Tomato - Black Ethiopian

OH.  We were given this seed by our seed saving friend, Jenny Freemantle. Sources have conflicting information on the origins of this tomato, but surprisingly Ethiopia is not one mentioned. Eastern Europe and probably the Ukraine is the place this tomato began. The first time it registered in the Seed Savers Yearbook from the USA was in 1996. We were very impressed by this medium sized, pear-shaped tomato especially since this was our first season growing it and we had the worst tomato season in our history due to the cyclone and wet summer. Regardless of all of that, this deep reddish purple with green shoulders tomato out performed many other varieties and we enjoyed the tangy and sweet fruits. Indeterminant.

Sow in August into trays in a glasshouse. Keep soil temp above 18°C for ideal germination. Prick out when true leaves appear to 4cm diagonal spacing. Transplant after last frost to 40cm diagonal spacing into fertile ground in direct sun. Stake and de-lateral as needed.

15 seeds