Quick Summary of Serdtse Pustyni (Desert Heart)
- 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety developed by Vitaly Alifirov, a well-known breeder from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The name translates to “Desert Heart”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The bush is compact, not overly leafy (“well-behaved”), and highly disease-resistant. It sets fruit reliably from bottom to top without skipping trusses.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright, vibrant orange oxhearts. The shape is flawless, as if someone specifically “sculpted” these perfectly even hearts. They are firm, meaty, and hold up well to weather changes.
- 👅 Flavor: The main selling point! Unlike many orange tomatoes, growers specifically note that it has no carrot/carotene aftertaste. In warm weather, they become “obscenely sweet”—tasting almost like a fully ripe persimmon, balanced with very delicate fruity and tangy notes.
Serdtse Pustyni (Desert Heart). A beautiful variety from Vitaly Alifirov (Almaty). It might be a twin of some other orange heart-shaped varieties, there are many similar ones and they are all wonderful.
Indeterminate, very productive, long fruiting period (today is September 21st, and the remnants are still hanging in the greenhouse). The first fruits, which ripened in warm weather, were obscenely sweet, exactly like a well-ripened persimmon. Now, after a prolonged period of cold weather, they have become firmer and just generally tasty.
Sveta, tell me please, does this variety differ a lot from Zheltyi Klyuv (Yellow Beak) and Serdtse Lyuby (Lyuba’s Heart)?
On 10/29/2021 at 10:19 AM, LanYa said:
Sveta, tell me please, does this variety differ a lot from Zheltyi Klyuv and Serdtse Lyuby?
No, not a lot. The fruits are slightly smaller and even sweeter than those two, although it’s hard to imagine how they could be sweeter. In the first fruits, the sugar levels were just off the charts. Well, all varieties of this type turn out very productive for me and fruit until the end of the season, and Desert Heart is no exception. I’ve already written it down to be repeated next year.
Indeed, an excellent variety! I grew 9 of Vitaly’s varieties, and they all showed their best side—tasty, productive!
Serdtse Pustyni.
Bred by V. Alifirov.
One of his most successful varieties, across all characteristics.
Firstly, it really is very beautiful. Bright, orange, immediately catches the eye. The shape looks as if someone specifically “sculpted” such even, perfect hearts. The tomato is tasty and will appeal to those who love sweets. At the same time, it has fruity notes and a slight tang. A very vibrant taste for this type of tomato.
The yield is good, the bushes have medium foliage, and are compact. Mid-season.
A very worthy variety, you can delight yourself and your loved ones not only with a tasty product but also with its beauty.
You can’t pick and eat every beautiful flower… but here, you certainly can 🙂
I didn’t like it. I expected more.
A bit too small, and the taste was bland. The yield, yes, is very good. Beautiful. But that’s it.
There are many similar varieties that are much more worthy in terms of taste. Therefore, for ME, Desert Heart is going into the archive (won’t grow again).
P.S. Seeds were originally from Vitaly.
An excellent variety! It sets fruit all over, from bottom to top, without skipping any trusses. The tomatoes are firm, the taste is very bright and rich. What is very important to me—there is absolutely no carotene (carrot) aftertaste! It is the kind of tomato that you can put into jars in slices, make mind-blowingly delicious sauce from it, or just snack on—your hand just reaches for it on its own.
It is beautiful! Handsome and stately, and the taste is lusciously appetizing. Well-behaved and has good disease immunity.
One bush, initially grown in 2 stems, but it might have added some more along the way.
