🍅 Quick take: Purple Bumblebee is an eye-catching indeterminate large cherry tomato bred by Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds (California). The round, dusky purple fruits feature metallic olive-green striping and exceptionally firm flesh. While greenhouse growers report juicy, productive vines reaching nearly 6.5 ft (2 m), outdoor open-ground growers in cooler climates note thick, chew-resistant skins and an interior texture that can lean mealy if temperatures drop.
Growers’ Notes and Field Performance (USDA Zone 4)
Seeds and variety name originated from Ruslan Kulik in Ukraine.
- Vine habit: mid-sized, tidy, doesn’t sprawl everywhere, standard vigor.
- Fruit set: set every cluster without dropping a blossom, practically finished producing by mid-August.
- Height in open ground: stood 4.3 ft (1.3 m) as of August 10.
- Trusses: 2 to 4 fruits per cluster.
- Overall yield: average.
- Fruit: round, dusky raspberry-pink with bold green striping, very attractive.
- Firmness: extremely firm once ripe.
- Flavor: did not impress me. Very thick, tough skin, and the inside texture was somewhat mealy. Sweetness rates a 4-.
First impression: pretty tomato for canning whole in jars. Drawbacks: average vine vigor, run-of-the-mill flavor, and mediocre yield. Seedlings: 4. Vine: 4-. Fruit appearance: 4. Overall variety score: 4.
Edited September 20, 2015 by Drosera
Inside the greenhouse, Purple Bumblebee was a different beast: reached nearly 6.5 ft (2 m) tall with mid-season maturity.The fruits are large cherries, round, dusky purple with prominent striping, and genuinely juicy.
Full Summary: Vine Habit, Skin Firmness, Flavor, and Culinary Fit
- 🌿 Plant Type: Indeterminate large-cherry vine. Outdoors in cooler northern regions, it remains polite and semi-compact at 4.3 ft (1.3 m); inside high tunnels and greenhouses, it easily reaches nearly 6.5 ft (2 m).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large round cherry/cocktail fruits, roughly 1-1.5 oz (25-40 g). Striking visual appearance featuring dusky purple/bronze skin highlighted by metallic olive-green stripes.
- 🥩 Texture & Tough Skin: Features thick, heavy-duty skin bred for crack resistance and market transport. In open ground with fluctuating summer temperatures, the skin can feel chewy and the pulp slightly cottony or mealy. In greenhouses, fruits finish much juicier.
- 👅 Flavor Profile: Balanced sweet-tart flavor with earthy undertones, though noticeably less sweet than its sister variety, Sunrise Bumblebee.
- 🥫 Kitchen Applications: Because the thick skin prevents fruit blowout during hot-pack canning, it is a premier choice for whole-fruit pickling in jars. Also holds up well in mixed summer salads without weeping juice.
- 🌎 Reviewers: Tested by growers in the Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4).
🍅 Grown Purple Bumblebee? Did you find the skins too tough or great for canning? Drop your review and photos below!
