- Open-pollinated
- Cocktail
- 70 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Brown
Chocolate Cherry
Open-pollinated cocktail from USA. Russet-brown cocktail tomato in the colouring of the black heirlooms. Ready in about 70 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Cocktail ~1 oz (25–40 g) · Round (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 70 days (estimated) from transplant · Midseason
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Difficulty
- Moderate (estimated) 3/5
- Skin
-
- Brown
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Chocolate Cherry is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“Russet-brown cocktail tomato in the colouring of the black heirlooms.”
Growing calendar
70 (estimated) days from transplant Midseason
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Snacking
- Novelty color
- High flavor
- High yield
- Kid friendly
Origin
Chocolate Cherry sits between a cherry and a cocktail tomato in size, with the russet-brown skin and dark-shoulder pigmentation of the larger black heirlooms. It brings their colouring to a fruit small enough to pick and eat without cutting. Its origin is thinly recorded; it is usually attributed to Aaron Whaley of Seed Savers Exchange.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
-
Chocolate Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Chocolate Cherry tomatoes -
Chocolate Cherry tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Chocolate Cherry tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Chocolate Cherry tomatoes -
Chocolate Cherry tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How do you grow a Chocolate Cherry plant?
A Chocolate Cherry plant grows 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 35 in (90 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Chocolate Cherry take to mature?
Chocolate Cherry is ready in about 70 days from transplant.
Does Chocolate Cherry need staking?
Chocolate Cherry is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Chocolate Cherry be grown in a container?
Chocolate Cherry is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Chocolate Cherry resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Chocolate Cherry.
