📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ivanovskie
- 🌍 Origin: A regional “folk” heirloom from Russia. The name simply means it originated from or is associated with the Ivanovo region.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but on the shorter side, usually topping out around 5 feet (1.5 m). Great for greenhouses or open ground.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, beautiful pink oxhearts. They are incredibly dense, meaty, and contain very few seeds. They set massive trusses!
- 👅 Flavor & Early Ripening: The biggest selling point is how early this oxheart ripens. Flavor is classic for a pink heart – sweet and very mild, with low acidity.
I originally got this variety from Natasha Lapshina out in Yaroslavl. She told us later that “Ivanovskie” is likely just a local folk name. I actually had my eye on this one last year, even though the yield wasn’t super impressive back then. But I decided to give it a second chance this season to double-check. Boy, am I glad I did.
It’s an indeterminate, though not extremely tall. It produces large, pink oxhearts that are sweet and meaty. The absolute best thing about it is how early it is. Both last year and this year, it was one of the very first to start ripening in the garden. It is definitely staying on my favorites list.
In the second photo, those first trusses weighed in at a massive 9.6 lbs (4.35 kg) combined!
Galya, are there a lot of seeds in it?
No, Natasha, not many seeds at all. I wouldn’t say it’s 100% “pure meat”, but it’s definitely on the seedless side.
Galochka, save as many seeds as you can. I call dibs on the waitlist for them, yeah? 😅
Galya, how sweet are they actually? They kind of remind me of Bull’s Heart (Bychye Serdtse) 😅
Galya, this year all pink hearts look exactly the same to me… and I’m honestly getting a bit tired of the taste. Pink oxhearts are starting to seem a bit bland/mild to me 🍅 😆
I saved seeds, just message me in the fall. I actually sent this one out to a lot of people last year, so I’m really curious to hear how it did for everyone else. Elena from Vladimir told me it was the very first variety to flower for her, but I guess she’ll report back on the actual yield later 🙂
Alena, regarding the sweetness – Nina hit the nail on the head. Practically all pink oxhearts have a very similar flavor profile; they are slightly mild (low acid). I can’t really compare it to a true Bull’s Heart because I’ve been trying to grow that one for 20 years with zero luck 😭 This year I planted 18 of them and they all froze to death 😭 But from what I understand, Bull’s Heart has a darker color, more of an acidic tang, and is a bit juicier.
Galya, that is a seriously impressive tomato. Heavy yielder, early, massive, AND tasty – that’s the whole package! Can I get in line too?
I absolutely love this variety, I’ve been growing it for several seasons now. In my hoop house, it acts like a mid-early, getting to about 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. The yield is great. The fruits are delicious and very meaty.
This was a new variety for me, got it from Ilya. Thank you so much for the seeds! 😘 Both the yield and the flavor are great, but the absolute best part is that they fully ripened on the vine. Not all of my tomatoes managed to do that this summer before the frost, but this one did. That means it has earned a permanent spot in my garden.
Notice how Nina and Galina discuss the flavor of pink oxhearts being “mild” or “bland”. In the heirloom tomato world, pink oxhearts are famous for being incredibly sweet and dense, but they severely lack the sharp acidity you find in dark tomatoes or classic red beefsteaks. If you love sweet, low-acid tomatoes that don’t bite back, pink oxhearts like Ivanovskie are perfection. If you prefer a sharp, old-fashioned “tang”, you might find them a bit one-dimensional.
