📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baba Nadya (Grandma Nadya)
- 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Latvian “folk selection” (family heirloom). It was popularized in the tomato community by the well-known breeder and collector Valdis Pulins. The name translates to “Grandma Nadya”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Reaches about 1.4-1.6 meters (4.5-5.2 ft) in height. Recommended pruning is to 2 main stems. Unfussy and reportedly resistant to Blossom End Rot (BER).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flattened-round), pink/raspberry-red beefsteaks. Weight ranges widely from 200g up to a massive 800g (7 to 28 oz). Note: The very first truss may produce irregular, misshapen fruits with catfacing, but subsequent fruits are smoother. The flesh is described as “watermelon-like”—meaty and sugary. Density/firmness is average.
- 👅 Flavor: Highly rated. Sweetness dominates, but the flavor is well-balanced and rich.
- ⏳ Maturity: Mid-season.
“BABA NADYA” – a family heirloom (folk selection) variety. Recommended by Valdis Pulins.
Valdis’s description: “Mid-season variety, fruits are oblate, weighing 200-800g (7-28 oz). On the first truss, they are of irregular shape with catfacing/growths. The flesh is watermelon-like, sweet. Plant height is 1.4-1.6m (4.5-5.2 ft). Prune to 2 stems.”
Mine grew without any catfacing, but with a characteristic spot on the blossom end. A huge thank you to Valdis, and of course to the unknown Grandma Nadya, for this delicious variety.
Edited October 1, 2019 by Khrizantema57
Khrizantema57 said:
for this delicious variety
Lyuda, what exactly is the flavor of this tomato like? What dominates, sweetness or tartness? Does the taste change throughout the season?
T@tk@ said:
What dominates, sweetness
Tatiana! Sweetness dominates. The flavor is balanced. I very rarely repeat varieties. But I am growing Baba Nadya again this year.
Khrizantema57 said:
Tatiana! Sweetness dominates. The flavor is balanced. I very rarely repeat varieties. But I am growing Baba Nadya again this year.
Is it an unfussy variety? Does it suffer from BER (Blossom End Rot)? And have you tried growing Ded Ivan (Grandpa Ivan)?
T@tk@ said:
Is it an unfussy variety? Does it suffer from BER (Blossom End Rot)?
It didn’t suffer from BER. I haven’t grown Ded Ivan. This year I’m testing new varieties from Valdis (his own breeding lines).
Edited July 18, 2020 by Khrizantema57
Khrizantema57 said:
“BABA NADYA” – a family heirloom (folk selection)
Thank you, adding it to my wish list/grow list)
Baba Nadya. A very tasty variety, indeterminate, grew in the greenhouse pruned to 2 stems. Fruits are meaty, of a deep pink-raspberry color, weighing up to 500g (1.1 lbs). Seeds were from Masha @Murka 🙏
Edited September 21, 2021 by Svetikk
Svetikk said:
Baba Nadya. A very tasty variety, indeterminate, grew in the greenhouse pruned to 2 stems. Fruits are meaty, of a deep pink-raspberry color, weighing up to 500g (1.1 lbs). Seeds were from Masha @Murka 🙏
What a great little grandma!!!
Svetlana, what is it like in terms of firmness/density?
Lyudmila D. said:
What a great little grandma!!!
Svetlana, what is it like in terms of firmness/density?
Medium!
