Black from Tula Tomato
A rich, smoky Russian black beefsteak that outgrows the famous names: vigorous, productive, and far less prone to the cracking that spoils Black Krim.
Flavor & performance
The honest verdict
What's great
- Rich, sweet, smoky black tomato flavor
- More vigorous and productive than most black heirlooms
- Cracks far less than Black Krim
- Dense foliage shades the fruit from sunscald
- Open-pollinated, so saved seed comes true
Watch out for
- Dense canopy raises leaf-disease risk without airflow
- No bred-in disease resistance
- Green shoulders make ripeness hard to read
- Big fruit can catface after a cold spring
- Needs strong support and wide spacing
Grow it in your zone
| Trait | Black from Tula Tomato | Black Krim | Cherokee Purple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Dark brownish red | Dark red-purple | Dusky purple-brown |
| Flavor | Rich, sweet, smoky | Rich, salty, smoky | Deep, sweet, complex |
| Fruit size | 8–12 oz | 8–12 oz | 8–12 oz |
| Days | 80–85 | 80–90 | 80–85 |
| Yield | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| Cracking | Low–moderate | High | Moderate |
| Save seeds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The most Russian tomato in your garden is probably Ukrainian
The Black from Tula tomato wears a Russian name with pride. Tula is a real industrial city south of Moscow, famous for samovars and gingerbread.
Here is the twist. Most seed historians trace this variety’s roots to Ukraine, not to Tula at all. The name stuck, but the tomato likely came from somewhere else.
That small mystery is a fitting start for a tomato with an unusually good backstory. This guide covers where it really came from, why so many growers quietly rank it above Black Krim, and how to grow it well for its best flavor.
What the Black from Tula tomato actually is
This is a large black beefsteak, one of the classic Russian black heirlooms. Fruit is a deep, dusky brownish red with green shoulders. It is flattened and often 8 to 12 ounces, sometimes pushing a full pound.
The flavor is the reason people grow it. It runs rich, sweet, and faintly smoky, with the low acid, savory depth that black tomato fans chase.
Cut one open and the flesh is deep reddish brown, meaty, and juicy, with just a few seed pockets. That rich color runs right through the fruit. It is part of what makes sliced black tomatoes so striking on a plate.
The plant is a tall, vigorous indeterminate vine with dense, regular leaf foliage. It keeps setting fruit until frost, and it grows with real muscle in warm weather.
Expect ripe fruit around 80 to 85 days from transplant, which puts it in the mid to late season. In a short season garden, start it early and give it your warmest, sunniest spot.
The woman who broke the Soviet seed monopoly to share it
Here is the part no seed packet tells you. This tomato reached the West through one remarkable person.
Marina Danilenko was a seed seller from Moscow. Around 1990, as the Soviet Union was breaking apart, she did something bold. She started what many credit as the first private seed company in the city.
For decades the Soviet state held a tight monopoly on seed. Danilenko’s small company pried that grip open and began sharing Russian and Ukrainian heirlooms with collectors abroad.
Black from Tula was one of them, reaching American seed savers around 1996. So every plant you grow traces back to one person opening a closed system to share a tomato.
Danilenko introduced several now famous Russian black tomatoes this same way, including Paul Robeson. Black from Tula came out of that same wave of heirlooms crossing the old Iron Curtain.
She shared these varieties through the Seed Savers Exchange. That network keeps rare heirlooms alive by passing seed from grower to grower. It is how a tomato off a Moscow seed list ended up in gardens across America.
Why growers quietly rank it above Black Krim
Black Krim gets most of the fame among Russian black tomatoes. But talk to growers who have grown both, and a pattern shows up.
Black Krim is famous for two frustrations. It cracks badly, and its green shoulders can stay tough and underripe.
The Black from Tula tomato tends to sidestep both. One grower who grew them side by side found it more vigorous and productive. It also avoided the cracking and tough shoulders that spoiled their Black Krim.
That fits the plant’s nature. Its thick stems and dense canopy drive heavy growth and a big fruit set. That is why it often outproduces the more famous names in the same bed.
Growers in hot, humid regions often report it holding up better than the fussier black heirlooms. It sets fruit and shrugs off cracking where more delicate varieties sulk.
Cracking still comes down to watering, though. University of Missouri Extension explains that any tomato splits when heavy rain or watering follows a dry spell. Steady moisture is what protects this variety’s edge over crack prone rivals.
The best ways to use it
Black from Tula shines brightest sliced fresh, where its color and rich flavor carry the plate. A thick slice with flaky salt and good oil needs nothing else.
It also makes a deep, complex sauce, darker and more savory than a red tomato sauce. The flavor cooks down beautifully, though the dusky color surprises people expecting bright red.
Because the fruit is large and meaty, a few plants give you plenty for both fresh eating and cooking. This is a dual purpose black tomato, not a one trick slicer.
Roasting is another great option that concentrates the smoky flavor. Halve the fruit, roast it slow with oil and garlic, and the sweetness deepens even further.
How to grow the Black from Tula tomato, start to finish
Starting seeds
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost. Sow a quarter inch deep in fresh seed starting mix, kept warm at 70 to 80°F.
Give strong light from the day they sprout. Pot up at the first true leaves and feed at half strength weekly.
Transplanting and spacing
Plant out after frost, once nights hold above 50°F. Harden the seedlings off over a week first, then bury two thirds of the stem for strong roots.
Space plants at least 3 feet apart. This variety’s dense foliage genuinely needs the room, for reasons covered below.
Soil and feeding
Grow it in compost rich, well drained soil at a pH near 6.2 to 6.8. Work a balanced fertilizer into the planting hole, then side dress lightly once fruit sets. A quick soil test before planting takes the guesswork out of feeding this hungry plant.
Keep nitrogen modest. Too much pushes even more of this plant’s already heavy foliage at the expense of fruit.
Light and water
Give it full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Water deeply and evenly, aiming for 1 to 2 inches a week at the base of the plant.
Steady moisture is your insurance against both cracking and blossom end rot. A soaker hose under mulch keeps the rhythm even through summer.
Support
This is a big, heavy vine that needs strong support from the start. A tall, sturdy cage or a stout stake both work.
Tie in the main stems as they climb. A plant this vigorous, loaded with large fruit, gets top heavy fast.
Light pruning of the lowest leaves also helps this dense plant breathe. Take off the bottom foot of foliage once the plant is established, then leave the rest to shade the fruit.
Growing in containers
This vigorous vine can grow in a large container, but it asks for space. Use at least a 15 gallon pot with a strong cage set at planting. A large fabric pot works well too, since it drains freely and keeps roots cooler.
Container plants dry out fast, and dry swings invite both cracking and blossom end rot. Check the soil daily in summer heat and water before it dries out.
Our guide to growing tomatoes in pots covers container growing in full.
Companion planting
Basil and marigolds are the classic tomato companions, sharing the same sun and water needs. Given this variety’s dense foliage, keep companions low and clear of the base so they do not choke airflow.
Skip planting it near fennel, which can stunt tomato growth. Leave real space around this vigorous vine rather than crowding it.
The dense foliage tradeoff
Here is the one quirk that decides how well this variety does for you. Its thick, heavy foliage is a double edged thing.
On the good side, all that leaf cover shades the fruit and largely prevents sunscald. On the bad side, a dense, humid canopy is exactly what leaf diseases love.
Grower's Picks for Black from Tula
The gear that matters most for growing Black from Tula well, so you can buy the right thing once.
How to tell when it is ripe
Black tomatoes are hard to read, and this one is no exception. It never turns bright red, so color alone will fool you.
Watch for the base deepening to a dusky brownish red while the shoulders stay green. Ripe fruit gives slightly to a gentle squeeze and releases from the vine with almost no pull.
When in doubt, wait a day and taste one. The flavor jumps noticeably once the fruit is truly ripe.
A ripe black tomato also smells sweet and rich at the stem end. Trust your nose as much as your eyes with this one.
Why the flavor changes from garden to garden
Here is something growers notice and often misread. The same variety can taste sweet and rich in one garden and flatter in another.
That is not a flaw in your plants. Oregon State University Extension notes that more sunlight means more photosynthesis, and more photosynthesis means more sugar in the fruit.
So a hot, sunny, well watered spot brings out this tomato’s sweet, smoky best. A cool or shaded season pushes it toward a milder, more savory profile. Feed it sun and steady water for the flavor its fans rave about.
The practical lesson is to judge a new variety over a couple of seasons. One cool, cloudy summer is not a fair test of what this tomato can really do.
Problems to watch
Cracking. Less of an issue here than on Black Krim, but not gone. Keep watering steady and mulch to buffer the swings that split fruit.
Blossom end rot. A dark, sunken patch on the fruit bottom from uneven watering. Fix the watering rhythm rather than reaching for calcium sprays, and see our tomato problem guide.
Foliage disease. The dense canopy raises the risk of early blight and septoria. North Carolina State Extension recommends good airflow and removing spotted lower leaves, as our tomato disease guide explains.
Catfacing. Big beefsteaks like this can develop scarred, puckered bottoms from cold at bloom. It is cosmetic, and warmer planting timing reduces it.
Saving seeds
The Black from Tula tomato is an open pollinated heirloom, so saved seed grows true to type. Scoop the seeds and gel from your best fruit into a jar with a little water.
Ferment for 2 to 3 days, rinse, and dry them on a plate before storing. Next year’s plants will be Black from Tula again, flavor and all.
Given this variety’s history, saving your own seed feels fitting. It is exactly how the tomato survived long enough to reach your garden.
Black from Tula vs Black Krim vs Cherokee Purple
Against Black Krim, this variety usually wins on vigor and crack resistance, with a similar rich, smoky flavor. Black Krim is more famous, but also more prone to splitting and tough shoulders.
Against Cherokee Purple, the two are close on flavor, both deep and complex. Cherokee Purple often edges it on pure taste, while Black from Tula tends to be the more vigorous, productive plant.
Against Paul Robeson, another black tomato from the same Danilenko introductions, the two share a smoky richness. Paul Robeson is the cult flavor favorite, while Black from Tula usually hands you the heavier, more dependable crop.
My honest take is simple. If Black Krim has ever let you down with cracking, grow this one instead.
The verdict
Black from Tula is one of the most underrated black tomatoes you can grow. It delivers the rich, smoky flavor of the famous Russian heirlooms on a tougher, more productive plant.
For gardeners who love black tomatoes but are tired of babying a cracked, sulking plant, this is the easy answer. It rewards simple, steady care with a heavy crop of genuinely special fruit.
Grow it if you want a black tomato that behaves. Beginners get a forgiving, productive plant, and black tomato veterans get flavor that stands with the best.
Give it sun, steady water, strong support, and plenty of breathing room. In return you get big, dusky, delicious fruit with a genuinely remarkable story behind every single seed you plant.