Photo by Marshall Astor (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Scientific Name: Solanum lycopersicum

Common Name: Heirloom Tomato 'Black Krim'

Family: SOLANACEAE (Tomato & Nightshade)

Etymology

Solanum: Solace
lycopersicum: Wolf Peach

Origin

Tomatoes originate from South America.  The Black Krim tomatoes name originates from this variety's place of origin, the Krim Isle in the black sea near the Crimean Peninsula of the Ukraine.  The variety was spread to the rest of Europe when soldiers returning from the Crimean War of the late 19th century brought with them the seeds of this dark tomato which had captured their interest. 

Description

Black Krim tomato plants can reach a height of 1.8m metres but most plants will grow to around 1.2m tall.  The red and purple skinned, beefsteak style fruit have a maroon coloured flesh inside and can grow up to 9cm in diameter.  A popular, prolifically fruiting, indeterminate variety.

Uses

The fruits of this variety have a rich tomato taste and are excellent for grilling topped with cheese, slicing and adding to sandwiches, adding to stews and casseroles or making pastes and sauces.

Germination

Sow seeds 6mm deep in holes spaced about 0.6m apart.  Sow from late Autumn to mid Winter in the tropics to avoid having the fruit form during the hottest Summer months when they'll be susceptible to becoming mushy from overheating and fruit fly.  In sub-tropical regions sow from early Autumn to early Spring, avoid sowing during any periods of frost.  In temperate regions sow during Spring as soon as any chance of frost has past.  

Cultivation

Black Krim tomato plants need to be watered consistently, irregular watering can cause the fruit to be prone to cracking and splitting.  Black Krim tomato plants can grow quite large and thus require strong trellises to keep the plants in check and keep the fruit up off the ground.  Takes 11 to 13 weeks from sowing the seed until harvest.