Quick Summary of First Mate (Pervyy Pomoshchnik)
- 🌍 Origin: A stunning tricolor/bicolor heirloom. In the Russian tomato community, it circulates under the direct translation “Pervyy Pomoshchnik” (First Mate).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: An indeterminate (tall) variety, though some growers describe it as a “short indeterminate” as it often tops out around 1.5–1.8m (5–6 ft) in the greenhouse. It has regular leaf (RL) foliage. Performs well when trained to 2 stems.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate (flattened-round) beefsteaks. The coloring is incredible: a tricolor blend of yellow, green, and red/pink blushes. Weight typically ranges from 400g to a massive 600g (14–21 oz). The cross-section is a beautiful marbled pattern.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Highly rated! Very juicy, sweet, and delicious.
- ⚠️ Growing Tip: When growing from swapped seeds, pay attention to the seedling stage—it should have a regular leaf (RL). If you see potato leaves (PL) or other variations, the seed has likely segregated or crossed.
I grew this variety from seeds from different sources—one from Germany and one from Kulik. They turned out to be completely identical.
Indeterminate, about 1.8m (6 ft) tall, grew in the greenhouse, mid-season ripening. The fruits are large, 400–600g (14–21 oz), oblate, tricolor, and very tasty 😋 I really liked the variety!
I also liked this variety very much.
Seeds were from Popenko. In the greenhouse, the bush height was up to 1.5 meters (5 ft). The fruits are very tasty, juicy, and sweet. The yield is good.
Could someone please tell me what kind of leaf it is supposed to have? Because mine seems to have segregated (didn’t grow true to type)…
Lena, the leaf is regular (RL), ordinary.
ilja wrote:
I also liked this variety very much. Seeds were from Popenko. In the greenhouse, the bush height was up to 1.5 meters (5 ft). The fruits are very tasty, juicy, and sweet. The yield is good.
Could you please tell me what kind of leaf it had?
Grew it in 2017 in the greenhouse, trained to 2 stems. It’s a short indeterminate, regular leaf (RL). I really liked the taste!
And what a beautiful cross-section it has! Yield is good, fruit weight up to 400g (14 oz). A very worthy exotic variety.
