Quick Summary of Chernosliv (Prune / Black Plum)
- 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian variety. The name translates to “Prune” (dried plum). Widely distributed by companies like Biotekhnika and kept pure by heirloom collectors. Note: Growers suspect it might be genetically identical to “Black Roma”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but very space-saving. The foliage is not overly dense or bushy, and the plant boasts excellent general disease resistance.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful chocolate-mahogany colored plum/paste tomatoes weighing 80-120 g (2.8 – 4.2 oz). The fruits are very dense, firm, and are never hollow inside.
- 👅 Flavor & Uses: Sweet and flavorful for fresh eating, but its true calling is in the kitchen. It is an absolute superstar for whole-fruit canning, pickling, and making rich, dark tomato sauces/juices. It also has a great shelf life, keeping for 10-14 days after ripening.
- 💡 Growing Tip: Like many elongated paste tomatoes, it can be susceptible to Blossom End Rot (BER) during calcium swings. Foliar feeding with calcium nitrate usually solves the issue quickly.
Variety CHERNOSLIV.
A tall indeterminate. For me, it turned out to have a mid-early ripening time. The fruits are chocolate-colored plums weighing 80-120 g (2.8 – 4.2 oz). I liked the taste, they are quite firm and dense, not hollow inside. The yield is very high. I trained it to 1 stem, and it produced 9 trusses—averaging 6-8 fruits per truss. All of them ripened perfectly on the vine, about 55 fruits in total.
The bush is absolutely not disease-prone and takes up very little space.
Seeds were from Svetlana from the Caucasus.
Edited November 12, 2018 by Drosera
I also had seeds from Svetlana. I really loved it—productive and delicious!!!! I will definitely be repeating it!
My seeds were from Biotekhnika (commercial brand). Tall and productive.
Tall, foliage is not overly dense, fruits are sweet, and they store very well for 10-14 days when fully ripe. Tasty both fresh and pickled/canned. It kept fruiting right up until the very end of the season.
I really liked this variety, it is absolutely perfect for whole-fruit canning. For me, it was susceptible to Blossom End Rot (BER), but I noticed it in time. Regular foliar feeding (3 times a season) with calcium nitrate completely solved the problem.
I have grown Chernosliv three times already (originally from Biotekhnika seeds)—I just love it so much marinated and canned in tomato juice! And in 2022, I planted Chernosliv right next to a variety that was new to me, called Roma Chernaya (Black Roma). All summer long, I compared them and looked for differences. And what do you think? I couldn’t find a single one. The shape of the bush, the leaves, the height, the fruits, the taste, and the crazy yield! They seem to be identical twins 🙂
