Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-6 Experience)
“Breeder: Clause (France).
Brief description: A ‘plum’ tomato of the salad/slicer type. Very vigorous plant habit. Due to its vigorous growth, it is recommended to prune to 2 stems. The vine features short internodes. Fruits are oval-shaped, beautiful red color, with excellent flavor. Average weight 5.5-6 oz (160-170 g). Averages 8-10 fruits per cluster! The cluster often forks into two, which increases yield. Suitable for greenhouse and outdoor growing. Transports extremely well over long distances. Excellent flavor, very heavy yielder.”
Tomatanya wrote:
I’m not impressed with this Colibri at all… the vine is so skiiinny and short, and it’s taking forever to set fruit. Podsinskaya Liana is way better!
Tanya, here is my Colibri from the exact same seed packet. Still green right now, but it’s already over 5 feet (160 cm) tall.
Edited February 3, 2016 by Sweet
Tanya, is the one in your pic the original F1 seed from the French breeder?
Zulfiya wrote:
Tanya, is the one in your pic the original F1 seed from the French breeder?
Yep 🙂
Zulya, I’m growing it from the exact same batch, Tanya sent me the seeds!
I guess Kyiv is just a lot closer to Paris than I am! 😆
Tanya, I think these high-flavor hybrids can just be really fussy about their seedling conditions, while OPs (open-pollinated heirlooms) are way more adaptable.
I’m really liking Colibri too. Here’s what mine looks like right now, we’ve already eaten about five off it… this is the bottom cluster, and it set fruit like this all the way up the vine without dropping a single blossom.
Nadezhda, how would you describe the flavor and texture of Colibri? Is it a two-locule paste when you cut it open?
Edited February 3, 2016 by Drosera
Huge thanks to Galya 🌺, she shared some of these seeds with me at a seed swap. It’s a very rewarding plant. I grew mine in the greenhouse. The fruits are firm little plums, absolutely perfect for canning whole in jars. The label in the pic belongs to the plant next to it.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate vine. Known for its vigorous growth habit and very short internodes. Can easily be pruned to 2 stems/leaders in a greenhouse. Growers in colder regions note it can be fussy in the seedling stage compared to adaptable OPs/heirlooms.
- 📈 Yield: Extremely high. It throws heavy clusters of 8-10 fruits, which often fork into two. It reliably sets fruit all the way up the vine without dropping blossoms.
- 👅 Taste & Texture: Firm and dense. While marketed as a slicing/salad tomato, its texture is much closer to a classic Roma/paste type.
- 🍅 Fruit Size: Uniform, oval-shaped red plums/pastes weighing 5.5-6 oz (160-170 g).
- 🥫 Best Uses: Thanks to its firm skin and dense flesh, forum growers highly recommend it for processing and canning whole in jars. It also holds up exceptionally well during transport.
