{"id":2835,"date":"2026-09-18T09:45:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=2835"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:42:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:42:40","slug":"black-john","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/black-john\/","title":{"rendered":"Black John Tomato Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;2835&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Black John Tomato Review&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Black John (Blek Dzhon)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A dark Russian variety circulated by domestic seed vendors (like Brizhan and L. Myazina). <strong>Note:<\/strong> Some growers report older seed lines segregating, producing a mix of Potato Leaf (PL) and Regular Leaf (RL) plants. The original, stable strain should be PL.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Tall determinate. Usually tops out around 4 ft (1.2 m) when grown outdoors, though some commercial strains (like Myazina&#8217;s) can vigorously shoot up to 6.5 ft (2 m). Features potato leaf (PL) foliage.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Gorgeous oblate (flattened-round) beefsteaks weighing 7-14 oz (200-400g). The skin has an amazing pearlescent brownish-burgundy color that shimmers with a lilac sheen in the sun.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor:<\/strong> Sweet, rich, and super juicy.<\/li>\n<li>\u23f3 <strong>Maturity:<\/strong> Early to mid-season. Excellent producer outside in the garden.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #f9f9f9; border-left: 4px solid #4CAF50; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83c\udf45 Grown this variety?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Click here to add your own photos and review below!<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Galina P. <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (37,710 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow \/ Chekhov district (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Early to mid-season. It&#8217;s a tall determinate\u2014mine got to about 4 feet (1.2m) out in the garden. Fruits are oblate, 7-14 oz (200-400g), sweet, and really juicy. Great producer. Oh, and it&#8217;s potato leaf (PL).<\/p>\n<p>The color on these is just stunning \u2013 a pearlescent brownish-burgundy that practically glows with a lilac tint in the sun. Grew them outside.<\/p>\n<p>Tanyusha from Penza shared some Brizhan seeds with me back in 2013. \ud83c\udf37\ud83c\udf37\ud83c\udf37\ud83c\udf37\ud83c\udf37 This is my second year growing it. I saved my own seeds and the leaf type held true. (I know some folks on the forum had their seeds cross or segregate, getting a mix of PL and RL plants).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/125-021214130100.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/thumb_125-021214130100.jpeg\" alt=\"Black John dark tomato on the vine\" width=\"160\" height=\"89\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/125-021214125949.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/thumb_125-021214125949.jpeg\" alt=\"Potato leaf foliage of Black John tomato\" width=\"89\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/125-021214125835.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/thumb_125-021214125835.jpeg\" alt=\"Harvested Black John tomatoes\" width=\"160\" height=\"89\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/125-021214125751.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/43\/thumb_125-021214125751.jpeg\" alt=\"Black John tomato close up\" width=\"160\" height=\"89\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i><small>Edited February 4, 2015 by Pomidoroved<\/small><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">T<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Tatiana Kemerovo (Tatiana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (2,694 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kemerovo (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Galina, I&#8217;m planning to put these outside in the garden this year, got my seeds ready. How did you prune and support them?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">P<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Pani Tomat (Irina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (8,773 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I actually got gifted some seeds for a dark one called Black Jack. Sounds awfully similar based on the description&#8230; Go figure&#8230; \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \ud83e\udd20<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Galina P. <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (37,710 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow \/ Chekhov district (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Tatiana, I didn&#8217;t treat it any differently than my other varieties. Pruned it same as usual. Took it to two main stems and pinched off the extra suckers. Just the standard routine for everyone! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">V<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Vladimir Baranov (Vladimir) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf45 Member (312 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kaluga (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>This year I grew Black John from Myazina&#8217;s seed line. The description on the pack was way off. Said it wouldn&#8217;t get over 3 feet (1m) out in the garden, but mine shot up to a solid 6.5 feet (2m) this 2021 season! Better yet, I&#8217;ll just show you guys. Got some sliced pics too.<\/p>\n<p><i><small>Edited July 28, 2021 by Vladimir Baranov<\/small><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">V<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Vladimir Baranov (Vladimir) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf45 Member (312 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kaluga (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Well, sticking with this variety again for 2022! Got it out in the garden and just loving how beautiful these plants look. Waiting on the first ones to ripen up any day now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Black John (Blek Dzhon) \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A dark Russian variety circulated by domestic seed vendors (like Brizhan and L. Myazina). Note: Some growers report older seed lines segregating, producing a mix of Potato Leaf (PL) and Regular Leaf (RL) plants. The original, stable strain should be PL. \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Tall &#8230; <a title=\"Black John Tomato Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/black-john\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Black John Tomato Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,89,52,5],"tags":[19,50,23,49,28],"class_list":["post-2835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beefsteak-large-slicers","category-black-purple-tomatoes","category-bush-and-dwarf","category-russian-eastern-european-heirlooms","tag-dark-tomato","tag-high-yield","tag-mid-season","tag-open-ground","tag-potato-leaf"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2835"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2836,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions\/2836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}