🍅 Quick take: Lush Queen is an indeterminate, mid-season novelty beefsteak bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in California. The vines reach roughly 5.5 ft (1.7 m) in protected greenhouses, producing heavy yields of large, deep oblate slicers painted in deep burgundy-red with intricate metallic striping. Growers highlight its well-balanced, remarkably sweet flavor and dependable set under greenhouse glass. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 4 Experience)
Lush Queen (Pyshnaya Koroleva). A tall-growing vine topping out around 5.5 ft (1.7 m) in the greenhouse, very productive variety bred by Brad Gates.
Mid-season maturity. The fruit are large, deep oblate slicers with rich burgundy-red skin covered in detailed striping. Top-tier flavor, wonderfully sweet.
Here is how mine turned out.
Full Summary: Plant Habit, Appearance & Taste Profile
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate vine of moderate vigor. Reaches roughly 5.5 ft (1.7 m) in unheated greenhouse setups. Well-suited for single or double-leader training with regular suckering.
- 🍅 Fruit Appearance: Large, thick, deep oblate beefsteaks. The skin is a dark burgundy-crimson marked with fine green, bronze, and golden brushstrokes that intensify with sun exposure.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Dense, meaty flesh with rich juice pockets. Delivers a pronounced sweetness balanced by the complex, savory undertones typical of dark, anthocyanin-tinted heirlooms.
- ⏱️ Maturity & Productivity: True mid-season cropper. Sets reliably in high-latitude greenhouse tunnels without excessive flower drop.
- 🌎 Proven Climate: Successfully grown and ripened in short-summer continental conditions (Moscow Region, USDA Zone 4).
🍅 Grown Lush Queen? How did the striping develop in your garden, and how did it rank for taste compared to other Wild Boar Farms varieties? Leave your comments and photos below!
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: Brad Gates & Wild Boar Farms Lines in Eastern Europe
Lush Queen is one of many artistic heirloom crosses created by breeder Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in Northern California. Gates is renowned worldwide for breeding varieties with high concentrations of anthocyanin pigments, bold metallic striping, and rich, complex flavors (including famous varieties like Beauty King, Brad’s Atomic Grape, and Solar Flare).
Lush Queen is one of many artistic heirloom crosses created by breeder Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in Northern California. Gates is renowned worldwide for breeding varieties with high concentrations of anthocyanin pigments, bold metallic striping, and rich, complex flavors (including famous varieties like Beauty King, Brad’s Atomic Grape, and Solar Flare).
In Eastern European tomato communities, Gates’ creations are widely cultivated under direct translations of their English names (here translated as Pyshnaya Koroleva). Because northern growers cultivate them under greenhouse plastic, the striping can sometimes present with softer pastel contrasts compared to fruit grown under the blistering UV index of open-field California summers.
