Heirloom Marriage Cherokee Green
Solanum lycopersicum 'Cherokee Green'
A stunning green-when-ripe heirloom that delivers exceptional flavor in an unexpected package. This Cherokee variety produces large, emerald-green beefsteak tomatoes with a sweet, tangy taste that rivals any red variety. Perfect for gardeners who want to grow something truly unique that will be the conversation starter of any garden.
Harvest
85-95d
Days to harvest
Sun
Blossom-End Rot of Tomato
Zones
10–11
USDA hardiness
Height
1-10 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Heirloom Marriage Cherokee Green in USDA Zone 7
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Heirloom Marriage Cherokee Green · Zones 10–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | April – April | June – July | — | September – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | June – June | — | September – October |
| Zone 5 | March – March | May – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March – March | May – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 7 | February – March | April – May | — | August – October |
| Zone 8 | February – February | April – May | — | July – September |
| Zone 9 | January – January | March – April | — | June – August |
| Zone 10 | January – January | February – March | — | June – August |
Complete Growing Guide
Light: Blossom-End Rot of Tomato, Pepper, and Watermelon. Soil: Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Water: Blossom-End Rot of Tomato, Pepper, and Watermelon. Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 3 feet-6 feet. Growth rate: Rapid. Maintenance: High. Propagation: Seed. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
The fruits are smooth, shiny, glossy, and are classified as berries. The size, shape, and color will vary depending on the variety or cultivar. The color of the fruits may be red, yellow, orange, green, purple, or pink. The fruits may contain over 100 yellow to light brown seeds.
Color: Gold/Yellow, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple/Lavender, Red/Burgundy, Variegated. Type: Berry. Length: > 3 inches. Width: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible, Showy
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Bloom time: Fall, Summer
Edibility: The fruits or berries of the tomato are edible. They may be eaten raw, cooked, dried, or processed. They are a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folic acid, and antioxidants. Lycopene is an antioxidant that gives the tomato its rich red color. Many plants will drop fruit when ripe or the fruit will come off easily. Tomatoes will continue to ripen once picked. Store them at room temperature.
Storage & Preservation
Store ripe Cherokee Green tomatoes at room temperature for 3-5 days for peak flavor, as refrigeration dulls their complex sweet-tangy taste. If you must refrigerate, bring them back to room temperature 30 minutes before eating. For longer storage, harvest slightly underripe fruits and ripen them in a paper bag with a banana.
For preservation, these tomatoes excel in green tomato relish and pickled preparations that showcase their unique flavor. Slice and freeze on parchment-lined trays, then transfer to freezer bags for up to 8 months—perfect for winter cooking. Their firm texture makes them excellent candidates for canning as green tomato salsa or chutney. The high acid content and robust flavor also work beautifully in fermented green tomato applications, developing complex umami notes over 3-4 weeks of fermentation.
History & Origin
The Heirloom Marriage Cherokee Green represents a fascinating chapter in the Cherokee tomato family lineage, which traces back to the Cherokee Nation of the southeastern United States. While the original Cherokee Purple has been cultivated for over a century, this green variant emerged through careful selection by seed savers who noticed occasional green-when-ripe mutations in their Cherokee Purple plantings.
The variety was stabilized through several generations of selective breeding by heirloom enthusiasts in the 1990s and early 2000s, who recognized the unique value of a large, flavorful green beefsteak tomato. Unlike many green-when-ripe varieties that can be bland or overly tart, Cherokee Green maintained the complex, sweet flavor profile that made its purple ancestor famous.
The 'Marriage' designation likely refers to the crossing work involved in stabilizing the green trait while preserving the Cherokee's exceptional taste characteristics. This variety represents the ongoing evolution of heirloom tomatoes through dedicated seed saving and selection, demonstrating how traditional varieties continue to develop new expressions while maintaining their ancestral genetics.
Advantages
- +Attracts: Bees, Pollinators, Predatory Insects
- +Wildlife value: The plant is pollinated by bees, especially bumblebees.
- +Edible: The fruits or berries of the tomato are edible. They may be eaten raw, cooked, dried, or processed. They are a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folic acid, and antioxidants. Lycopene is an antioxidant that gives the tomato its rich red color. Many plants will drop fruit when ripe or the fruit will come off easily. Tomatoes will continue to ripen once picked. Store them at room temperature.
- +Fast-growing
Considerations
- -Toxic (Leaves, Stems): Medium severity
- -High maintenance
Companion Plants
Plant Together
Basil
Repels aphids, whiteflies, and hornworms while potentially improving tomato flavor
Marigolds
Deters nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies with natural compounds
Carrots
Loosens soil for tomato roots and doesn't compete for nutrients
Parsley
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies that prey on tomato pests
Chives
Repels aphids and may help prevent fungal diseases
Nasturtiums
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, deters whiteflies
Borage
Repels hornworms and attracts pollinators and beneficial predatory insects
Lettuce
Provides ground cover and utilizes space efficiently without root competition
Keep Apart
Black Walnut
Produces juglone toxin that causes tomato wilt and stunted growth
Fennel
Inhibits tomato growth through allelopathic compounds
Brassicas
Competes for similar nutrients and may stunt tomato growth when planted nearby
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #321360)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Limited disease resistance typical of heirlooms. Moderate tolerance to cracking.
Common Pests
Tomato hornworm, aphids, whiteflies, flea beetles
Diseases
Late blight, early blight, fusarium wilt, bacterial speck