🍅 Quick take: Marek’s Pointy Heart is an indeterminate, mid-season heirloom oxheart with characteristic wispy foliage, originally obtained from Polish gardener Marek via Tatiana Kouchnareva. The vines set dense, elongated, tapered red hearts typically running 8-16 oz (220-450 g). The interior is solid, dense, and sweet with almost no seeds, though northern growers recommend greenhouse planting for improved productivity over unprotected open ground. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-6 Experience)
Indeterminate, mid-season slicer with typical wispy foliage. Fruits are medium to large pointed red oxhearts: very meaty, nearly seedless, great overall quality, and very good sweet flavor.
Ran it outdoors in open ground, and yield was just average. Will definitely grow it again, but giving it a greenhouse spot next time around. Seeds sourced from T. Kouchnareva.
Every single fruit on my vine came out with this exact tapered, pointy shape, and barely a seed to be found inside.
Full Summary: Plant Habit, Fruit Structure, and Climate Needs
- 🌿 Plant & Canopy: Indeterminate vine with distinct droopy, wispy oxheart foliage. Healthy vines look naturally delicate and weeping compared to standard broadleaf varieties.
- 📈 Yield & Culture: Moderate in northern open ground (Zone 3/4). Growers note that protecting vines inside a high tunnel or greenhouse markedly improves cluster set and overall poundage in shorter seasons.
- 👅 Flesh & Seeds: Classic dense paste-oxheart texture. Slices reveal solid, meaty walls, virtually empty locules, and negligible seed counts, making seed-saving a test of patience. Flavor is balanced and noticeably sweet.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Tested in cold northern European Russia (Kostroma, Zone 3/4) and hot continental steppe conditions (Volgograd, Zone 5/6).
🍅 Grown Marek’s Pointy Heart? How many seeds did you manage to save per fruit? Post your zone and greenhouse notes below!
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: Wispy Foliage & Sparse Seed Counts in Oxhearts
ElenaN mentions the plant has “thin leaves.” In heirloom circles, this is known as wispy foliage, an unmistakable genetic signature of true heart-shaped varieties (such as Cuore di Bue, German Red Strawberry, or Marek’s Pointy Heart). Novice growers often mistake these weeping, narrow leaves for wilting, drought stress, or herbicide damage, leading to accidental overwatering. Furthermore, the solid, dense flesh leaves very few viable seeds per fruit; expect to harvest and process multiple fully ripe hearts just to secure a small packet of seeds for next season.
ElenaN mentions the plant has “thin leaves.” In heirloom circles, this is known as wispy foliage, an unmistakable genetic signature of true heart-shaped varieties (such as Cuore di Bue, German Red Strawberry, or Marek’s Pointy Heart). Novice growers often mistake these weeping, narrow leaves for wilting, drought stress, or herbicide damage, leading to accidental overwatering. Furthermore, the solid, dense flesh leaves very few viable seeds per fruit; expect to harvest and process multiple fully ripe hearts just to secure a small packet of seeds for next season.
