Strawberry Tomatoes require constantly rich soil.

The soil should be prepared using organic fertilizers (aged manure, humus, compost, worm castings) combined with a balanced NPK fertilizer. As the plants grow, the gardener may add some organic tomato fertilizer combined with the NPK fertilizer with a smaller amount of Nitrogen (N).

Also, smaller amounts of humus, compost, and worm castings can be added from time to time - this will keep the soil rich and will support the plants that will be planted after the tomatoes are fully harvested and removed from the patch.

Long Story Short: Black Strawberry Tomatoes are decorative plants that may provide a very rich harvest of tasty and ornamental tomatoes that can be eaten raw in salads, cocktails, and similar meals, that can be used to decorate other meals, but can also be processed.

Black Strawberry Tomatoes do require some work during the growing season, but a long harvest and potentially large yield are more than worth it.