I have been growing this variety for several years in a row. In greenhouse conditions, it shows itself as mid-season, medium height. I usually prune it to 2-3 stems, the fruits are always large, with dense tasty flesh. The variety deserves an excellent rating.
A wonderful productive variety.
Mine grew in OPEN GROUND!!! A wonderful variety. Very tasty, sweet, unusually beautiful! I will plant it forever!
Chocolate Stripes in open ground in our climate 😲😲 but it’s late-season.
Galka, you are amazing 🌺
Mine was beautiful, but had absolutely no taste. Maybe there wasn’t enough heat. I decided not to plant it anymore.
I grew Chocolate Stripes for the first time last year. An excellent variety. But not very productive. There are more productive varieties out there. But the taste is excellent. I don’t know about other regions, but here it has a hint of clove. Stores well even when ripe. If only it held a more regular shape, it would be a super tomato overall.
Quote from larisa_k:
Mine was beautiful, but had absolutely no taste… decided not to plant it anymore.
That’s a shame… 🤦♀️ It’s advisable to give it one more chance. I think it will correct itself 😳
Mine was like this – Open Ground.
Mine in open ground was not productive, but the taste was magnificent! I will plant it again from my own seeds, but not this year.
Can someone tell me, are Chocolate Stripes and Polosatiy Shokolad the exact same thing? I ordered from Marmuta, and now I’m wondering.
Quote from Lisa:
Are Chocolate Stripes and Polosatiy Shokolad the exact same thing?
Obviously, see the thread title.
Quote from Drosera:
Obviously, see the thread title.
It’s just that I’m seeing very different descriptions for them.
Quote from barbariska:
Mine was like this – Open Ground.
The harvest is all at the bottom. Also sometimes a lot in the middle 🙌, but much less. And on the upper trusses there is absolutely nothing. This year I will try to plant it earlier, around February 10th. We’ll see how much it yields.
Mine is from Gusev.
Average yield, cracked at the end of summer, but set fruit all the way to the top.
Here, I found another one:
I didn’t find any photos of ripe ones in my archives, only green ones on the bed… Productive, the skin is thicker than on raspberry heart varieties, good taste… weight is no less than 250g (8.8 oz)…
Does it have regular or potato leaves? Mine sprouted with a potato leaf.
My leaf is regular, not potato.
Chocolate Stripes has a regular leaf. You can see it in plenty of photos 🙌 in this thread.
Quote from ElenaPr:
Does it have regular or potato leaves? Mine sprouted with a potato leaf.
I don’t understand anything… my Chocolate Stripes (from Stankov) is growing with a potato leaf… an off-type/mix-up????
Although previously I grew it from Lidochka (outdoors by the way) with a regular leaf… I don’t get it, I’ve never had a mix-up from Stankov before… I couldn’t have mixed it up myself, when I sow, I only open one packet, plant it, and close it immediately… i.e. I only ever have one type of seeds in my hands when planting…
Tanya, mine just sprouted, still on cotyledons, I’ll see what the true leaves look like. I don’t remember whose seeds I have.
Quote from Meri:
I’ll see what the true leaves look like.
I don’t even know… maybe I should sow Lidochka’s again and plant them both!!!!
Quote from Tatiyanka1:
maybe I should sow Lidochka’s again and plant them both!!!!
Chocolate Stripes with a potato leaf 😲
Quote from Lidiya:
Chocolate Stripes with a potato leaf 😲
I looked through the whole thread… and opened the photos, seems like it’s regular leaf everywhere, but Lena also writes that hers sprouted with a potato leaf… I need to ask her what ended up growing from it…
But mine is growing with a potato leaf… now I’m 100% going to grow it out just to see what the fruit will be…
Quote from Tatiyanka1:
…I don’t get it, I’ve never had a mix-up from Stankov before… I couldn’t have mixed it up myself…
Tanya, mine is also growing with a potato leaf and I couldn’t have mixed it up either, because I label the cups first and then plant into them. I’ll see what grows.
Quote from ElenaPr:
Tanya, mine is also growing with a potato leaf…
LENA, I DIDN’T LOOK AT THE DATE IMMEDIATELY, I THOUGHT YOU GREW IT LAST YEAR… WHOSE SEEDS DO YOU HAVE? 📝
Hmm… interesting situation… 😳
Well, we’ll grow it and see what happens. Tomorrow I’ll sow seeds from Lidochka and Popenko too… let all three grow… 😄
I planted Chocolate Stripes a month ago, reviews say it’s late, but it already has buds forming. Isn’t that too early for a late variety? I don’t know what to do, I can only plant it in the ground in 2 months? (It’s not tall at all, currently only 25cm (10 in) high).
Quote from irunchik:
…planted a month ago… already has buds forming…
Sounds like it might not be Chocolate Stripes.
Quote from irunchik:
planted a month ago… already has buds…
– my Chocolate Stripes was planted almost 2 months ago. After a month (in the photo) it was much shorter – about 10 cm (4 in). Now, only after 2 months is it over 25 cm (10 in), but no buds in sight.
It’s unlikely that Chocolate Stripes will have buds after just one month; they usually appear after about the 8th leaf.
That’s how it should be. Indeterminates (and Chocolate is an indet) set their first flower truss after the 9th – 11th leaf.
Quote from Pani Tomat:
Indeterminates (and Chocolate is an indet) set their first flower truss after the 9th – 11th leaf.
Irin, is Chocolate a late tomato or mid-season? Mine seems to be stuck at one stage, stalling in growth compared to the others. I’m wondering if it’s late-season?
Quote from elena1984:
Irin, is Chocolate a late tomato or mid-season?
For me it was more mid-season. In the greenhouse, it started ripening at the end of June; in open ground, mid-July.
It wasn’t late for me. Closer to mid-season in my conditions. But the seeds were started in February, planted in the greenhouse on April 28.
Quote from Pani Tomat:
For me it was more mid-season. In the greenhouse, it started ripening at the end of June; in open ground, mid-July.
I have 2 seedlings growing and both are developing identically… slowly, it seems to me. Although in this weather right now (gale-force winds, freezing cold) it’s better they stay like this and grow later, in case I can’t plant them in the greenhouse until May 10th.
Quote from elena1984:
I have 2 seedlings growing and both are developing identically… slowly, it seems to me…
If possible, add some grow lights. With extra light, they look much more cheerful 😄
Quote from Pani Tomat:
If possible, add some grow lights. With extra light, they look much more cheerful 😄
I don’t have grow lights, they are just sitting on the windowsill for now, waiting for the sun.
My Chocolate Stripes is growing in the greenhouse, but I planted one lower sucker outside in open ground. The tomato fruit on the sucker outside is still small and striped, like in your photos. But in the greenhouse, on the mother plant, all the tomatoes have absolutely no hint of stripes. Could it have cross-pollinated in the greenhouse? Is that possible?
Quote from Tatyana K:
Could it have cross-pollinated in the greenhouse? Is that possible?
Theoretically possible. But you would only see that in the next generations, when growing from seeds taken from that fruit.
Most likely, the different conditions in the greenhouse vs open ground are playing a role, primarily humidity and lighting. In the description of the manifestation of the gs gene (green stripe, uneven green stripes in the epidermis of unripe fruit), there is a phrase: “Striping may be observed on stem under conditions of high humidity and low light.”
Season 2015:
Grew Chocolate Stripes in open ground, turned out quite productive, mid-late. The first ripe ones were on the bushes from mid-August. But mine either segregated or it was a mix of two varieties: I planted eight bushes, and exactly half of them turned out to be larger, 300g (10.5 oz) flattened-round orange tomatoes without any stripes, early, quite tasty, and more productive. You could see it in the seedling stage already—the true Chocolate Stripes was flimsy, while the other was more robust. I read somewhere on the forum that un-striped Chocolate Stripes are growing for some people this summer.
Zolushka shared the seeds with me, and I’m very happy with the second unexpected variety too; I’ll probably even save seeds from it. But I just wanted to figure out, did anyone else’s Chocolate Stripes segregate like this?
My variety got sick, so I had to pick them green. Stored tomatoes taste slightly worse than those ripened on the vine, and I picked them somewhat small, but the taste was exactly what I wanted. For some reason, the seeds inside are always green—guess I didn’t wait for full ripeness.
My bushes weren’t very productive this year, but the stripes are visible, the taste is good, and they are beauties. I will definitely try growing it again.
I was also satisfied with this variety, growing it for the first time; beautiful and sweet fruits. Yield is average.
One of the tastiest tomatoes this season 👍 Sweet, juicy, meaty, yum 😋 And super productive 🙌
I also really liked this variety – productive, beautiful, and tasty 👍
Thanks to Zhenechka-Dzhina for the seeds! 🌺
- Bush description: Medium variety, not very sprawling, regular, short.
- Fruit set: Without missing any blossoms.
- Height: In open ground on Aug 10 – 0.6m (2 ft), finished fruiting.
- Trusses: 1-2 fruits each.
- Overall yield: Low.
- Fruit: Flattened, burgundy-brown with green stripes, very beautiful.
- Density: Medium when ripe.
- Taste: Very juicy (even a bit watery), balanced, sweetness is a solid 4+.
First impression: A beautiful tomato for eating and processing.
Cons: Small green shoulders, low yield.
Ratings: Seedling – 4-, Bush – 3, Fruit – 4+, Overall Variety Rating – 4+.
Didn’t bury me in harvest, but very tasty and beautiful. I will definitely repeat it.
Is it really not in our catalog??
Redko sent me the variety. Compiled description (partly from Redko’s site, partly from the internet): Indeterminate, mid-season, 2-3 stems, flattened round, large 250-350g (8.8-12 oz), burgundy-brown with green stripes, sweet, stores well.
Grew in the greenhouse. A stunner! Very tasty, but not highly productive. By the end of the season it seemed to kick into gear (the last photo is from late September), but didn’t have time to ripen. I picked them green and they are still sitting there half-ripe, some dried up at the top. But they aren’t rotting, dense inside.
Botrytis (gray mold) was raging in the greenhouse, and it seems this one can’t handle it—the fruits rot at the stem and drop to the ground.
Tall, strong bush. Mid-season.
Grew Chocolate Stripes for the first time this year. Had 2 bushes in the greenhouse, pruned to 2 stems. I accidentally snapped the top off one of them during planting – thought nothing would come of it. Nope – it managed to produce and ripen on the vine in August. Resilient, sturdy, very beautiful, and quite productive. The taste was a 4 for me. Good, but not outstanding.
Quote from Tatyana Kemerovo:
Good, but not outstanding.
Exactly. A beauty, but we didn’t notice anything special about the taste. Because of its beauty, I have a desire to plant it next season…
