You are simply losing yield by doing that, that’s all. (Link to catalog entry)
Lidochka, we are so grateful to you for spreading this variety! But please compare the climate conditions at the end of summer in recent years in your area versus other regions (Northern Leningrad region, Urals…) before insisting.
You can increase the yield by feeding heavily, but we want to harvest sweet RIPE tomatoes, not a massive amount of GREEN ones. Of course, we feed with ash and potassium-magnesium, but fertilizers cannot completely replace the sun.
Lidiya:
You are simply losing yield by doing that, that’s all.
Lida, I think you shouldn’t be so categorical when giving advice to gardeners in more northern regions. Have you considered that Moscow is located at the 55th parallel north, while St. Petersburg is at the 59th parallel north (for comparison, Magadan in the far east is also at the 59th parallel), and the Karelian Isthmus is even further north? I doubt Tatiana needs a ton of purely green Black Icicles.
Zulfiya:
Lidochka… compare the climate conditions… before insisting.
Zulenka, God forbid I was insisting on anything 😊
Ira:
I doubt Tatiana needs a ton of purely green Black Icicles.
Irisha, I read that Tanya is planting 2 bushes in a GREENHOUSE, not outdoors, which is what I was basing my advice on. I am in the Moscow region, and my link was to my icicle growing OUTDOORS, look carefully at the bush. I was merely sharing my own experience. In a greenhouse, you won’t end up with a ton of green black icicles if you top the plant (remove the growing tip) in time. Once again, I am not insisting, nor am I as categorical as it seemed to you.
I grew it under row covers, planted it in a trench “sitting down” (horizontally), gradually adding soil as it grew. The main stem set 6 clusters, and I even had to put a little wooden plank under the long bottom cluster. On the second stem, there was a large distance to the first cluster, and it only managed to set 3 clusters before the season ended. Overall, I am happy with the yield.
I moved the last few messages to the “How to accelerate tomato ripening” thread (since they were no longer about Black Icicle at all).
Girls, thank you all! 🌸
Lida, when I look at your photos of the icicle from January 22, 2014, I drool — it’s photographed so deliciously! 😋
Zulya, I’m not exactly in Karelia — I’m in the north of the Leningrad region. The nature is beautiful here, but the warmth arrives very late. 😞
Ira, my friend’s parents live in the Volosovo district. The exact same varieties ripen 2-2.5 weeks earlier for them! 😲
I understand that dark/black varieties need more heat. But I will definitely try.
I planted this variety both in the greenhouse and in the open ground. In our climate, the outdoor bush lags far behind; it has only set its third cluster, and the first one still has a long way to grow.
In the greenhouse, the fifth and sixth clusters have already set:
I wonder how they will taste 🤷♀️ They haven’t started ripening yet.
This year, Black Icicle is my absolute favorite for taste. Not a single fruit will survive to be canned — my child eats only this variety. He’s a picky eater and loves juicy sweet-and-sour tomatoes.
I only planted 2 bushes in the open ground. They caught Blossom End Rot, but we quickly dealt with the problem. Productive, I’m pruning them to 3 stems. Sets fruit very well.
And once again, it is very, very tasty. A favorite!
My wife said — very tasty. I barely managed to snatch one away from her to save seeds. But for me, both in the greenhouse and outdoors, it wasn’t very productive.
PS:
We are eating the Icicle now, it’s pretty good, nicely sweet 🤷♀️ Very productive, it set the last 10th-12th clusters almost without skipping any blossoms.
Photo from right under the roof:
General view: (together with some oxhearts)
I will definitely grow it next year, but only in the greenhouse.
PPS: No Blossom End Rot, I actually had zero BER this year overall. I pruned all plants to 3-3.5 stems.
I’m posting a photo of a freshly sliced tomato; my granddaughter made so many slices while my relatives and I were picking bird cherries. The tomato was a single fruit from a megabloom (fused blossom), a massive thing, July 17th. This variety took 6th-7th place for earliness for us (we tasted Mary Robinson on the exact same day). A nice tang, sweetness, it has everything.
And even now, thicker icicles are still appearing in the clusters, though none quite like that first giant icicle, August 18th.
How lovely! 👏
Rodebielesumer:
I’m posting a photo of a freshly sliced tomato…
Looks so appetizing!
Mine is still hanging in the greenhouse. I haven’t harvested any from it yet — it still hasn’t gained its proper color because of our damp, dismal summer 😞
Last year I had seeds from Kulik — it grew plum-shaped. I thought it was an off-type, but nope! This season I grew it from TUSYA (Natalia, Smolensk) — the exact same shape, but larger. A huge thank you to her for the seeds!
An excellent variety, both bushes were sitting in a somewhat shady spot, and started filling out around August 10th, all together. Pruned to 2 stems. As of today, there are still a couple of green clusters left. Dense flesh, doesn’t crack.
The only pity is that it looks more like a large plum with a pulled-out nose; I thought it would be longer and pointier. I think my icicle’s lineage also goes back to Lidushka 😉 Thank you!
Aglaya:
They caught Blossom End Rot, but we quickly dealt with the problem.
Good afternoon! Could you please tell me how you deal with Blossom End Rot?
Larisa494:
Good afternoon! Could you please tell me how you deal with Blossom End Rot?
Even though the question wasn’t for me, I’ll try to answer briefly.
The essence of rotting at the blossom end of fruits is:
1. Insufficient amount of Ca (Calcium) in the plant’s nutrition.
2. Inability to deliver Calcium to the very end of the fruits (usually due to watering issues).
There are several solutions, but you have to assess your specific situation. You can simply increase watering consistency, or use mineral fertilizers as foliar sprays. Fertilizers are applied in advance during planting, or you spray starting from the end of May, 2-3 times with a 1-2 week interval, for example, with a solution of calcium nitrate.
Since we are in this thread, I’ll add more about Black Icicle. Yesterday I took down the last clusters, they managed to turn brown! In the greenhouse, it’s +20C (68F) during the day, outside it’s been +7 to +10C (45-50F) for a week, sometimes freezing at night. 👍 That’s a very healthy, resilient tomato!
I only had one bush of Black Icicle, and I pruned it to a single stem, which I deeply regret. I really didn’t expect this. Delicious treat 😋, out of three dark varieties — it’s the absolute favorite! My kids ordered no fewer than 10 bushes of it for next year, but I’ll probably plant about 4 — I just don’t have the space for more.
Fellow Petersburgers: will it pull off 3 stems here? I have a polycarbonate greenhouse. 👍👍👍
Elena 62:
Petersburgers: will it pull off 3 stems here? I have a polycarbonate greenhouse. 👍👍👍
I planted Black Icicle OUTDOORS in the Moscow region. I planted 2 roots in one hole + each root was pruned to 2 stems. So that’s 4 stems coming out of a single planting hole. And even then, I regretted not leaving more suckers on it. It pulls the load perfectly.
Also, I had another root sitting completely alone, pruned to 3 stems, and it felt excellent. And yes, I join your enthusiastic review — a tremendously delicious tomato.
I grew it in the open ground outdoors..
I really liked Black Icicle. Grew in the greenhouse. It reached up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. The yield was excellent. It set fruit without skipping clusters almost right up until the frosts.
The fruits are very tasty, sweet, and meaty. They store reasonably well and are great for canning.
At the end of summer, my Black Icicle bushes started throwing out huge double clusters with a multitude of flowers, almost all of which set fruit. The tomatoes on them were up to 90g (3.2 oz), averaging about 70g (2.5 oz). All three bushes behaved identically.
At the beginning of the season, the clusters were simple, and the tomatoes were quite large — up to 150g (5.3 oz). The tomatoes from the final clusters were very convenient for winter prep: canning in their own juice, marinating, etc.
Photo, early September: this double cluster is already half-picked 🎩
It grew to 2+ meters, and I pulled it out of the greenhouse in mid-September, still picking green ones to ripen indoors. The variety proved to be quite resistant to temperature swings, high heat, and diseases.
There were no off-types leaning towards round or plum shapes. Seeds were from Batatoviye Kushchi, highly recommend.
Loshadka:
I pulled it out of the greenhouse in mid-September, still picking green ones to ripen indoors…
You are the only one who mentioned ripening this variety off the vine indoors. How did it turn out? How long did they last in storage, and how was the taste?
Olvia:
How did it turn out? How long did they last in storage, and how was the taste?
Olya, my last ones ripened indoors, and they didn’t lose their flavor one bit, just as tasty. But they didn’t last long, because we were eagerly waiting for them to ripen to eat them! 👍
Elena 62:
My last ones ripened indoors, and they didn’t lose their flavor one bit, just as tasty.
Lenochka, thank you, that means I will keep it in mind. We really enjoyed finishing off our tomatoes at home in late autumn, so I want to plant more varieties like this that can store well without losing much flavor.
Caught a tiny bit of Blossom End Rot, I sprayed with calcium nitrate. It’s growing outdoors in the open ground, already over 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall, setting fruit without skips. Pruning it to two stems.
Just like Sveta, I ended up with “Black Non-Icicles” (with a distinct little nose). The seeds were sent to me in 2013, and I planted them in 2017. They look more like the De Barao variety.
Lyudmila, that is definitely not an icicle; it is completely different in shape.
But the true variety is mind-blowing! Very tasty!
My variety didn’t exactly grow into an icicle either. At first, I thought I mixed up my plant labels, but after reading this thread, I see it grows in different variations. Grown in the greenhouse, tall bush. I started it with 2 stems, but then it decided it wanted to grow in 3. This year isn’t indicative for me yield-wise, but I loved the little tomatoes, they are very tasty!
I decided I would plant the icicle this year, and then probably never again. I figured I would just keep Purple Russian since it yields better for me… And what do you think? This year, during a completely AUTUMNAL (cold) summer, growing outdoors in the open ground, it pushed out full, perfect clusters like they were made in a factory. I guess I’ll be growing both from now on. 🤷♀️
This is it, this is my tomato! 🌸 People sent me seeds labeled “Black Emperor”. But it turns out it was actually Black Icicle.
Black Emperor is supposed to be a semi-determinate, 1.3 m (4.2 ft) tall. But my tomato was one of the first to hit the greenhouse ceiling, and I had to top it first.
The fruits look identical (to the photos here). Very tasty little tomato 😋 absolutely exquisite. The only downside — the first cluster is very high off the ground. But that’s tolerable, given how massive the clusters are 🤩
Irina_N:
People sent me seeds labeled “Black Emperor”. But it turns out it was actually Black Icicle…
I grew both Black Icicle and Black Emperor this year. Black Emperor started ripening much earlier, while the icicle was later. But Black Emperor is way too soft and much more watery than the icicle. I gave up on it.
Black Icicle is my absolute discovery of the year. In terms of yield, taste, and growth. It handled the intense Southern heat perfectly and didn’t suffer sunscald. It didn’t split from the heavy rains in the open ground either. I didn’t notice any nutritional imbalances. It is September now, and it’s still fruiting, staying just as juicy and tasty as it was in the summer.
For some reason, my Black Icicle ended up growing in just a single stem. It produced very few suckers, and I missed the chance to leave one for a second stem. As a result, the total yield was 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). It had very sparse foliage, and because it was only one stem, it grew incredibly tall. The bottom fruits were larger, the later ones smaller.
The taste in summer didn’t amaze me; I realized I don’t really love dark tomatoes compared to other tasty varieties. BUT! It was a late bloomer for me, and the ones I picked green at the end of September went into indoor storage to ripen. And I just tasted them now. Yummy! They are so sweet, just super sweet—some people might not even like it because it’s like eating sugar, but because of this taste, I will absolutely plant them again. The bottoms of some fruits shriveled a bit in storage, but that’s normal for all icicle types.
During this prolonged, cold spring, Black Icicle was the absolute best out of all my seedlings. 2 are already blooming, waiting for tomatoes.
Good afternoon! Here is my Black Icicle. Growing it for the first time, the bush ended up having 4 stems, but it seems it doesn’t mind at all. It sets fruit very well, very few skipped blossoms, already has 10 clusters. Visually it’s a beautiful, fairly sturdy plant. It’s a pity I only planted 1 seed, but after tasting it, I’ll make my conclusions for next season.
This is my third year planting it. The yield from my own saved seeds increases every year. It easily pulls a load on 4 stems. Tasty, stores well. I don’t need any other icicle varieties besides this one. It makes the most delicious salad. I am going to plant 10 bushes of it next year (out of my total garden limit of 40 bushes).
It really is a very, very good variety! Tasty, guaranteed to fruit heavily, abundant, and disease-resistant.
Here it is in the company of Black Pepper (Pertsevidnyi Chernyi) and Black Sack (Chernyi Mesochek).
Olya-Aglaya, please tell me, does it crack for you? I grew 1 bush this year, and EVERY single tomato cracked. Even when they just start to blush, there’s already a crack ((( I didn’t get to taste a single intact one, they ripen and immediately rot ((
Tatiana Senchukova:
Olya-Aglaya, please tell me, does it crack for you?
Tanya, not once has a single tomato cracked on my Black Icicle. Do you want me to send you my seeds? Message me privately if you need them.
A very good variety, perfectly reliable for the Middle Zone (Central Russia). Abundant, sets fruit in the heat without skipping a beat all the way to the top of the greenhouse. The fruits are a beautiful brownish-orange or terracotta color, quite dense, and tasty. They do not crack at all.
I read so many rave reviews about it. I waited impatiently for it to ripen. But for me, it turned out with the most ordinary taste and average yield. It is very good for sun-drying/dehydrating, though.
Last year I grew the “Non-Icicle” version. The one that is more rounded, looking more like a short plum. The yield was so-so, even though the seeds were from the Urals, meaning they were practically acclimatized for me.
This year I grew the true, icicle-shaped Black Icicle. Seeds from Belarus from Elena (Stolin). Grew it in a polycarbonate greenhouse. I absolutely loved this one. Under my conditions, it turned out quite productive, mid-late season. I pruned it to two stems, but I think it should be grown with no fewer than four.
Black Icicle in jars:
I repeated my dearly loved variety Black Icicle 😍 Among the dark-fruited pepper/icicle shapes and plums, it stands in first place for the combination of taste, beauty, and yield (just like Black Heart from Borisovna does among the dark oxhearts).
EVERYTHING about it is good! The variety is extremely popular. It’s no wonder the catalog already has 5 pages of reviews 😅
It’s sweet, weighs up to 100g (3.5 oz), and produced a whole massive basin of tomatoes from a single bush pruned to 3 stems in the greenhouse, despite terrible weather conditions. It set every single cluster right up to the ceiling without dropping any flowers.
I planted it for the first time (seeds from Ninulia).
Sowed on March 20th, transplanted outdoors on May 21st.
The variety performed very respectably — 7.4 kg (16.3 lbs) total yield.
Average weight 69g (2.4 oz), max 138g (4.8 oz).
Almost all of mine went into marinades and pickling; eaten fresh, it’s still not the absolute best of the best.
//Forgot to add, they started ripening on August 3rd, but considering it was outdoors and I didn’t plant it out early, that’s perfectly acceptable.
BLACK ICICLE. A wonderful variety: didn’t get sick, didn’t drop blossoms, excellent taste. Thanks Svetikk.
