Growers’ Notes and Photos
This variety turned out to be the most beautiful one I grew this year. When unripe, the fruits are black and look so unusual, you just can’t take your eyes off them. As they ripen, they become bright and colorful, like they were painted by an artist. The fruits weigh about 1.7-2.8 oz (50-80 g), are fairly meaty, and have a good flavor profile; a nice mix of sweetness and acidity.
Grew it outdoors in the dirt. The plant is pretty compact, hitting about 2.3 ft (70 cm) tall. As of early September, it still hasn’t topped itself yet, so it’s probably a semi-determinate. Yield is excellent, it’s very low-maintenance, and it didn’t drop a single blossom through extreme heat or cold waves.
Oh, and one of the tomatoes came from a megabloom! 🙂
Lena, I completely agree, the tomatoes are mind-blowingly gorgeous!
I grew 3 vines in the greenhouse and 1 outdoors. The greenhouse ones got to about 4 ft (1.2 m). They haven’t terminated yet, the top of the plant still has a slight desire to keep living, but it’s already down to 41°F (+5°C) at night outside. Still got some tomatoes hanging on the top trusses, but I’ll have to pull them green soon before the snow flies… 😀
Didn’t catch late blight, no leaf spots – overall, it has the same bulletproof health as most anthocyanin varieties. None of mine turned completely purple, they all had striped orange-raspberry-red bottoms and looked like Fabergé eggs! Though they were planted in a slightly shaded part of the greenhouse.
They ripened on the vine and had a nice little sweetness to them. Definitely a variety for folks who love growing beautiful tomatoes 👍
Alena, that is a stunning photo! 🤫😘👍
Definitely a variety for folks who love growing beautiful tomatoes 👍
Alena, yes, completely agree! Good for the soul and just beautiful to look at! 👍
It was a very sturdy seedling, and when it flowered, it immediately stood out from the other varieties. Dark foliage, bright yellow flowers. Mine is actually still growing outdoors right now and hasn’t succumbed to blight either. I tried pickling a few jars just to see how they turn out, even though I’m generally not a fan of using blue tomatoes for canning.
Here it is in the seedling stage:
One of the most beautiful varieties of the 2017 season. Seeds from Lena N 🌺
Sturdy, beautiful seedlings, and it was the very first to ripen in the greenhouse. The vine stayed around 2.5-3.3 ft (80-100 cm). The fruits changed colors multiple times throughout the season, just an incredible sight – I kept walking over to this plant just to admire it.
Fruits were 1.7 to 3.5 oz (50-100 g). I didn’t prune suckers at all. The taste is good – not mind-blowing, but very decent. Yield is fantastic, with a long, drawn-out harvest window.
Medium height, disease-resistant, very colorful variety. Grew it outdoors, fruit weight 2-2.8 oz (60-80 g).
My Queen of the Night grew in the greenhouse. Put two plants in the sunniest spot right by the door… pruned each of them to 3 or even 4 stems, and the plants got a little over 3 ft (1 m) tall. Yield surprised me, and even this summer, the harvest lasted right up until the freeze.
Unbelievably colorful, painted fruits! This photo was taken at a fall garden show—I had to spend a long time convincing the visitors that these were actually tomatoes and not some exotic tropical fruit 🙂
So wait, I’m a bit confused 🙂 Is this variety just for looking at? Because I bought seeds for it! Was hoping to use them in salads… sounds like it isn’t really an eating tomato?
So wait, I’m a bit confused 🙂 Is this variety just for looking at? Because I bought seeds for it! Was hoping to use them in salads… sounds like it isn’t really an eating tomato?
It’s edible) Assuming you don’t have any other tomatoes lying around for a salad.
But otherwise – yeah, it’s mostly for the looks.
Heavy yielder, grew outdoors. Thanks to Larisa for the seeds.
I loved it across the board. Definitely running it again.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s totally an eating tomato )) sweet little fruits, with none of that nasty nightshade flavor (once fully ripe). And so gorgeous 👍
The outdoor plants hit 2.3-3 ft (0.7-0.9 m), very sturdy. Yield is high.
I am completely satisfied with it.
Growing it for the second time. The little fruits didn’t get very big, strictly cocktail size. Tasty, nice and sweet. The vine hit about 5 ft (1.5 m). Barely pruned it. Sets fruit great in both heat and cold.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: A compact semi-determinate (or short indeterminate) vine that typically stays under 3.5 ft (1 m) outdoors but can reach 5 ft (1.5 m) in a greenhouse. Dark, vigorous foliage that exhibits elite disease resistance (particularly against late blight). Known for setting blossoms perfectly through extreme heat and cold snaps.
- 📈 Yield: Extremely high. Produces an abundance of small, cocktail-sized fruits weighing 1.7 to 3.5 oz (50-100 g). The harvest window is notably long and continues until frost.
- 👅 Taste: Opinions are slightly divided. Some growers find the flavor completely average and grow it strictly for its stunning ornamental value. Others report it being pleasantly sweet, particularly when fully vine-ripened, lacking any harsh “nightshade” undertones commonly associated with unripe blue tomatoes.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Extensively trialed across a wide range of climates, from the deep cold of Siberia and Northern Russia to the milder Caucasus and Canada. Performs exceptionally well in all.
