Hi, do black cherry tomatoes turn red first? Will they ripen from a red colour to a black colour off the vine?

Hi Della, black cherry tomatoes can vary in colour depending upon the variety. The hotter and sunnier the weather the deeper the colour, tomatoes require a minimum of 6-8 hours sunlight and fruit can vary from shades of green, reddish chocolate brown to black in colour. Slightly acidic soil conditions can also enhance the black colour of fruit. From my experience once the fruit is red on the plant it stays red once picked and does not ripen to black as it is the chlorophyll in the plant that gives it the fruit a darker colour. The best way to check ripeness is by eating the fruit, when fully ripe tomatoes will give slightly in your hand, some black varieties will have a 'star' at the stalk end of the fruit indicating ripeness. Check seed packet or plant labels, they usually give a time from planting to harvest. Lianne.