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Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-7 Experience)
Welcome a delicious new tomato with a very strange name: Girl Girl’s Weird Thing!
In my conditions, this variety is a vegetative indet, mid-season, with vigorous regular foliage. I pruned it to two stems. Some fruits got up to 1.1 lbs (500 g), so the trusses definitely need support. Quite juicy, so it doesn’t store very long, but it is excellent in salads… I mentally categorized it as a “man’s tomato” because my husband keeps saying “give me that slicing tomato”. The guys at his work loved the taste of it too. The women are asking for seeds. You could say it is perfectly balanced. One of the favorites in this tough year.
Edited September 6, 2017 by Drosera
One of my favorites this year! 👍 Tasty, productive, completely disease-free. Thanks, Ira, for the wonderful photo 🌸
Olesya wrote:
One of my favorites this year! 👍 Tasty, productive, completely disease-free. Thanks, Ira, for the wonderful photo 🌸
I decided to at least capture what was left of the first trusses))) The massive ones went into salads and were given away as gifts. The very first fruits weighed up to 1.4-1.5 lbs (630-700 g). My husband put in a request to keep this one on permanent rotation. I’d love to compare it to Chocolate Stripes, I grew that one a long time ago and kind of forgot the exact taste.
Olesya, did you also have that slight dent right in the middle of the fruit? Is that typical for this variety?
Ira, you could shoot me and I wouldn’t remember 🤷♀️ I remember the color, the size, and the taste. I remember they were large, round, slightly flattened, but if there was a dent, I don’t remember. And I don’t have a photo. 😳
Off-topic. How do they even talk to each other over there if they give tomatoes names like this? They’re probably all weird themselves over there 🤫 🍅
Olviya (Olya) wrote:
Off-topic. How do they even talk to each other over there if they give tomatoes names like this? They’re probably all weird themselves over there 🤫 🍅
The backstory: the owner’s dog was named “Girl Girl” (in Russian it translates to something like “my girl” or “girl’s girl”). One day the dog brought a tomato out of the patch in her mouth, one that the owner hadn’t planted that year, hence the name of the new variety in honor of the dog and the “weird thing” she brought her owner.
Heat Tolerance & Outdoor Growing
Irochka, thanks for the backstory and for the wonderful variety. I was just blown away by the taste of these tomatoes! Usually, varieties with this coloring always turn out too tart in my conditions, but when I tasted “This Thing”, I was very surprised, the tomato is genuinely sweet, just the way I like it! Indet, very dependent on heat. During this terrible summer we had in the middle zone, it dropped the blossoms on its lower trusses, and only really started setting fruit when the August heat hit, so I will definitely plant it again, but in the greenhouse. The tomatoes are meaty, very pretty, mine were dense but a more modest size of about 8.8 oz (250 g) plus or minus. The plant is vigorous, with large strong leaves.
The Chocolate Stripes Debate
Alisa wrote:
I’d love to compare it to Chocolate Stripes, I grew that one a long time ago and kind of forgot the exact taste.
My seeds are from Redko. The variety is wonderful: tasty, meaty, productive, didn’t get hard yellow shoulders, very pretty when sliced. I join in the desire to compare it with Chocolate Stripes, since I didn’t plant that one this year. I really want to downsize and optimize my variety count. Whoever else feels the same — let’s join forces 😉 and start our own party under the slogan “GROW DIVERSE, BUT THE BEST!” 😆 Has anyone else grown similar varieties? Speak up.
I also grew this variety this year (seeds from Redko, same as Irina), as well as Chocolate Stripes. They are unequivocally different varieties. Grew it outdoors, set fruit well. It started ripening slightly later than Chocolate Stripes. You can see in the photos that they are different, though very similar. Granted, I also grew Golden Stripes and Giant Brown Flesh of this same type this year. Girl Girl’s Weird Thing Chocolate Stripes
Larisa, I’m not saying it’s the exact same variety. The varieties are different, they are just the same type, like you write. I just want to use the trials in our gardens and the dialogue on the forum to pick the best one for our conditions. Maybe for different regions the winners will be different. Some need early ones, but I mostly grow mid-season and lates, they taste better. You and I live in roughly the same climate zone – same conditions, diseases, pests, so your opinion is important to me. 🌸 Thanks for your beautiful photos, front, profile, and weight. Seeing the fruit sliced crosswise is especially interesting to me. A true pro approach. 👏
I’m getting more and more skeptical about these so-called varieties that a dog brings to the owner in its teeth!
I get 2-3 of these “new varieties” every year 😆… didn’t plant it 😳, but it grew 🤫. Is that a reason to announce to the whole world that a new variety has appeared?
And strangely enough, it looks exactly like a long-known variety, but why not slap your own weird name on it? 👏 Nobody’s going to stop you… 🍅
And what are the actual differences, go try and figure it out if you really want to 😆
My Weird Thing started ripening earlier than Chocolate Stripes. Yield is lagging behind CS so far. And the plant is shorter. I planted them right next to each other specifically to compare.
A tasty, beautiful tomato!
Inna wrote:
I planted them right next to each other specifically to compare.
Today I specifically tried to photograph both varieties to make it more obvious. Even though there are no ripe tomatoes on either yet. We’ve eaten a few fruits off GGWT. Seeds from Kulik. I think this variety has potential for the Urals. We haven’t eaten any CS yet, but I hurried to photograph it to show the yield. Once it starts ripening, it’ll be too late. The variety is a family favorite, especially for my husband. They’ll rip them all off. Seeds originally from Vera Tomatinka (Verochka, thank you 🌸). Last year it wasn’t bad, this year it’s even better. Overall, my conclusion: both varieties turned out great for me. I’ll most likely grow both, especially since the taste of both is 👍
Liked the variety. The coloring of the fruits reminds me of the famous Chocolate Stripes. Dark brown with stripes. Very pretty. Vigorous plant, dark large leaves, got over 6.5 ft (2 m) in the greenhouse. Had fruits up to 14 oz (400 g). Yield is top-notch. Taste is classic, tomatoey, sweet and sour, no crazy surprises.
A handsome favorite! The photo of the plant is dated July 18. It turned out earlier for me than Chocolate Stripes. And more productive. Very tasty! A true champion tomato.
Forgot to write – seeds from Olesya, thank you!
Edited December 3, 2018 by SvetaR
Who actually sees a difference? With Chocolate Stripes? 😁 Same variety – just lots of names.
I didn’t see a difference 🤦♀️ But I only grew one plant each of Chocolate Stripes, Girl Girl’s Weird Thing, and Large Barred Boar (right next to them). The only thing was, GGWT started ripening earlier. And the Boar tasted a bit different from them, was kind of bland, didn’t like it.
A more digestible version of the variety’s origin legend from Kholyavko:
“A new variety from Jessica Hughes. It was obtained as a result of a mutation of the Green Zebra variety. The favorite variety of a dog named ‘My Girl’, who immediately found it in the garden and brought it in her teeth.” 🍻
Grew this variety and Chocolate Stripes in the same season, in 2018. Both grew in the same greenhouse, pruned to 2 stems. Didn’t find any major differences in the fruits, both are handsome, tasty 😋, the biggest fruits were on Girl Girl’s Weird Thing – around 1.1 lbs (500 g), CS was slightly smaller, the cross-sections look similar too. But the plants themselves were different. Both GGWT plants were stocky, not very tall, stout indets with large foliage. Productive, fruits started ripening slightly earlier than Chocolate Stripes. The main harvest was up to 4 ft (1.2 meters) high, then just scattered single fruits.
Chocolate Stripes is a standard tall indet, long fruiting period, sets well even right under the greenhouse roof, highly productive! 👋
Both varieties are worthy and now on my favorites list, a real greenhouse centerpiece! 👍
Edited December 28, 2018 by Svetikk
Svetikk, is the taste similar? I get that they’re both tasty.
Tatunya (Tanya) wrote:
Svetikk, is the taste similar? I get that they’re both tasty.
Similar! Good, balanced with a nice sweetness. Tasted them side by side just to compare varieties. I can’t even say which one is better, liked them both 😋
Really loved it. High yield, tasty, stores for a long time, will definitely sow it again
Edited August 25, 2019 by Nata N.
Looking back at the past season right now, I am getting more and more surprised that one variety managed to collect all the best traits we look for
Liked it, tasty variety. It’s on my permanent rotation.
I am absolutely thrilled with this tomato, it’s just a miracle!!!! A beautiful, huge, tasty fruit!!! Exactly like the one in Sveta’s photo))) A keeper for sure))))) I recommend it to everyone.
Turns out that’s what the name is about 😆
Girl Girl’s Weird Thing
“Named this because her dog, whose name was Girl, brought this striped tomato, unlike any other, to the girl”
The dog was named Girl Girl. That’s why it’s a weird thing of (the dog named) Girl Girl
Nata N. (Natalya) wrote:
The dog was named Girl Girl. That’s why it’s a weird thing of (the dog named) Girl Girl
Small correction — Girl’s Girl – https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Girl’s girl
I found a difference from Chocolate Stripes. Girl Girl’s Weird Thing is slightly lighter on the inside, and less acidic. Chocolate Stripes is sweet too, but with some sourness thrown in, so it’s sweet-tart. Both are tasty. Both in the same row, grew next to each other, we have loamy clay here. Oh, and Chocolate Stripes is taller, though they ripened almost simultaneously for me. 🤷♀️
I wanted to just grow one of them, still thinking. Or maybe I’ll repeat both?? But if someone forced me to pick just one, I’d take Chocolate Stripes, it tastes better in a salad with sour cream.
Grew it in the greenhouse this year, Natasha shared the seeds with me. Honestly, in my conditions, I found zero difference from CS. Maybe the shape is a tiny bit rounder? The striping and color of the fruits are identical, the skin is too, the taste is one-to-one, the plants are like twins. I wanted to post a photo, but I can’t even tell which is CS and which is GGWT. 😁
I totally agree with the previous speaker! This year I only grew GGWT, it grew into a huge massive tree, flowered early with lush bouquets that just fell right off without even setting. But the next round of flowers set a ton of huge, very pretty and very tasty fruits, practically under the roof. Really love the variety, just couldn’t find my photo.
Are the seeds of this tomato light? For some reason mine are light brown for this tomato. Planted the very last seed someone gave me. Now I’m in doubt. Keep them like this or throw them out. 🤷♀️
Girl Girl’s Weird Thing
Repeated this variety, which has taken up permanent residence in my collection. I don’t see any flaws with it at all. This year I tested it outdoors in my neighbor’s garden bed with no cover, planted it out in early June. It perfectly survived two separate heat waves, set all its trusses up to about 3 feet (1 meter) high, and pumped out some gorgeous striped beauties, after which I topped it. By the end of August (which was dry and warm here) it had half ripened on the vine.
The difference I see from Chocolate Stripes is the shorter and stockier growth habit (in the greenhouse), the fruits are slightly larger, and the taste is very similar – outstanding in my opinion 😋
Full Summary: Plant Habit, Yield, Flavor, and the Chocolate Stripes Debate
- 🌿 Plant: A vigorous, mid-season indeterminate. Growers noted excellent disease resistance. It drops lower blossoms in extreme mid-summer heat but rebounds strongly to set huge trusses once the weather shifts.
- 📈 Yield: Exceptionally high yield. The tomatoes are large (frequently hitting 1.1-1.5 lbs / 500-700 g) and very meaty. Because of the weight, the trusses often require support to avoid breaking.
- 👅 Taste: Universally praised for its sweet, complex, well-balanced flavor. Many users reported it becoming a fast favorite for the men in their families, earning it the nickname of a “man’s tomato.”
- 🆚 The Chocolate Stripes Debate: Several growers grew GGWT side-by-side with Chocolate Stripes because the fruits look practically identical. The consensus from side-by-side tests (Inna, Svetikk, CUCSA) is that while the fruits are nearly indistinguishable, the plants are different: GGWT is generally stockier, shorter, and earlier-ripening than the taller Chocolate Stripes vine. A few users did note GGWT’s interior is slightly lighter and less acidic than Chocolate Stripes.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Extensively trialed and reviewed by 18 growers across a huge range of climates (USDA Zones 3 through 7), mostly split between greenhouses and outdoor growing.
