Purple Zebra
Single source · Reviewed Sep 9, 2026
Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.
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.
- Hybrid F1
- 80 days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Medium fruit
- Moderate (estimated)
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Slicer 4–6 oz (110–170 g) · Round (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- 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
- Skin
-
- Purple
- Striped
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
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
“Green stripes over anthocyanin-dark red, and better flavoured than most striped types.”
Growing calendar
- Sow indoors
- Transplant out
- Harvest
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date.
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.
Sources
- Cream of the Crop – Purple Zebra F1, A.P. Whaley LLC (breeder's own product page: F1 hybrid, indeterminate, 80-85 days from transplant, 24" spacing, good tolerance to cracking/splitting; Multiple Pest Resistance ToMV:HR, Fusarium Wilt Race 1:HR, Verticillium Wilt Va/Vd:HR, Late Blight PH2&PH3:HR, plus intermediate resistance TYLCV:IR and TSWV:IR not added to the resistances field since this schema has no partial-resistance level) ↗
- Tomato Purple Zebra F1, All-America Selections (2022 national winner; breeder Frogsleap Farm, distributed by A.P. Whaley; F1; purple with green stripes; 80-85 days; HR: ToMV, V, F1, leaf mold, late blight; IR: TYLCV, TSWV) ↗
Where to buy seeds
We're adding trusted seed sources for this variety.
All photos
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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 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.
See also
Other slicer varieties people put next to this one.
Grows like this one
Indeterminate, mid-late, full sun. Same support, same calendar.
