What Is Black Prince Tomato?
Black Prince tomato botanically referred to as Solanum lycopersicum is an early to mid-season heirloom variety with dark coloring and robust complex flavors. The shoulders of the fruits are mahogany green while the end ripens to a deep red. When cultivated outside the tomato fruits are available in the summer through early fall. However, when grown in greenhouses, the tomatoes have year-round availability. Black Prince tomato ripen earlier than most other tomato, typically within 75 days after being transplanted into the garden.
Black Prince tomatoes are a part of a larger grouping of arieties labeled generally as black or brown tomatoes. It is relatively heavier yielding and easier to grow compared to other heirlooms such as Purple Cherokee. Black Prince tomatoes are regarded as both a slicer and paste variety, which means they are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as roasting, simmering, and grilling.
Black Prince tomatoes are believed to have been developed in the middle of the 20th century in Irkutsk, Siberia, but their origins have been recently debated due to other hybrid varieties bearing the same name being mistaken for the heirloom. The black tomato variety is well adapted to both mild and cold climates, and depending on the region, it can be grown outside or in greenhouses. Like other tomatoes, Black prince begins to ripen once temperature averages 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the late 20th century, the seeds were introduced to the United States, where they have become a specialty home garden variety highly valued for their flavor. Other than Russia, today Black Prince tomatoes are available in other regions of Asia such as Kazakhstan, in Africa, in Europe, including Moldova, Belarus, Hungary and Ukraine, and in the United States through small farms and online seed catalogs.
Characteristics of Black Prince Tomato
Black Prince tomatoes may appear slightly flattened, averaging 4 to 7.5 centimeters in diameter, and have a round to oval shape attached to a fibrous, dark green stem. The skin is smooth, delicate, and glossy, with variegated hues of dark red, brown, and green. Underneath the thin skin, the flesh also ranges in color from red, green, to brown and is aqueous, soft, and dense, encasing pockets of small, flat and oval seeds suspended in a liquid.
Black Prince tomatoes are aromatic and have a semi-sweet and fruity flavor with low acidity. It also has a reputation as a very productive plant. Reports from various farmers show that some of these tomato plants yielded 25 to 40 pounds of tomatoes. Black Prince, an indeterminate variety, keeps growing, producing new flowers and fruiting until the first frost of autumn.
Black Prince Plant
Black prince tomato plant is an indeterminate variety, keeps growing, producing new flowers and fruiting until the first frost of autumn. It typically reaches 4-9 feet tall in height with many side shoots. The plant is a low maintenance crop and does not require extra attention as long as it is planted properly, particularly after any season of frost. It requires full sun with a minimum of six hours daily. When growing the black prince, space plants in your garden bed between 24 and 36 inches apart.
Black princes are an open-pollinated heirloom tomato variety and therefore they retain the same rich flavor and taste from their parent plants. You can save the seeds from a black prince plant at the end of the season in the hope of using them the next year, when starting a new garden.
Since the Black Prince typically reaches between 4-9 feet tall, you will need to provide supports for the growing plants such as cages, stakes or trellises. If you let the plants sprawl on the ground, you will still get fruits, but you will have to content with more pests and diseases.
Also Read: Hillbilly Tomatoe
How To Grow And Care For Black Prince Tomato
When to plant
Start Black Prince tomatoes indoors in seed-starting trays or recyclable pots, four or five weeks before the last frost date in your area. In warmer climates, start seeds as early as mid-January whereas in temperate regions wait to start seeds until mid or late march and early April. Wait two weeks after the last frost date to plant seeds or set transplants outdoors. Night temperatures should be above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Planting Site/Location
Black Prince tomatoes need full, all-day sunlight to produce healthy growth and to fruit well. Avoid areas shaded by buildings or taller plants. In cooler climates, place the bed near a south-facing wall or fence, if possible, to help reflect sunlight and heat onto the tomatoes. Choose a garden location with loose, well-drained soil and avoid low-lying areas or soil that tends to become muddy or waterlogged easily. Loose loam or sandy loam soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8 works well, because it drains well without drying too quickly, and it has good aeration so it doesn’t compact easily.
Site Preparation
Before your Black Prince plant, till the soil to a 12- to 18-inch depth, removing any roots or debris and breaking up dirt clods. Spread 4 to 6 inches of compost over the new bed and till it into the loosened soil. If your soil is especially poor or doesn’t drain well, consider a raised bed. Use boards or bricks to create an 8- to 12-inch raised border. Till the top 6 inches of the native soil, and then fill the raised bed with compost or a mixture of equal parts compost and loam or topsoil.
Planting
Black Prince seedlings can be transplanted into their new bed any time after frost danger has passed in spring, but they perform better when transplanted after the soil temperature reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant the seedlings 18 to 36 inches apart. Transplant each seedling so that only the top leaves appear above the soil. Paper or peat pots must be completely buried to avoid drawing moisture from the soil around the plants’ roots. Lightly tamp the soil around each plant, and water thoroughly.
Mulching
Mulching helps to retain moisture, protect the plant and keep weds at Bay. There are several options when it comes to tomato mulch. You can use straw, dried grass clippings or shredded leaves in this regard. Mulching Black Prince tomatoes should be done immediately after planting for best results. Add a 3-inch layer of mulch around the plants, pulling it back 3 to 4 inches from each stem.
Staking
Most Black Prince tomatoes develop into sprawling 6- to 12-foot-tall plants; add tomato stakes to keep the plants upright and the fruit off the ground. The best stakes for tomato plants with an indeterminate growth habit like Black Prince are at least 6 to 7 feet long and made of wood or metal. Wooden stakes are most effective when they measure at least 1.5 inch in width.
Water Needs
Proper watering is important for tomatoes’ growing success. In general tomatoes need 1 or 2 inch of water per week to allow for even, steady growth and up to 3 inches if it’s particularly windy or hot outside. Monitor your plants carefully; if the soil next to them is dry an inch below the surface, it’s probably time to water again. You should water your tomatoes during the day (ideally in the early morning) to give the plants plenty of time to dry out.
Fertilizer
Black Prince like many annuals, are heavy feeders and do better when provided with plenty of nutrients to grow through the season. Fertilizers either chemical or organic can help provide the extra nutrients to grow quickly. Feed the Black Prince tomato plants with fertilizer designed for tomato plants or a mild plant food such as fish fertilizer. Neither of these fertilizers contain a lot of nitrogen, which stimulates leaf growth but not fruit development.
Apply the fertilizer as the first fruit begins to develop and then again two weeks after picking the first tomato. Work the fertilizer into the soil about 8 inches away from the base of the plants then water thoroughly so the nutrients soak into the soil around the roots.
Growing Challenge
Black Prince tomatoes are fairly simple to grow, but they are subject to many problems including cultural problems such as improper watering and diseases such as blossom end rot, blossom drop, cracking fruit, spots on leaves, Verticillium wilt, early and late blight etc. Most diseases are fatal and once the plant is diseased you must destroy it. Other problems include insect pests, improper growing conditions, too much or too little nitrogen and lack of pollination.
Harvesting Black Prince Tomato
The best way to determine if your Black Prince tomatoes are ready to pick is by color and feel. The skin of a ripe Black Prince is deep purple-maroon at the top, fading to red-maroon at the bottom. Unripe tomatoes are deep green, although some ripe Black Prince tomatoes will have green striations, or stripes, on the skin. Once you notice the skin change to maroon, feel the fruit to test for ripeness.
As with other tomatoes, a ripe Black Prince tomato will feel heavy and firm, but not hard. If you give the tomato a light squeeze and feel a slight give, the tomato is ripe. Tomatoes that feel soft are overripe and should be used for sauces rather than slicing. A ripe tomato will also pull easily from the vine. If the tomato does not come off the vine with a light tug, leave it to ripen for a few more days.
Key Takeaways
- Black Prince Tomato is a heirloom tomato variety, self-pollinating and with ability to replicate itself in the garden.
- Black Prince typically reaches 4-9 feet tall in height with many side shoots.
- Black prince tomato plant is an indeterminate variety, keeps growing, producing new flowers and fruiting until the first frost of autumn.
- Black Prince tomatoes are aromatic and have a semi-sweet and fruity flavor with low acidity.
- Black Prince tomatoes are regarded as both a slicer and paste variety, which means they are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as roasting, simmering, and grilling.
- Black Prince tomato ripen earlier than most other tomato, typically within 75 days after being transplanted into the garden.
- Black Prince originated from the Siberian region of Russia in the late 20th century.