Cherokee Purple is currently our favorite slicing tomato which have an excellent savory and complex flavor. This is the second year I’ve grown them in my small balcony garden in Santa Clara, CA (9b), and germination rates are still 100%. Like my other tomatoes, I start them indoors in early February and keep them under grow lights until about late March or early April. Given my limited space, I’ve found they do well in 7 gallon fabric containers as long as I give them a water soluble fertilizer once a week, and granular fertilizer once a month, even with only about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight. My plants have reached nearly 9 feet and require trellising.
