Quick Summary of Tolstyi Jack (Fat Jack)
- 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial Siberian variety originally introduced by “Sibsad” (Siberian Garden). The name translates to “Fat Jack”.
- 🌿 The “Red vs. Black” Mystery: This forum thread highlights a fascinating seed mix-up! While the original Tolstyi Jack is a short, red determinate, a rogue “Black” (brown/purple) version began circulating among Russian growers. The black variant is taller, highly productive, and incredibly sweet, becoming a beloved heirloom in its own right.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics (Original Red): Large, bright red, oblate (flattened) beefsteaks weighing 150-300g (5.3-10.5 oz). Firm, uniform, and crack-resistant.
- 📏 Plant Habit: The original red is a true determinate (bush), growing 60-70 cm (24-28 inches) tall. It requires little to no pruning. The accidental “Black” version grows taller, up to 1.2-1.4 meters (4-4.5 ft).
- 👅 Flavor: The original red has a classic, sweet, and robust tomato flavor (excellent for an early bush variety). The black variant is praised for being exceptionally sweet and rich.
- ⏳ Maturity & Cultivation: Early season. Performs exceptionally well in both open ground and greenhouses. Note: Can be slightly prone to Blossom End Rot (BER) in some conditions.
Description from the seed packet:
Early, high-yielding variety for open ground and film tunnels, requires practically no pruning (suckering). The plant is determinate, compact, with large red oblate fruits weighing 200-300g (7-10.5 oz). The flesh is aromatic, sweet, and very firm. Perfect for fresh eating, processing, and canning. Yields up to 5-6 kg per square meter.
Photos originally posted by Natsha (Natalia):
I really liked this variety. Mine was early; it ripened in June. Planted in the greenhouse in late April. The plant is quite short, about 60-70 cm (24-28″). The leaves are large, which is probably great for southern regions. I pruned it moderately, keeping about 4 stems. Fruits were around 200g (7 oz), red, and very tasty.
Yeah, I grew it too, but I never had a harvest quite like he did.
irunchik wrote:
Yeah, I grew it too, but I never had a harvest quite like he did.
It didn’t do well for me either. The stem didn’t look like a “Fat” Jack. Later it seemed to bounce back, but there was no big harvest. The plant was about 1 meter (3.3 ft) tall, the fruits were indeed bright red, but the yield… low for a determinate, and very low if compared to indeterminates. I removed it from my rotation.
I planted Tolstyi Jack from two different sources, from Allochka (there was a note “black” in brackets) and from Tanik — both grew identical black (brown/purple) tomatoes!
They were about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall and very productive 👍
I pruned them to 3-4 stems.
The ones grown outdoors turned out just as good as the greenhouse ones! 😎
I planted Tolstyi Jack this year. Seeds were from Lidia. I also ended up with the black-fruited variant.
But it was very tasty and productive. I’ll try to plant it again next year. I liked it.
It was the sweetest and tastiest tomato of the season for me, exactly like in Olya’s photo — brown with green shoulders. Seeds from Redko.
My Jack this year wasn’t ribbed, it was small and more orange than red.
I really regret not planting it this year. Very tasty and productive. I have the “black one”.
I have the determinate one with red fruits, bush height up to 60cm (24″). I grew this variety again and loved it. I had two bushes in the greenhouse, didn’t prune them at all. Very good yield and fruit quality — all of them are uniform, firm, beautiful, and quite large for such a short plant, 150-200g (5-7 oz). Extremely good taste for an early determinate. They store fairly well for a while and transport easily.
The original seeds were from Sibsad (Siberian Garden).
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My Tolstyi Jack from Zolushka grew to 1.4m (4.5 ft) in the greenhouse. I planted it at the feet of my indeterminates, thinking it would be short and early. It grew into a mid-early, black, tasty variety with large fruits. One bush I planted in a grow bag reached 1.2m (4 ft), the tomatoes were large but I had to pick them green outdoors. I liked the variety. Now I need to try growing it from Svetikk’s (red) seeds.
I had the “Tolstyi Jack” (black variant) — seeds from V.V. Redko. I really liked it, grew it in the greenhouse, and by mid-August, they all ripened on the vine. The tomatoes were uniform, tasty, weighing 200-250g (7-9 oz). Next year I’ll try it in open ground.
In 2020 I also grew the red “Tolstyi Jack” (seeds from Svetikk). Beautiful, oblate, uniform tomatoes. A good determinate.
Grew one bush outdoors in 2020 — short determinate, very sturdy bush, productive. The tomatoes were just like Lyudmila’s and Svetikk’s: bright red, medium size. Firm fruits, classic tomato taste. The seeds were from a local breeder’s packet. I planned one bush again this year, the seedling is already growing. It’s quite early, one of the very first to ripen.
I have the red Tolstyi Jack. Early. Tasty, sweet. It truly has a good flavor for an early determinate. It is somewhat prone to Blossom End Rot (BER). The yield is probably average, definitely not low.
