Hybrid F1
Slicer
80 days to maturity (from transplant)
Indeterminate
Purple

Purple Zebra

Hybrid F1 slicer from USA, 2022. Green stripes over anthocyanin-dark red, and better flavoured than most striped types. Ready in about 80 days from transplant.

Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.

Show all 6 photos

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Purple Zebra tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover

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A truss of Purple Zebra tomatoes

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Purple Zebra tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine

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A ripe Purple Zebra tomato held in a gardener's hand

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Freshly picked Purple Zebra tomatoes

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Purple Zebra tomato sliced in the kitchen

At a glance

Fruit type: Slicer 4–6 oz (110–170 g) · Round (estimated)
Leaf type: Regular leaf
Days to harvest: 80 days from transplant · Mid-late
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: Purple
Striped
Interior: Red

Plant size and habit

Micro dwarf Dwarf Determinate This one

Tall · Indeterminate

6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf

Purple Zebra 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

Sweetness 4/5

Acidity 3/5

Intensity 4/5

Flesh density 3/5

“Green stripes over anthocyanin-dark red, and better flavoured than most striped types.”

Growing calendar

80 days from transplant Mid-late

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

F1 Fusarium wilt (race 1)
LB Late blight
V Verticillium wilt
T Tobacco mosaic virus
CR Crack tolerant

Uses & tags

Fresh & salads
Slicing

Novelty color
High flavor
Gift worthy
Award winner

Origin

Purple Zebra is a 2022 All-America Selections award-winning F1 hybrid bred by Frogsleap Farm and distributed by A.P. Whaley Seed Company of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin in its Cream of the Crop line — not a Brad Gates/Wild Boar Farms release, a mix-up found on several secondary garden sites but absent from Wild Boar Farms' own catalog. It combines the green striping of the Zebra line with anthocyanin darkening, so the fruit reads as dark red-purple crossed by green stripes.

USA, 2022

Sources

Where to buy seeds

We're adding trusted seed sources for this variety.

All photos

Purple Zebra tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover
A truss of Purple Zebra tomatoes
Purple Zebra tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine
A ripe Purple Zebra tomato held in a gardener's hand
Freshly picked Purple Zebra tomatoes
Purple Zebra tomato sliced in the kitchen

Questions

How do you grow a Purple Zebra plant?

A Purple Zebra 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. It needs full sun.

How long does Purple Zebra take to mature?

Purple Zebra is ready in about 80 days from transplant.

Does Purple Zebra need staking?

Purple Zebra 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 Purple Zebra be grown in a container?

Purple Zebra is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.

Is Purple Zebra resistant to disease?

Purple Zebra carries documented resistance to Fusarium wilt (race 1), Late blight, Verticillium wilt, Tobacco mosaic virus, and Crack tolerant.