Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4 Experience)
Lover’s Lunch (Obed Vlyublyonnykh).
Vigorous indeterminate, mid-season, hefty regular foliage, very strong vegetative habit. The fruit are round and smooth, textbook shape without any catfacing, striped in red and yellow. Slices open into a gorgeous bicolor pattern. Great balanced flavor, easily 9+ oz (250+ g), with 5 or more fruit per cluster.
You definitely want to tie up those trusses. I had to do an emergency job taping the first trusses with painter’s tape to keep them from kinking under the weight. Honestly didn’t expect that kind of load after starting seeds late in April.
The best eating stage is a matter of personal taste. I preferred eating them while they were still a bit firm, but my coworkers let them sit until they turned to pure jelly.
Overall, a very healthy plant that shrugs off rain. Out in the open ground, once the non-stop fall downpours and cold fogs set in, the fruit did start cracking, though they held out for a long time before that. The skin is neither too thin nor too thick, pretty much spot on. Really impressed me with its vigor, health, and looks. The main trick is not to overdo the nitrogen, or the vine will get lazy and go completely vegetative on you.
Seeds came from Popenko. Ran it both in the greenhouse and outdoors in the ground.
What an exceptional variety. Drop-dead gorgeous, turns heads, and gets everyone talking!
Put several plants in my polycarbonate greenhouse. Tall grower, mid-season for our northern climate. Clusters are loaded with big, neatly shaped, slightly flattened fruit that absolutely must be supported so the stems don’t snap.
The fruit are breathtakingly pretty. Soft orange painted with golden brushstrokes and subtle pink striping. Flesh inside is delicate with a very enjoyable flavor.
Really enjoyed this one! Grew it in an unheated hoop house. Topped out around 6.5 ft (2 m). Not only a real looker, but packed a sweet, top-notch flavor too.
Grew this back in 2018 from Gusev’s seeds. The vine went wild on nitrogen and I couldn’t pull it back into generative growth. Ended up with just 2 measly fruit on the entire plant. Haven’t grown it since.
Had two vines going in the greenhouse last season. Same deal as Evgeniya (@Evgeniya 03), both wanted to run rampant with leafy vegetative growth, but I managed to get them steered in the right direction.
Solid flavor, juicy and sweet. Moderate producer.
Seeds came from Lena (@Anela). Much appreciated! 😊
Edited August 5, 2021 by neLENtyayka
Full Summary: Plant Habit, Productivity, and Taste
- 🌿 Plant Type & Growth: Vigorous indeterminate vine, mid-season maturity, with heavy regular foliage. It reaches 6.5 ft (2 m) or taller under cover. Prone to vegetative runaway if overfed nitrogen, so nitrogen should be dialed back early. Clusters carry 5 or more heavy fruit and require proactive support to keep trusses from kinking or snapping.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Smooth, round to slightly flattened beefsteaks weighing 9+ oz (250+ g) and up. Bright yellow-orange skin with crimson brushstrokes and striping. No catfacing reported. Flesh is tender, juicy, and marbled yellow and pink.
- 👅 Flavor Profile: Highly rated for sweetness and rich, balanced flavor when picked slightly firm or fully vine-ripened.
- 📈 Yield & Resilience: Moderate to heavy producer depending on fertilizer balance. Resilient foliage with good disease tolerance; fruit skin holds up well, though open-ground plantings can crack under sustained late-season rains and heavy morning dew.
- 🌎 Grower Climate: Successfully grown in cold, short-season conditions (USDA Zones 3 and 4, including Central Russia, Tatarstan, and Southern Siberia) in both polycarbonate greenhouses and open beds.
Lover’s Lunch is an American creation bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms in California, which quickly gained a devoted following among Russian heirloom collectors under the translated name Obed Vlyublyonnykh. Several growers above note that the vine “went vegetative” (in Russian gardening, zhirivanie or “fattening up”). This occurs when heirloom vines with aggressive root systems get hit with high-nitrogen soil amendments (like fresh manure or high-N synthetic blends), causing thick trunks, giant dark leaves, and blossom drop instead of fruit set. To keep vigorous vines like Lover’s Lunch productive, limit nitrogen after transplant and switch early to potassium and phosphorus.
