Black from Tula (Cherniy iz Tuly) Heirloom Tomato Review

A folk selection variety originally from Tula. It was brought to the USA from Ukraine and has now returned to the vast expanses of the former Soviet Union, recognized for its amazing taste and yield.

I couldn’t find this variety in the catalog; if it’s here, please move it to the “Results starting with Ch” section.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Drosera

Alisa, what exactly is the taste like? Is the yield average or high? What about the height?

Rok5 (Valeriy):
Alisa, what exactly is the taste like? Is the yield average or high? What about the height?

To my shame, all dark-fruited tomatoes taste similar to me; out of all the dark varieties, I personally chose Negro’s Head (don’t ask why). But unequivocally, the taste of Black from Tula is excellent, complex, you could say it has a slight BBQ flavor—salty, but with a touch of sweetness. Overall, it’s hard to describe, you just have to try it.

The yield is good, definitely above average, even in my climate. For me, it was mid-season, but for many, it is early to mid-early (69-80 days from transplanting to permanent beds).

The bush is tall (indeterminate) with regular leaves. Fruits weigh from 200g to 450g (7 to 16 oz)… If you’ve never tried it and you love dark-fruited tomatoes, it’s a very worthy candidate to test grow.

Here is this handsome guy in the brown ripe stage:

Looks solid, you can tell right away it’s a Tula native.

Are there any “pitfalls” with this variety? I am planning it for 2015, and I noticed that many growers have issues with cracking (my seeds are from England), and the photos I saw there showed cracked fruits.

Alyona:
Are there any “pitfalls” with this variety?

Generally, no. But with the onset of cold weather and the rainy season, due to temperature drops and high humidity, they start cracking even in the greenhouse. Otherwise, they grow well for us both outdoors (open ground) and in the greenhouse. For me, mostly the almost-ripe fruits cracked… At the end of the season, I tried to pick them a little earlier, before they started to split.

For me, Black from Tula proved to be completely unpretentious—highly productive, didn’t drop any blossoms in the greenhouse (though we don’t get extreme heat anyway), and didn’t crack.

Ira:
For me, Black from Tula proved to be completely unpretentious—highly productive, didn’t drop any blossoms in the greenhouse…

What height did it reach for you? And also, if I may ask, what was the ripening time and where did you get the seeds? Thanks.

Alyona, my seeds were from eBay. The variety is tall (indeterminate). I can’t say the exact height; the bush grew near the wall, and I had to pinch the top (top it off) at a height of 160-170 cm (5.2 – 5.5 ft). Mid-season maturity.

Ira:
For me, Black from Tula proved to be completely unpretentious—highly productive, didn’t drop any blossoms in the greenhouse…

You are right, it didn’t drop flowers even in the heat (in a well-ventilated greenhouse), and indeed, it is very low-maintenance. I didn’t even fertilize it, unlike other varieties. It’s one of those “plant and forget” bushes… Without pinching (topping), it can grow to infinity 😆 My seeds were also from eBay.

Ira:
Alyona, my seeds were from eBay. The variety is tall (indeterminate). I can’t say the exact height; the bush grew near the wall, and I had to pinch the top…

Thank you, that helps me decide. My seeds were purchased in England from Premier Seeds Direct—a completely verified supplier for me. Over three seasons of buying from them, I haven’t had a single off-type (mix-up), and the seeds are very good (out of 40+ varieties, zero errors). I hope everything works out with this variety too. Have you tried growing it from your own saved seeds yet?

I came across mixed reviews, which is why I’m clarifying. You gave me hope. I picked it specifically as a low-maintenance variety.

Black from Tula in the seedling stage looks like a short determinate… It’s stocky, and at a height of 20 cm (8 inches), there’s a sucker (side shoot) starting in every single leaf axil… I was cleaning them out today. What will happen next? If it’s producing solid suckers at this age (only Black Cherry behaves like this for me). Is this a normal trait, or should I start suspecting a lack of pedigree (a mutt)?

Here is the Black from Tula that grew for me last summer. It was my most productive variety, so I want to share my impressions. The seeds were bought from Sandhill Preservation Center, which is a fairly well-known farm in the USA selling a huge variety of heirloom tomatoes. Well, they sometimes have seed mix-ups too… anyway, my Black from Tula doesn’t look like the one Alisa or Tatiana Kouchnareva has. Maybe it’s Cherokee Purple? Well, I sell it for what I bought it for 😂

The variety is indeterminate, but not overly vigorous compared to others. Mid-early, ripened at the same time as Malakhitovaya Shkatulka (Malachite Box). Fruits are medium-sized, round, smooth, without ribbing. The color is very interesting, a muted purple without red; the photo conveys it accurately. The taste is good, not sour, not watery, but not super meaty either, as there is a lot of gel and seeds. It cracked less than other varieties.

The leaves were resistant (compared to other tomatoes) to Alternaria (Early Blight) and Cladosporium (Leaf Mold), which is a huge plus. Black from Tula grew outdoors in open ground, “American style”—meaning I didn’t prune the suckers at all, there were multiple stems and lots of tomatoes.

I bought Black from Tula seeds via eBay from a seller in Slovenia. I grew it in a greenhouse. The height of the bushes was about 1.7 meters (5.5 ft). Regular leaf. The variety turned out to be very productive. Fruits have excellent taste, very sweet.

I really liked this variety. Tasty, productive. The fruits are a good size, around 250g (8.8 oz). The taste has a nice sweetness, and the fruits are meaty. The only downside, like with many slicing tomatoes, is that it doesn’t store well (short shelf life).

I want to share my pleasant impressions of a variety that was new to me, “Black from Tula”.

An undeniable plus of this variety is its great fruit set, even in such an anomalous summer. Worthy taste and yield, and what is also important for many—its resistance to Cladosporium (Leaf Mold). It really surprised me. 👏