515. CHOCOLATE LIGHTENING DWARF
The Chocolate Lightning tomato is an indeterminate dwarf variety developed by the Dwarf Tomato Project. This compact plant features rugose, regular leaf foliage and typically reaches a height of about 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm), making it suitable for container gardening. It produces medium-sized, slightly oblate fruits weighing approximately 4 to 8 ounces (110 to 220 grams). The tomatoes have a distinctive chocolate-brown skin adorned with jagged green and gold stripes, and their rich crimson flesh offers a well-balanced, intense flavor reminiscent of black tomatoes. Maturing in approximately 80 days from transplant, ‘Chocolate Lightning’ provides excellent yields throughout the growing season. This variety originated from a cross between ‘Dwarf Wild Fred’ and ‘Beauty King’ by Vince Lavallo in 2008 and was introduced to the public in 2015. As part of the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI), seeds of ‘Chocolate Lightning’ are freely available for use with the commitment to keep them and their derivatives accessible to others.