Anna Russian

b54red · June 27, 2013

I have tried to grow this tomato several times in the past and it always got sick with fusarium and died before making more than a couple of tomatoes; but this year I grafted it onto a hardier rootstock and it has done great. It has outproduced in both pounds of fruit and numbers of fruit all the other heart varieties. It is also setting more fruit in the intense heat than any other plant in the garden. I am amazed to see so many tomatoes so high up on a plant this time of the year. Usually when they are fruiting 7 and 8 ft off the ground you only get one or two small fruits on a stem but this thing is setting continuously. I haven't gone out a single day to pick tomatoes that I didn't get at least one Anna Russian. Taste wise I would put it above most of the hearts since it is not so very mild like many and it is juicier than most. I don't know if it will set this well every year in the heat of summer but it sure is a candidate for a late summer or fall tomato. I am going to try and graft a couple of suckers off it tomorrow and see if I can get one to take so I can give it a trial as a late season tomato.

Bill

sprtsguy76 · June 27, 2013

Bill I really like AR too. Its taste is up there with the best of hearts. I haven't grow it in awhile but might consider putting it on my list for next year. I'm starting this new phase in my tomato growing obsession where I really enjoy revisiting one's that I liked and haven't grown in a while. Instead of so many new to me varieties.

Damon

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Tania · June 27, 2013

yes, it is such a lovely tomato. Bill, I am so happy you finally have it growing happily in your garden!

I am lucky we can grow it without any grafting.

nnjjohn · June 27, 2013

The women look even more lovely but yeah tomatoes must be sweet also

Sun City Linda · June 27, 2013

Like Damon I too am going back to some tried and true tomatoes. Have never actually grown Anna Russian but maybe I can squeeze it in next year.......somewhere

sprtsguy76 · June 28, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

Like Damon I too am going back to some tried and true tomatoes. Have never actually grown Anna Russian but maybe I can squeeze it in next year.......somewhere

Yep. Its all about the squeeze! Lol

Damon

ddsack · June 28, 2013

Bill, which of your root stocks did you use for the Anna Russian?

Sunsi · June 28, 2013

I'm glad you got Annie Russian growing for you. I have a question can you still save seed from grafted and have it grow true? Now that you have success with AR it would seem saving seed that is acclimatized to your garden would be perfect.

eatmoreyeah · June 28, 2013

That's great to hear. AR got left out of the Spring garden, but will be planted soon for the upcoming Fall crop of tomatoes. This Spring the heart varieties that did extremely well for me are Kosovo, Mazarini, Worley Red, Fish Lake and an Unknown that was suppose to be Goose Creek. This 'Unknown' has put out a huge crop of extremely large pink blunt heart tomatoes. Tried contacting the seller of the seeds to see if he can help with the identification.

**Lee** · June 28, 2013

Bill, Glad to hear your Anna Russian is doing so well for you.
It is one of my favorites as well. One thing to note with it though is
that it's flavor is sensitive to the amount of water it gets.
One year the early tomatoes that developed during a dry spell were
fabulous, whereas the later tomatoes that developed during a time
we had a lot of rain were rather bland. All of this was from the same
plant.

Again, congrats!

Lee

b54red · June 28, 2013

Damon, I got to try many of the varieties that I liked in the past but had bad fusarium troubles. The grafting allowed me to have good production from Nepal, Prudence Purple, Giant Belgium, Anna Russian, German Johnson, Green Giant, Tarasenko-6, Virginia Sweets, Lucky Cross, and several others that I have had very poor luck with in the past.

ddsack, I used my fluke tomato rootstock on Anna Russian.

Sunsi, I am saving seed from the plant but it will still have to be grafted to resist fusarium. I don't think that the fusarium resistance of the rootstock is transferred to the seed of the scion. That would be a great thing if it did. You would only have to graft one year and save seed.

eatmoreyeah, all of my hearts, even Donskoi have produced well this year and all were grafted onto the fluke rootstock. I'm assuming they would do good on other rootstock but with the success they had on that one I'll probably keep using it for most of my hearts from now on.

Lee I never give my final judgement on a tomato's flavor until I can taste one when the temps are high and the soil isn't too wet. The first year I grew some black tomatoes they were nearly tasteless all during the wet spring but the flavor exploded once it got drier and the temperature got into the 90s. Too much water will make any tomato a bit bland and watery but I haven't found any other colors affected by temperature as much as the black tomatoes.

Bill

sprtsguy76 · June 28, 2013

Lee I never give my final judgement on a tomato's flavor until I can taste one when the temps are high and the soil isn't too wet. The first year I grew some black tomatoes they were nearly tasteless all during the wet spring but the flavor exploded once it got drier and the temperature got into the 90s. Too much water will make any tomato a bit bland and watery but I haven't found any other colors affected by temperature as much as the black tomatoes.

Bill[/QUOTE]

Boy that really ringes true with me as well. Giving tomatoes a chance to dry down a bit in the heat really reveals their true flavors. I've even had early girls taste wonderful later in the season. I just had my first Jd c tex and it was ok but I know it can be better. The heat is really setting in here and we have had some unusual humidity aswell.

Damon

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aclum · June 28, 2013

Hi Bill,

I'm really happy that your grafts are working out so well! Wonderful to have the great results from your Anna Russian, which is also one of my favorites. Like Damon and Linda, I'm getting a renewed interest in some of my old "tried and true" tomatoes that I haven't grown for years or which I had seed for but never got around to planting.

A few days before you posted, I started some seeds to try a fall garden (a first for me) and started

Anna Russian
German Red Strawberry
Marvel Stripe
Eva Purple Ball - maybe to use in grafting as it's supposed to be one of the more disease resistant heirlooms
Paul Robeson - grew one about 10 years ago and hated it - will try again
Aunt Ginny's Purple
Stump of the World
Neves Azorean Red
Crnkovic Yugoslavian

Anne

Sun City Linda · June 28, 2013

Anne - German Red Strawberry was one of those "had seeds for ever but never grew" category and it has been a nice surprise for me. Quite productive especially since I have had a fair amount of early heat this year. I really like to make sauce so the near seedless ones, like this work great. It really is quite a heavy in the hand and dense tomato also! Taste good too!

bower · June 28, 2013

I grew Anna Russian last year, it put out huge flower clusters and set up a load of little fruit nubs that didn't grow at all... until the temperatures went up. Then bingo, it started growing big fruit, putting on new ones and growing the old nubs as well. I'd say it likes the heat alright. Very productive plant, and for me a unique taste, almost more like watermelon than like a tomato.

Nice to hear you're having success with the grafting!

June 27, 2013	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Anna Russian I have tried to grow this tomato several times in the past and it always got sick with fusarium and died before making more than a couple of tomatoes; but this year I grafted it onto a hardier rootstock and it has done great. It has outproduced in both pounds of fruit and numbers of fruit all the other heart varieties. It is also setting more fruit in the intense heat than any other plant in the garden. I am amazed to see so many tomatoes so high up on a plant this time of the year. Usually when they are fruiting 7 and 8 ft off the ground you only get one or two small fruits on a stem but this thing is setting continuously. I haven't gone out a single day to pick tomatoes that I didn't get at least one Anna Russian. Taste wise I would put it above most of the hearts since it is not so very mild like many and it is juicier than most. I don't know if it will set this well every year in the heat of summer but it sure is a candidate for a late summer or fall tomato. I am going to try and graft a couple of suckers off it tomorrow and see if I can get one to take so I can give it a trial as a late season tomato. Bill

June 27, 2013	#3
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	yes, it is such a lovely tomato. Bill, I am so happy you finally have it growing happily in your garden! I am lucky we can grow it without any grafting. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

June 27, 2013	#4
nnjjohn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: northern new jersey Posts: 683	The women look even more lovely but yeah tomatoes must be sweet also __________________ john

June 28, 2013	#7
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Bill, which of your root stocks did you use for the Anna Russian? __________________ Dee **************

June 28, 2013	#10
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	Bill, Glad to hear your Anna Russian is doing so well for you. It is one of my favorites as well. One thing to note with it though is that it's flavor is sensitive to the amount of water it gets. One year the early tomatoes that developed during a dry spell were fabulous, whereas the later tomatoes that developed during a time we had a lot of rain were rather bland. All of this was from the same plant. Again, congrats! Lee __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.

June 27, 2013	#2
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	Bill I really like AR too. Its taste is up there with the best of hearts. I haven't grow it in awhile but might consider putting it on my list for next year. I'm starting this new phase in my tomato growing obsession where I really enjoy revisiting one's that I liked and haven't grown in a while. Instead of so many new to me varieties. Damon Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

June 27, 2013	#5
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	Like Damon I too am going back to some tried and true tomatoes. Have never actually grown Anna Russian but maybe I can squeeze it in next year.......somewhere

June 28, 2013	#8
Sunsi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: New York Outback 5b Posts: 107	I'm glad you got Annie Russian growing for you. I have a question can you still save seed from grafted and have it grow true? Now that you have success with AR it would seem saving seed that is acclimatized to your garden would be perfect.

June 28, 2013	#9
eatmoreyeah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Louisiana Posts: 41	That's great to hear. AR got left out of the Spring garden, but will be planted soon for the upcoming Fall crop of tomatoes. This Spring the heart varieties that did extremely well for me are Kosovo, Mazarini, Worley Red, Fish Lake and an Unknown that was suppose to be Goose Creek. This 'Unknown' has put out a huge crop of extremely large pink blunt heart tomatoes. Tried contacting the seller of the seeds to see if he can help with the identification.

June 28, 2013	#13
aclum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Merced, CA Posts: 832	Hi Bill, I'm really happy that your grafts are working out so well! Wonderful to have the great results from your Anna Russian, which is also one of my favorites. Like Damon and Linda, I'm getting a renewed interest in some of my old "tried and true" tomatoes that I haven't grown for years or which I had seed for but never got around to planting. A few days before you posted, I started some seeds to try a fall garden (a first for me) and started Anna Russian German Red Strawberry Marvel Stripe Eva Purple Ball - maybe to use in grafting as it's supposed to be one of the more disease resistant heirlooms Paul Robeson - grew one about 10 years ago and hated it - will try again Aunt Ginny's Purple Stump of the World Neves Azorean Red Crnkovic Yugoslavian Anne

June 28, 2013	#15
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I grew Anna Russian last year, it put out huge flower clusters and set up a load of little fruit nubs that didn't grow at all... until the temperatures went up. Then bingo, it started growing big fruit, putting on new ones and growing the old nubs as well. I'd say it likes the heat alright. Very productive plant, and for me a unique taste, almost more like watermelon than like a tomato. Nice to hear you're having success with the grafting!