Chocolate Cherry Tomato

Family: Solanaceae Nightshade

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Chocolate Cherry Tomato to a garden.

Sink your senses into Chocolate Cherry Tomato’s rich, wine-dark sweetness—small fruits with a velvety, mahogany-chocolate blush and a glossy skin that catches the light.

Bite into a dense, juicy texture with a balanced, tangy-sweet flavor that feels both indulgent and bright, perfect for snacking straight from the vine or gathering for vibrant bowls and colorful platters. Prolific plants produce a steady stream of these deep-toned cherry gems in about 60 days, rewarding attentive gardeners with a harvest as beautiful as it is flavorful.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 60 DaysHabit: Determinate

Botanical illustration of Chocolate Cherry Tomato

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Chocolate Cherry Tomato Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	Apr 13th	Jul 27th	Sep 25th – Aug 1st
Zone 2a	Apr 6th	Jul 20th	Sep 18th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Mar 27th	Jul 10th	Sep 8th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Mar 27th	Jul 10th	Sep 8th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Mar 31st	Jul 14th	Sep 12th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Mar 27th	Jul 10th	Sep 8th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Mar 25th	Jul 8th	Sep 6th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Mar 20th	Jul 3rd	Sep 1st – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Mar 16th	Jun 29th	Aug 28th – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Mar 13th	Jun 26th	Aug 25th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Mar 7th	Jun 20th	Aug 19th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Mar 2nd	Jun 15th	Aug 14th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Feb 20th	Jun 5th	Aug 4th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Feb 11th	May 27th	Jul 26th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Feb 2nd	May 18th	Jul 17th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Jan 16th	May 1st	Jun 30th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Dec 22nd	Apr 6th	Jun 5th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	Continuous Production
Zone 10b	Continuous Production
Zone 11a	Continuous Production
Zone 11b	Continuous Production
Zone 12a	Continuous Production
Zone 12b	Continuous Production
Zone 13a	Continuous Production
Zone 13b	Continuous Production

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	60
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Determinate
Support Needed	Cage
Planting Depth	Deep
Germination Temp (°F)	70
Min Soil Temp (°F)	60
Min Night Temp (°F)	50
Harden Off (days)	8

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

These chocolate-toned cherry tomatoes hit like a sweet sip—then snap into tang, with denser juice than typical red cherries. They’re at their best bitten raw or blistered briefly, where the mahogany sweetness holds and the skin stays pleasantly poppy.

Best Uses

slice in half for high-gloss snack platters where they don’t collapse
use raw in a tomato-forward salad with a light, fast vinaigrette to keep the sweetness vivid
quick-pan or blister at high heat for jammy edges without turning watery
tumble into warm grain bowls where their tang can cut through starch

Flavor Profile

wine-dark sweetness with a cocoa-tinged finish balanced tangy snap followed by juicy, dense flesh glossy skin that pops pleasantly when bitten small-bite intensity—sweet and bright at once

Kitchen Pairings

burrata aged balsamic vinegar fresh mozzarella olive oil and flaky salt garlic prosciutto

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the most common disease issue for Solanum lycopersicum (chocolate cherry tomato), and how do I prevent and treat it?

Early blight and leaf spot are common in Solanum lycopersicum, especially in warm, humid weather, starting as dark spots on older leaves. Remove affected lower leaves, mulch to keep soil from splashing, and water at the soil line so foliage stays dry. If spots keep spreading, spray with a labeled fungicide appropriate for tomatoes and repeat according to the label’s interval.

How often should I water chocolate cherry tomatoes during peak fruiting?

During the main growing and fruiting phase, keep the soil evenly moist—aim for about 1 to 2 inches of water per week total, adjusting for heat and rainfall. Water deeply 1–3 times per week rather than frequent light watering, and stop if the soil stays wet for more than a day or two. Consistent moisture helps reduce blossom-end rot and prevents cracking in cherry tomatoes.

How can I tell when chocolate cherry tomatoes are ready to harvest at about 60 days?

Pick fruit when it has fully developed its mature color (deep brownish-chocolate tones) and the skin looks glossy, not pale or greenish. The tomatoes should come off with a gentle twist and feel firm yet slightly yielding in the hand. Harvesting at peak color improves sweetness and reduces the chance of over-ripening and splitting.