Hearts!

[kath]

Originally Posted by lakelady

First year growing hearts for me. I've got:

Kosovo
Danko
Brads Black Heart
Gildo Pietroboni
Provenzano


Provenzano got eaten very badly by some caterpillars. It’s on the mend. Brad’s has been disappointing, I thought it would be more productive, but I still look forward to the taste. Gildo seems to be pretty good in terms of flowers. Kosovo and Danko are flowering like mad so I’m really excited to see what I get of them. Danko looks sick (more droopy than all the others and small) but its pumping out flowers like crazy so it must be doing pretty well. The leaves tend to flip and turn in addition to being droopy. I’m leaving it alone as long as it is producing. Carolyn loves Danko so I’m pretty excited to try it, and Kosovo gets great reviews.

I have another tomato from a trade that's from Italy. Seems to be a heart, I was told beefsteak. Very wispy and stingy on flowers unfortunately, but I'm waiting for the taste test to determine if it's a keeper.

Lakelady, I grew GP last year and it didn't have many fruits the way I pruned it- the ones I got were huge, misshapen and mealy. Many other hearts did well that year so with 3 strikes that one won't be a repeat for me. BBH got mixed reviews here- the neighbor had me grow plants for her this year and the other neighbor liked it, too. It's first fruits were mealy along with most of the other varieties, the taste wasn't sweet enough for me, production was just ok and I had trouble with the fruits splitting more than some others. My Danko plant sounds like it looks the same as yours does- kinda small for its age, very droopy and 'flipped out' but loaded with blooms/fruits. I tried growing it in a small cage and not pruning it but wound up having to tie it up to a support stick. It was among the greenhouse bunch so we've tasted a couple fruits and I'm quite sure I liked Kosovo better when I grew it in 2010. I'm regrowing Kosovo this year so if Danko is able to fight off the leaf diseases long enough, a side-by-side tasting will be possible. Everyone's tastebuds are different, though. Never tried Provenzano but I think I've got 31 heart varieties this year- the last big showdown.

I love the hearts- the foliage of some is the easiest for spraying, spotting cats and disease, staying compact and looking pretty; some are very good for earliness and production; the fruits don't seem to have as much tendency to cat-face as my other favorite type- beefsteaks; the interior isn't usually 'too wet' for me; the locules can be small enough, seeds few enough and taste sweet but tomatoey enough for me to be head over heels.

Hope you love the ones you've chosen and if you don't, make sure you come by this summer for your own private taste testing.

kath

[lakelady]

Thanks for the info Kath! You are a sweetheart as always. Just let me know when the ripening begins!! lol....thanks!

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by RobinB

I purchased some seed this year for Siberian Pink Honey from Ohio Heirloom Seeds, and there was only a tiny photo. The description says it's an oxheart. The foliage is indeed wispy. There's not a lot of information on it, but I know that quite a few Tomatovillians are growing it this year too. Mine have only been in the ground 15 days but they are doing well.

I have two plants in the ground and they were the first to set fruit. One plant already has six tomatoes, the other only two so far, and both are loaded with flowers. The foliage on mine is pretty normal--not wispy at all. Then again, they've been in the ground since May 31, so maybe yours are just still settling in.

[Sibpnktom]

I am growing Siberian Pink Honey with seed bought from Ohio Heirlooms for the first time.. Seeds were sown inside on 03/16/12 .. Plants set in ground with wall of water protection on 04/14/12... Plants have grown great with lots of large tomatoes.. Picture is of the largest to date.... Tomato measures 15.5 around at the largest point... Measured on 06/20/12

Lakelady,

If you go by Kath's house to taste test some tomatoes, pay attention to those painted cabinets she has and the long table she sometimes poses her tomatoes on. They are gorgeous and I am jealous. I think I saw them in some photos she posted a couple of years ago. Her tomatoes were beautiful, but I couldn't take my eyes off her cabinets and table.

Ted

[bower]

I'm growing my first heart this season - Anna Russian - and very pleased with the performance so far. She set huge clusters of blossoms but didn't grow any fruit until the cold weather broke. Now there are a couple dozen fruit on each plant which are growing by leaps and bounds.
I see Fish Lake Oxheart is fairly fast maturing, and am wondering whether any of the other tasty hearts are relatively early and/or tolerant of cold?

[RobinB]

Wow! Your Siberian Pink Honeys really are huge! I'm counting on the 50 DTM to be true. Mine are only about 12" tall so far, but they are healthy and now are growing. Both plants have buds forming already. It's been such strange roller coaster up and down weather lately with lots of high winds. I put other tomatoes in my Walls O'Water since I was afraid that the Pink Honeys would outgrow them too fast. Instead, I waited until it was "safe" to plant out without protection in the main garden. My Pink Honeys have only been in the ground since 6/20. Last night was 42°, but Siberian tomatoes don't seem to mind cool nights! They all did fine, but it was painful to watch them whipping around in the wind, lashed to their poles the past two days. It looks like we've got a warming trend starting, so hopefully everything will get growing!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by bower

I'm growing my first heart this season - Anna Russian - and very pleased with the performance so far. She set huge clusters of blossoms but didn't grow any fruit until the cold weather broke. Now there are a couple dozen fruit on each plant which are growing by leaps and bounds.
I see Fish Lake Oxheart is fairly fast maturing, and am wondering whether any of the other tasty hearts are relatively early and/or tolerant of cold?

I can readily suggest Danko, which is both early, relatively speaking, and very tasty as well, at least in my experience.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Danko

Since I don't think Patty's picture of it in the above link is all that representative of it I decided to Go to Google IMAGES and just one picture there from Victory Seeds.

Then decided to go to Gleckler's and here/s the link to there:

http://www.glecklerseedmen.com/Tomat...=173812&Page=2

Tania says midseason and Adam says early midseason and Andrey in the SSE YEarbook says mid-early to midseason and another says 70-75 days. And both say det, with which I agree.

It's just that the fruits I got from it were true hearts, but the few pictures I've seen suggest hearts but don't seem quite right to me as to shape.

But still, without my quibbling about shape, please do consider it b'c it does meet your criteria of early and tasty and being a heart.

[bower]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I can readily suggest Danko, which is both early, relatively speaking, and very tasty as well, at least in my experience.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Danko

Since I don't think Patty's picture of it in the above link is all that representative of it I decided to Go to Google IMAGES and just one picture there from Victory Seeds.

Then decided to go to Gleckler's and here/s the link to there:

http://www.glecklerseedmen.com/Tomat...=173812&Page=2

Tania says midseason and Adam says early midseason and Andrey in the SSE YEarbook says mid-early to midseason and another says 70-75 days. And both say det, with which I agree.

It's just that the fruits I got from it were true hearts, but the few pictures I've seen suggest hearts but don't seem quite right to me as to shape.

But still, without my quibbling about shape, please do consider it b'c it does meet your criteria of early and tasty and being a heart.

Wow, thanks Carolyn, I will definitely try them. I notice there's a lot of shape variation in my Anna Russians. Some are shaped like strawberries! Others the typical heart, and some rather flattened like the Danko in the picture. All adorable, every one!

[MarinaRussian]

Originally Posted by bower

wondering whether any of the other tasty hearts are relatively early and/or tolerant of cold?

bower, the first hearts to set fruit this year were: Mazarini, Serdtse Dezdemony, Kardinal Mazarini and Zolotye Kupola. They are setting a decent amount of fruits, no matter the weather. They should ripen within a couple of weeks.

[bower]

Originally Posted by MarinaRussian

bower, the first hearts to set fruit this year were: Mazarini, Serdtse Dezdemony, Kardinal Mazarini and Zolotye Kupola. They are setting a decent amount of fruits, no matter the weather. They should ripen within a couple of weeks.

Great!!! Be sure to post and let us know your favourites for taste!!! Glad to hear you are getting lots of fruit.

[kath]

Originally Posted by bower

I'm growing my first heart this season - Anna Russian - and very pleased with the performance so far. She set huge clusters of blossoms but didn't grow any fruit until the cold weather broke. Now there are a couple dozen fruit on each plant which are growing by leaps and bounds.
I see Fish Lake Oxheart is fairly fast maturing, and am wondering whether any of the other tasty hearts are relatively early and/or tolerant of cold?

I grew three sets of tomato starts, one month apart. In the earliest group, Zolotoe Serdste beat Danko and Favorite Holiday in ripening the first fruit.

In the second group, Work Release Paste began ripening 3 days before Fish Lake Oxheart and the other hearts: Oleyar's German, Granny's Heart and Hays, are still all green. Despite the name, WRP produces oxheart shaped fruits and other variations in the 14-20 oz. range. I think it's only available through SSE and trading- I hope to have seeds to share this year.

It's too soon to tell in the third group, but the first hearts to set fruits and which now have the largest green fruits are Serdste Buivola, Monomakh's Hat and Tsar of Bells. Kosovo's fruits are about the same size, though, so it's hard to say which will ripen first.

I really can't speak much to cold tolerance, but the first group set fruit in a greenhouse; the second and third were set out in the garden in early and mid May. All of them had good fruit set on the first blossoms produced, though.

[bower]

Originally Posted by kath

I grew three sets of tomato starts, one month apart. In the earliest group, Zolotoe Serdste beat Danko and Favorite Holiday in ripening the first fruit.

In the second group, Work Release Paste began ripening 3 days before Fish Lake Oxheart and the other hearts: Oleyar's German, Granny's Heart and Hays, are still all green. Despite the name, WRP produces oxheart shaped fruits and other variations in the 14-20 oz. range. I think it's only available through SSE and trading- I hope to have seeds to share this year.

It's too soon to tell in the third group, but the first hearts to set fruits and which now have the largest green fruits are Serdste Buivola, Monomakh's Hat and Tsar of Bells. Kosovo's fruits are about the same size, though, so it's hard to say which will ripen first.

I really can't speak much to cold tolerance, but the first group set fruit in a greenhouse; the second and third were set out in the garden in early and mid May. All of them had good fruit set on the first blossoms produced, though.

Kath, the descriptions of Zolotoe Serdste (and Sherry's pix on another thread!) are very appealing! I see it's also determinate (or at least compact) like Danko so that makes it an especially good choice for me to try in my limited space. I was also reading about Marina's early hearts, and Mazarini looks incredible!! Such a luscious colour. With those three for next year, I'll be in heaven with red, pink and gold hearts...

[chalstonsc]

I've grown Danko, Serdtse Buivola and Zolotoe Serdtse for several years. Danko is usually the first, and usually the first to ripen for me after Sungold. Danko does not beat the other two by much, and Serdtse Buivola is last, probably because it has the largest fruit.
I prefer Danko for taste, followed by Buivola, but Zolotoe(the smallest plant for me) is the most productive and disease resistant by far. So I roast and dehydrate Zolotoe, and eat the others fresh.

Kath---how does Monomakh's Hat compare to the others re: plant size, productivity and taste? Thanks.

Tom

[camochef]

I've never been fond of heart shaped tomatoes as they usually look spindly as if they're dying and detract from the overall appearance of my gardens. This had nothing to do with taste or production.
Then I discovered WES and decided a couple spindly looking plants were tolerable for such a great tasting tomato.
Then last year I planted some of my Kukla's Portugese Bullsheart seed that I had received from Jackie a couple years earlier. Move over Wes! Kukla's Portugese Bulls Heart is the best tasting heart shaped tomato I ever grew!
It is an end of the season producer and really puts out a decent crop while other varieties are beginning to wain in production. And to think, I almost pulled it earlier in the season as it just wasn't producing much. If you like hearts I recommend trying it, just be patient with it as it will please in the end!
Enjoy!
camo