📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bakinskie (From Baku)
- 🌍 Origin: This is a fascinating collector’s variety. Originally, it was a “numbered test line” sent directly from a breeder in Baku, Azerbaijan, to members of the Russian ForumHouse for trial grow-outs. Because it never received an official name, growers simply started calling it “Bakinskie” (From Baku). Note: There is a commercial seed packet also sold under the name “Bakinskie,” but growers confirm it is a completely different (and inferior) tomato.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly debated among growers. Some report it behaves as a determinate (stopping around 1m / 3.3 ft outdoors), while others in greenhouses claim it grows as a tall indeterminate (reaching 1.5 – 2m / 5-6.5 ft).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate (flat-round) pink beefsteaks. While the original breeder claimed they could reach 1 kg (2.2 lbs), most growers harvest fruits in the 400g to 600g (14 oz to 1.3 lbs) range. They are thin-skinned, yet dense and meaty.
- 👅 Flavor: The vast majority of growers rate the flavor as excellent—very sweet and sugary.
The “Bakinskie” tomato variety—these were originally received directly from Baku for a variety trial. According to the original description, it is a determinate variety, growing up to 1m (3.3 ft) tall, with fruits reaching up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs).
Mine grew outdoors in open ground under spunbond row covers all summer. I pruned it to 3-4 stems. The fruits were oblate (flat-round), weighing up to 400g (14 oz), pink in color, meaty, and very tasty. There aren’t many seeds inside the fruit. I will definitely keep growing it.
The fruits are large, flat, and pink. Thin-skinned, but somehow still very dense. However, the flavor was just mediocre for me. To be fair, it was planted in a pretty bad spot in the garden.
My bush was indeterminate and grew to about 2m (6.5 ft) tall. It turned out to be one of the very last varieties to ripen for me (if not the absolute last). After tasting DaCosta’s Portuguese and Kazakhstan Homemade, the topic of pink tomatoes is officially closed for me—I hope to only grow those two from now on. I won’t be planting Bakinskie again.
I grew this variety from Baku again this year. Just a heads up: there is actually a commercial variety being sold in stores under the name “Bakinskie,” but that is a completely different tomato. I have no idea what the real name of this specific variety from Baku is. People suggested a lot of options.
This is what mine looked like this year. Both the flavor and the yield were excellent. In the greenhouse, it grew to 1.5m (5 ft), and outdoors in open ground, it stopped at 1m (3.3 ft).
I call mine “Bakinskie Large-Fruited,” that’s the name I track it under. But honestly, it’s just a numbered test line—that’s how it was originally mailed out from Baku to anyone on ForumHouse who wanted to participate in the variety trials.
The tomato is a determinate type, large-fruited, and very, very tasty. I will definitely be planting it every single year now. It is incredibly sweet.
Russi wrote:
…honestly, it’s just a numbered test line—that’s how it was originally mailed out from Baku to anyone on ForumHouse who wanted to participate in the variety trials…
I got mine the exact same way, mailed directly from Baku. I can’t remember if there was a number written on the packet or not, but the word “Large-fruited” was definitely there. I’ve been planting it for two years now, and will continue to grow it.
I received this variety from @LanaD along with her highest recommendations. For me, it grew as an indeterminate in the greenhouse. I pruned it to 2 stems, and it was very productive. The fruits are pink, oblate, weighing up to 600g (1.3 lbs), with absolutely excellent flavor! 😋
