Quick Summary of Shokoladka F1 (Little Chocolate F1)
- 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid originally released by the Russian seed company “SeDek” (also distributed by Ukrainian private collectors). The name translates to “Chocolate Bar”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, medium-tall. Outdoors it reaches about 1.7 m (5.5 ft). The foliage is somewhat thin and sparse (wispy), which allows good airflow but can cause the plant to dry out quickly in the heat.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small plum/egg-shaped tomatoes, often with a small tip (beak) at the blossom end. The color is striking: a brownish-crimson base covered with green stripes. Average weight is about 40 g (1.4 oz).
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: The taste is generally rated as average. Growers note it has a somewhat mealy (cottony) texture and lacks juiciness, with a mild, sometimes bland sweetness.
- ⏳ Pros & Cons: It is visually beautiful and makes a great canning tomato due to its size and shape. However, it is prone to fruit cracking. Since it is an F1 hybrid, saving seeds will result in genetic segregation in F2/F3 generations.
An indeterminate, mid-season hybrid from SeDek. For me, it wasn’t very tall and was moderately spreading. The fruits are egg-shaped, can be with or without a small beak. Fruit color: at first light brown, when fully ripe – brownish-crimson with green stripes. Weight is about 40 g (1.4 oz).
The yield is normal, there were no skipped trusses, but a few flowers did dry up. The taste is so-so, sweet but bland.
Regarding what might grow out of a seed packet instead of Shokoladka, and about genetic segregation in the F2 and F3 generations — this is discussed in the “Shokoladka F1 — off-types” thread.
Seeds are from Dukhov (Ukraine).
- External bush description: medium variety, not overly spreading, tall, normal.
- Fruit set: sets fruit without skipping blossoms, the last fruits are ripening right now.
- Bush height outdoors on August 9: 1.7 m (5.5 ft), dries out quickly due to thin foliage.
- Trusses: 5–9 fruits per truss.
- Overall yield: medium, closer to high.
- Fruit: a plum shape tapering to a beak, crimson-burgundy with green stripes, very original look.
- Density of ripe fruit: medium.
- Taste: a bit mealy (cottony), sweetness is a 4.
First impression: a beautiful tomato for canning.
Cons: prone to fruit cracking, lacks sweetness and juiciness.
Rating: seedlings – 5, bush – 4-, fruit – 4, overall variety rating – 4-.
Here is the Shokoladka that grew for me outdoors in open ground…
