The black tomato Indigo Rose is definitely an unusual sight. We explain everything you need to know about the tomato variety - from cultivation to harvest.
In recent years there have been more and more blue and black tomato varieties bred. Here we present one of the very first varieties that brought new color to the tomato world.
contents
- Indigo rose tomato: profile
- origin and history
- Tomato variety 'Indigo Rose': taste and properties
- Cultivation and care of the Indigo Rose
- Indigo Rose: Harvest Time and Use
Indigo rose tomato: profile
| fruit | salad tomato/cherry tomato; on the sunny side: violet to black, on the shady side: pink to red |
| the taste | mild, little sweet, rather sour |
| maturing time | late |
| growth | Stick tomato, up to 180 cm |
| location | greenhouse, pot (rain shelter) |
origin and history
The Indigo Rose comes from a breeding program led by Professor Jim Myers at Oregon State University in the USA. It was launched in 2012 as one of the first "Antho tomatoes". Antho is the abbreviation for anthocyanins, the pigments that turn the fruit purple to black when exposed to sunlight.
Tomato variety 'Indigo Rose': taste and properties
Even as young plants you can see the dark coloring of the indigo rose, because its leaves and stems are dark and violet in color. The tomato plant reaches a height of up to 180 centimeters. The round fruits of the indigo rose reach the size of a small salad tomato or a large cherry tomato. They hang in panicles of up to twelve tomatoes, each weighing around 40 grams. Depending on the sunlight, the color is darker and can cover the entire fruit. On the downside, however, you can usually see the actual color of the indigo rose: a delicate pink to red. It only ripens late in summer, and the first fruits can be harvested from mid-August. The taste of the indigo rose is very mild, slightly crumbly and slightly sour, but hardly sweet. It is a seed-resistant variety and can easily be propagated again with the seeds from the fruits.
Cultivation and care of the Indigo Rose
The Indigo Rose is best suited for cultivation in a greenhouse or in a pot against a warm house wall with rain protection. The sunnier it is, the darker its coloring becomes. It can be placed in a pot after the ice saints from mid-May. Fill the planter with a potting soil that has been tailored to tomatoes. Our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil is particularly suitable for pot tomatoes, because the nutrients it contains give young plants an ideal start to summer and the flowering period. The black variety also needs a stick for tying in the pot. The Indigo Rose can easily be grown with two or three shoots, the remaining side shoots should be broken out. In the article “Cut out tomatoes” you will learn in detail which side shoots you should remove and how.
From June, the indigo rose in the pot needs larger amounts of nutrients than at the beginning of the planting. To provide for its many fruits, the Indigo Rose should be fed with an organic liquid fertilizer such as ours Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer, get supported. The plant-based fertilizer is added to the irrigation water once a week and applied when watering.
Indigo Rose: Harvest Time and Use
You can tell whether the indigo rose is ripe either by the red color of the fruit on the shady side or by a finger test. If the fruit feels a bit soft and gives slightly when pressed, it can be picked. A ripe fruit is also quite shiny. The black tomato can be eaten raw, but is better suited for processing.
Our tip: Soups and sauces get a very dark red, slightly purple tint when the tomatoes are cooked with their skin on.
Do you also grow your tomatoes in pots and on the balcony? what to do Growing balcony tomatoes should be considered, you will find out in our article.
