Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is 'Cherokee Purple' Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Cherokee Purple')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato.

More about 'cherokee purple' tomato

About 'Cherokee Purple' Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum 'Cherokee Purple' · also called Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato · edible

'Cherokee Purple' is a beloved heirloom beefsteak tomato bearing large, dusky purple-pink fruit with smoky, rich, sweet flavour. An indeterminate vine, it grows tall and needs sturdy staking, full sun, deep fertile soil, and steady moisture. Maturing in about 80-90 days, it crops from midsummer until frost but is prone to cracking and needs even watering.

Cold limit: USDA Grown as a warm-season annual in zones 3-11; needs frost-free conditions · RHS H1c (18-29°C)

What 'cherokee purple' tomato's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for 'cherokee purple' tomato: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA Grown as a warm-season annual in zones 3-11; needs frost-free conditions — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for 'cherokee purple' tomato as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can 'cherokee purple' tomato go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when 'cherokee purple' tomato can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Frost protection for borderline 'cherokee purple' tomato

'Cherokee Purple' Tomato is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

'Cherokee Purple' Tomato hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is 'cherokee purple' tomato cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for 'cherokee purple' tomato: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. 'Cherokee Purple' Tomato is grown Grown as a warm-season annual in zones 3-11; needs frost-free conditions; you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature 'cherokee purple' tomato can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is 'cherokee purple' tomato?

'Cherokee Purple' Tomato is rated USDA Grown as a warm-season annual in zones 3-11; needs frost-free conditions and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can 'cherokee purple' tomato survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect 'cherokee purple' tomato from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.