Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4 Experience)
Indeterminate, mid-season variety. The vine is extremely slender with delicate, wispy foliage. It threw very few suckers all season long. Fruits are large red hearts: very well-balanced flavor and solid, meaty flesh.
Ran it outdoors in open ground, and yield was slightly above average. Definitely keeping this in the rotation, but giving it a prime, sunny spot inside the greenhouse next time. Seeds came from Elena (Leo Leo) out of New York.
Grew this variety for a second year. Flavor shifted from well-balanced to intensely sweet, but with practically zero acid.
The vine and foliage are extraordinarily thin and delicate. You really have to protect that canopy and avoid over-pruning or stripping off leaves. Looking closely at the fruit color over two seasons, they are not a pure scarlet red, but more of a rich reddish-pink.
Full Summary: Canopy Habits, Pruning Rules, and Flavor Profile
- 🇺🇸 Origin: Heirloom oxheart preserved and shared via seed collectors in New York, USA.
- 🌿 Plant & Foliage: Indeterminate vine characterized by an unusually slender, sparse growth habit and weeping, wispy foliage. Throws very few lateral suckers, making it low-maintenance to trellis.
- ✂️ Pruning Warning: Because the canopy is naturally light and delicate, growers emphasize preserving foliage. Over-pruning lower leaves can starve developing fruit of vital photosynthates.
- 🥩 Fruit Architecture: Dense, solid reddish-pink hearts weighing 8-16 oz (225-450 g). Locules are packed with meaty flesh and minimal seed count.
- 👅 Flavor Notes: Leans very sweet with gentle to virtually absent acidity in warm summers, offering a smooth, mellow dessert eating experience.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Grown in northern Russian short seasons (Kostroma, Zone 3/4) and the Moscow Region (Zone 4).
