Cherokee heirloom tomatoes, or Cherokee Purple as they are commonly known, are renowned for their sweet taste and deep purple color. Like most tomatoes, Cherokee Purples should be left on the vine to ripen as long as possible. The key is harvesting your tomatoes at the peak of ripeness, but before they spoil. Harvesting heirloom tomatoes before frost hits is also a key consideration.
Harvesting Ripe Tomatoes
Ideally should be left on the vine to ripen. Ripe Cherokee Purple tomatoes will develop a deep reddish-purple color and the tomatoes will be firm to the touch. You can also tell if a tomato is ripe by smelling it; ripe tomatoes will have a bright tomato scent when you sniff the skin. Harvest your tomatoes when they show signs of ripeness, and eat or preserve them within a few days. Check tomatoes for ripeness every few days during the height of the growing season so tomatoes do not over ripen and rot on the vine.
Avoiding Frost
Near the end of the season, you may need to harvest a few tomatoes before they ripen to avoid losing them to frost. If frost is predicted, harvest all the tomatoes from your plants and bring them inside.
Under-ripe tomatoes will ripen on a windowsill or countertop, or you can place the tomatoes in a brown paper bag to speed up the ripening process.
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