Quick Summary of Serdce Tibeta (Heart of Tibet)
- 🌍 Origin: A highly productive Russian collector’s variety (seeds originally distributed by breeder Gusev). The name translates to “Heart of Tibet”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It exhibits classic oxheart traits, meaning the bush is not overly vigorous and has delicate, “wispy” foliage. Outdoors it grows to about 1 meter (3.5 ft), but in a greenhouse, it can easily surpass 2 meters (6.5 ft) if not topped.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful, smooth, pink heart-shaped tomatoes. They are very meaty and dense. Average weight is 200–400g (7–14 oz), with the largest reaching up to 640g (22.5 oz).
- 💪 Disease & Weather Resistance: This variety is exceptionally resistant to cracking. Growers note that the fruits do not split or crack even after heavy rains or accidental overwatering in the greenhouse.
- 📈 Yield Potential: Astounding. While it produces an average crop outdoors, in a greenhouse, it is an absolute workhorse. One grower harvested 14.8 kg (32.6 lbs) of tomatoes from a single plant pruned to three stems!
- 👅 Flavor: A harmonious, perfectly balanced classic tomato flavor with an excellent ratio of sweetness and acidity.
Seeds were purchased from Gusev.
I planted three bushes: two grew outdoors in open ground, and one in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Outdoors, the height of the bushes was just over a meter (3.5 ft), but in the greenhouse, it shot up to over two meters (6.5 ft) before I had to cut the tops off (top the plant). The bush, like most oxhearts, is not very vigorous and has delicate, wispy foliage.
It is a mid-season variety. The yield outdoors was average (though I have to make allowances for the extreme summer of 2013), and the fruits did not crack at all.
Out of pure greed, I pruned the greenhouse bush to three stems, and it happened to have the most honorable spot—in the central bed right by the entrance. When I saw how many tomatoes it had set, I decided to calculate exactly how much that would be in kilograms. The result pleasantly shocked me: 14.8 kg (32.6 lbs) from one plant!!!
The taste is harmonious, a classic tomato flavor with both sweetness and acidity in perfect moderation. I really liked it 😋
I plan to plant it again next year.
Maria, that is very impressive, super! 👍 Now I’m going to want this one too. What about the taste and the weight of the fruits?
The fruit weight averaged from 200 to 400g (7 to 14 oz), and the largest one was 640g (22.5 oz).
I liked this variety very much. It grew in a greenhouse, and I pruned it to 3 stems. The plant is tall. The fruits are pink, heart-shaped, meaty, and delicious. What’s amazing is that it didn’t crack even with heavy overwatering. A very productive variety.
Seeds were from Gusev, and I grew it for the first time in 2021. It is absolutely my favorite for both yield and taste. It grew in a greenhouse, and for me, it turned out to be an early-season ripener. The fruits weighed between 300-350 grams (10.5-12 oz).
