Quick Summary of Big Dolly Red
- 🌍 Origin: An old heirloom from Kentucky, USA. Developed over 40 years ago by Milo Eason, it is a cross between an unknown red heart-shaped tomato and ‘Big Red Stafford’. Fun fact: In Russia, this variety is often affectionately translated and sold under the name “Большая красная кукла” (Big Red Doll).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Reaches 1.8 – 2 m (6-6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. The plants are vigorous but typically feature the thin, wispy foliage characteristic of heart-shaped varieties. To support the massive fruits, the plant requires high agrotechnology (consistent watering and balanced feeding).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Deep red, massive, plump, and blunt oxhearts. Average weight is 300-500 g (10.5-17.5 oz), but with cluster pruning, they easily reach 800 g to over 1 kg (1.7-2.2+ lbs).
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Exceptional. The flesh is dense, thick, buttery, and meaty (not overly juicy). The flavor is robust and rich, featuring a pronounced sweetness perfectly balanced by a slight tartness/acidity. Excellent for fresh slicing and making thick sauces.
- ⏳ Yield & Stability: Mid-season with a long fruiting period and incredible yield potential. Note: Some growers report occasional segregations (off-types) where lower fruits grow wider/oblate while upper clusters remain perfect hearts.
Big Dolly Red (Большая Долли красная) – indeterminate, mid-season. An old variety from Kentucky, a cross between an unknown heart-shaped tomato and Big Red Stafford, developed by Milo Eason. It has wispy foliage. The fruits are plump and can be shaped like blunt hearts. Fruiting period is long, the yield is excellent, and the taste is superb: there is a slight acidity. Great for slicing and sauces. Average weight is 300-400g (10.5-14 oz). A super variety.
Edited January 26, 2025 by Murka
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From the history of the variety: Big Dolly Red is the result of crossing a red heart-shaped variety with Big Red Stafford. Developed by Milo Eason in Kentucky, it has been grown for over 40 years.
BIG DOLLY RED – An unparalleled novelty of this season! Big Red Doll pleased us with its huge, meaty oxheart-shaped tomatoes and incredible yield in our climate! The fruits on the plants are all very large, 500-800 grams (1.1-1.8 lbs), and if the clusters are pruned/thinned, they can gain a weight of over 1 kg (2.2 lbs). The flesh of the fruits is dense, thick, with excellent texture. The taste is robust and rich. The plants are strong, tall, up to 1.8 – 2 m (6-6.5 ft) in the greenhouse. To obtain a guaranteed stable yield, high agrotechnology and balanced nutrition are required throughout the entire growth period.
Big Red Dolly Tomato (Big Dolly Red)Indeterminate. Tall – up to 1.8 – 2 m in a greenhouse. The fruits on the plants are all very large, 500-800 g (1.1-1.8 lbs). The flesh is dense, thick, buttery with an excellent texture. The taste is strong and rich. The plants are strong. It requires high agrotechnology and balanced feeding throughout the growing period. The variety delighted us with its massive, meaty oxheart tomatoes and incredible yield in our climate!
Big Red Doll (segregation / off-type)!!!
The bush has a heart-type structure, sturdy, 2m (6.5 ft) tall, regular leaf. The fruits on the lower trusses are large, oblate-heart shaped, red in color, while on the top trusses there are beautiful, perfectly shaped hearts. The taste is rich, there is good sweetness and a little tartness in the aftertaste. The tomato is meaty and juicy!! One of the best of the 2024 season. It is definitely going on my permanent grow list!!!
I had some doubts about this variety at first, but when the top trusses set fruit, I realized that my “Doll” had segregated, because in all other “parameters” the variety matches Big Dolly Red. The only difference is in the shape of the lower fruits and the weight (at the bottom, my fruits are “chubby” and grew out wide. I’m not going to invent any new names for it. What grew is what grew!!!).
I took photos of the upper trusses today and there are still green ones hanging!!!
fifaira said:
They say the Doll is generally an old variety…
Good day everyone!
I read about Big Dolly Red that it is over 40 years old. I plan to plant it next year along with Portuguese Doll. In this case, I absolutely don’t care what shape or name it ends up with, as long as it’s red-crimson-pink. Oblate beefsteaks and large plums really love our soil here, whereas heart-shaped ones either catch blossom end rot (BER) or drop half their blossoms. Red Pumpkin (Krasnaya Tykva) this year is just mind-blowing, just like Verace—nothing but huge and delicious tomatoes.
Regarding the Big Dolly Red variety, I tried it, it’s very tasty. The flesh is dense, rich, not very juicy (meaty), similar in structure to Ancient Heart of Acqui Terme. The taste is sweet, full-bodied, slightly tart/astringent. I liked it a lot.
Murka said:
Regarding the Big Dolly Red variety, I tried it, it’s very tasty. The flesh is dense, rich, not very juicy…
Girls, it’s highly likely that this was actually Giant Sword, not Big Dolly Red. I’ll do a comparison and write later. Waiting for the second bush to ripen.
The correct Doll has fruits like this, photo by Sofia:
