📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kazabalykskiy Superearly
- 🌍 Origin: An older commercial variety that has circulated in Russian seed shops since at least the mid-1990s. The name is widely believed to be a slight spelling corruption of the Karabalyk district in Kazakhstan.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An absolute workhorse of a plant. Usually tops out between 16 and 32 inches (40-80 cm). It sprawls wide and is incredibly productive. Growers often plant it “at the feet” of tall indeterminates to maximize early greenhouse space. Best grown with zero pruning/suckering!
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, round, red cocktail-sized tomatoes weighing around 1.5 to 2.3 oz (40-65 g). They sometimes show a tiny point or “beak” on the blossom end when green. Excellent resistance to cracking, even with erratic watering.
- 👅 Flavor & Use: A very solid, balanced traditional tomato flavor. While it won’t beat a late-season heirloom beefsteak, it is considered fantastic for an ultra-early variety. Great for early fresh eating, salads, and whole-fruit canning once the harvest overwhelms you.
Ninulia was kind enough to share seedlings of this wonderful variety with me! 🙏🙏🙏 She sowed it back in February for an early harvest. The seedlings weren’t tiny, but they were in no rush to get leggy and fall over either. I planted the seedlings in the greenhouse, “at the feet” of my indeterminates, but you can easily grow it in open ground or in a bucket. Overall, a highly adaptable, early, and most importantly, continuous producer! It keeps pumping out fruit non-stop right up until the fall. 😍
My adult bushes didn’t get taller than 24 inches (60 cm). The shade and heat didn’t bother them at all, and the fruit didn’t crack from my erratic watering schedule. The fruits are round with slight ribbing and a tiny sharp beak on the blossom end. They are red, thick-walled, with a delicate, perfectly balanced tomato flavor, weighing up to 1.7 oz (50 g). Definitely staying in my collection. 😍 Found some pics too!
I have to chime in! I also loved this variety for early growing. It started fruiting in early June and… is still going. I left an unpruned sucker, and it already has tomatoes on it too. Sure, the taste is just your average tomato, but the huge advantage is that you can sow it early – it doesn’t get overgrown indoors, and it ripens early too. They don’t call it super early for nothing! 😄
At first, we were eating all of them fresh. But later, once the really delicious late-season heirlooms started coming in, this one just kept ripening and ripening 😲, so I started using them for juice and canning. Though I’m not sure yet how it holds up in jars; the skin isn’t super thick. I definitely want to repeat it next year for my early crop!
Ninulia, so if I understand correctly, this isn’t a tree-type (rugose) plant? Just a standard determinate?
Ninulia, so if I understand correctly, this isn’t a tree-type (rugose) plant? Just a standard determinate?
Tanyusha, at first it seemed to stay pretty small, I actually planted it alongside my tree-type dwarfs. But by the end of the seedling stage, it shot up taller, right along with Ladybug and Betalux, so I transplanted them into 1-liter pots. However, once planted out in the greenhouse, it paused its upward growth again and topped out at about 24 inches (60 cm) max. I only pinched the suckers up to the first truss, and after that, it just sprawled wide wherever it wanted to. It didn’t go up much at all. But closer to fall, it pushed out new suckers at the very base and even set tomatoes on them, which I eventually had to pick green.
Also, I recently read about a variety called Zagadka (Enigma) that Svetlana mentioned was ultra-early… and they sounded really similar to me. Maybe it’s the exact same variety? We should invite Natasha from Arkhangelsk to this thread to tell us more about this variety’s history… I got my seeds from her! 🙏
…once planted out in the greenhouse, it paused its upward growth again and topped out at about 24 inches (60 cm) max…
Good evening Nina! Did you only grow it in the greenhouse? I want to put it in open ground since it’s so early and short.
Good evening Nina! Did you only grow it in the greenhouse? I want to put it in open ground since it’s so early and short.
Yulia, yes, I think it will do even better outdoors! It’s just that I rarely plant in open ground anymore, only the leftovers. And those 2 standard bushes of mine 😄 were planted right at the greenhouse exit. The doors were only closed in early spring and late fall, so they practically grew in the dirt outdoors anyway 😉
Hey folks, the variety is specifically called KAZABALYKSKIY Superearly.
I first heard about it back in November 2013. It sparked my interest. In January 2014, someone sent it to me from Tyumen. There is (or was?) a garden shop there called “U*Dacha” where they bought it.
It came in a plain yellowish packet. No description at all on the packaging, just the name. There were very few seeds in the pack, and the quality was absolutely terrible. They were gray and full of chaff and debris. I was disappointed, but I sowed them anyway, and they rewarded me with an amazing harvest. They didn’t let me down.
I literally just searched the name on Yandex and found an old newspaper article about this variety. I tried to paste the link, but it showed up blank.
Natashenka, Ninulia, my Kazabalyks are growing so slowly compared to everything else, is that normal?
Natashenka, Ninulia, my Kazabalyks are growing so slowly compared to everything else, is that normal?
Totally normal, they are determinates.
Totally normal, they are determinates.
🙏🙏🙏 They are nice and stocky, just growing bit by bit 😳
Natashenka, Ninulia, my Kazabalyks are growing so slowly compared to everything else, is that normal?
Mine are growing like absolute weeds, though to be fair, I’m comparing them to Mongolian Dwarf and my dwarf plants that I sowed at the exact same time. They are pushing out their 5th true leaf right now, tomorrow will be exactly a month since sowing.
Weird, mine are under grow lights. They aren’t exactly short, but they are very thick and stocky!
…I literally just searched the name on Yandex and found an old newspaper article about this variety. I tried to paste the link, but it showed up blank.
Is this the one?
Yeah, I’d love to find out what year that article is from…
Is this the one? Yeah, I’d love to find out what year that article is from…
Yep, that’s the exact one. And the year… I don’t think it even matters. The main thing is that it’s a glorious tomato!
Yep, that’s the exact one. And the year… I don’t think it even matters. The main thing is that it’s a glorious tomato!
Yes, 👍, but I still really want to know how long it’s been around. 🙂
You guys are gonna keep me awake all night 😄. Yesterday at 1 AM I was out on the balcony checking the temps, now I’m off to go check on my Kazabalyks again. Ninulechka, Lyudasik 🙏 thank you.
Nina, a massive thank you for this variety. It’s the absolute leader in my garden, I am so in love with it!!! 👍
Compared to all my other early varieties (I have 7), this one is an absolute workhorse! 😄 And it was the very first one to throw out flower buds. Seeds from Ninulia 👍
Nina, a massive thank you for this variety. It’s the absolute leader in my garden, I am so in love with it!!! 👍
Ludmila, I am amazed! Are those your bushes from this current season? 😲 👍 You’ll be eating tomatoes very soon! 👍
Compared to all my other early varieties (I have 7), this one is an absolute workhorse! 😄 And it was the very first one to throw out flower buds. Seeds from Ninulia 👍
Olya, it really is a beast in the seedling stage! But once you plant it out in its permanent spot, it settles down and acts like a perfectly normal determinate. Mine didn’t get taller than maybe 32 inches (80 cm) 😄 in the greenhouse.
Ludmila, I am amazed! Are those your bushes from this current season? 😲 👍 You’ll be eating tomatoes very soon! 👍… Olya, it really is a beast in the seedling stage! But once you plant it out in its permanent spot, it settles down and acts like a perfectly normal determinate. Mine didn’t get taller than maybe 32 inches (80 cm) 😄 in the greenhouse.
Yes, Nina, this is already in the greenhouse. I have 2 Kazabalykskiy bushes planted in a row, with a Turboreaktivnyy in between them. Iyunskiy (June Bug) is even smaller. Kazabalykskiy immediately set fruit in full clusters. Absolute beauties!!! 👍
So grateful to Ninulia for this tomato. Verrrry heavy yielder. 👍 Both in the greenhouse and in open ground. 😍
Folks, I wrote about this in Ninulia’s thread somewhere. I’ll add it here for the catalog record. Here is the variety description from the “U Dacha” seed store catalog from 1996:
Super early. Plant is short – up to 16 inches (40 cm). Fruits are round, red, and smooth. Weighing 2.1-2.3 oz (60-65 g). Sweet, excellent shelf life. Can be stored fresh for over a month. Resists cracking in any weather. Yield is simply abundant. No pruning required. One of the earliest maturing varieties available.
But the very first photo in their catalog confused me. It looked like the tomato had a beak… And I didn’t think Kazabalykskiy had one. 😳
Verochka, the beak is definitely there while the fruits are green, or if they are on the smaller side. But the normal, fully ripened ones don’t really have the beak anymore.
Verochka, the beak is definitely there while the fruits are green, or if they are on the smaller side. But the normal, fully ripened ones don’t really have the beak anymore.
Mine is also growing and blooming, I can see it’s going to set fruit soon, but it hasn’t grown very tall. Do you think I’ll be able to get a harvest out of it or… I really want to grow it, but I have extremely few seeds so I’m a bit nervous…
Fruiting slowly but surely…
Fruiting slowly but surely…
So cute! 😍 And how do you like the taste?
So cute! 😍 And how do you like the taste?
A very solid tomato flavor, Sveta 👏👏👏
A very solid tomato flavor, Sveta 👏👏👏
I am really hoping for a good harvest, I can’t wait to show off my own photos and celebrate…. 😳
Have you grown it before? How is it for canning/pickling?
I am really hoping for a good harvest, I can’t wait to show off my own photos and celebrate…. 😳
Have you grown it before? How is it for canning/pickling?
Sveta, Ninulia actually got this variety from me. And this is my fourth year growing it.
It never made it into a canning jar, so I can’t say…
Ninulia, thank you so much for spreading this fantastic early variety! 🙏 👍 Along with Iyunskiy (June Bug), it started ripening a solid 3 weeks earlier than any of my other varieties. It does its job perfectly as an early tomato. The fruits are small, up to 1.5 oz (40 g) (I didn’t sucker them). Juicy, with a standard tomato flavor, not sour at all. All of our first fresh salads with cucumbers and onions were made from this one and Iyunskiy. 😋
The bushes in the greenhouse got pretty big, very sprawling, and EXTREMELY heavy yielding! 🤯 They got up to 24 inches (60 cm) tall and required excellent tying and a very heavy-duty stake. They were threatening to just collapse under the weight of hundreds of little red balls! 😄
I got this variety from Ninulia.
I ended up liking Kazabalykskiy a lot more than Iyunskiy. It was way more productive and tasted better. In our short northern summers, very few tomatoes actually manage to ripen fully on the vine, but Kazabalykskiy ripened beautifully! )))
Even in my harsh conditions, it’s quite early and a very heavy yielder (growing in open ground, only used row covers for the very first few weeks). I will absolutely be planting this one again! 👍
Ninochka, thank you for the seeds!
Could someone clarify for me, Ninulia sent me seeds for this tomato this year too. If I understand correctly, you are supposed to do ABSOLUTELY NO pruning/suckering on this one?
Why prune it? You’ll lose out on a massive 🤯 yield. I grew a couple of bushes in my greenhouse untouched.
Could you tell me what it’s supposed to look like in the seedling stage??? Mine look totally stretched and leggy 😟😟😟
Could you tell me what it’s supposed to look like in the seedling stage??? Mine look totally stretched and leggy 😟😟😟
Mine were totally lanky and long-legged just like that too.
Thanks to Ninulia, I grew this tomato this past season too. A very productive little tomato. I had one bush in the greenhouse for an early harvest, and two out in the open ground. Pity I could only find photos of them while still green. The ones on the greenhouse plant were actually quite tasty and it produced for a very long time. These are the ones that grew outdoors.
What does “Kazabalykskiy” actually mean? Yandex is only giving me results for the “Karabalykskiy” district in Kazakhstan.
What does “Kazabalykskiy” actually mean? Yandex is only giving me results for the “Karabalykskiy” district in Kazakhstan.
Marina, go back to the very beginning of this thread http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php/topic,8095.0.html
Marina, go back to the very beginning of this thread http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php/topic,8095.0.html
Thank you! I did read the thread from the start, but I didn’t understand the meaning behind the name. I thought Kazabaly or Kazabalyk was some sort of regional name where Kazabalykskiy Superearly originated from.
Can anyone tell me, what size bucket is sufficient for Kazabalykskiy? 😳
The first Kazabalykskiy ripened, so I picked it. 🙂 The rest are completely covering the bush, but they’re still green for now. 😳
The first Kazabalykskiy ripened, so I picked it. 🙂 The rest are completely covering the bush, but they’re still green for now. 😳
Sveta, did you plant them in June or something?
I got my seeds at the Moscow forum meetup from Lvovna. Grew it in the greenhouse. I just can’t seem to make friends with tomatoes in open ground 🤷♀️ We ate our very first tomato on June 16th. I finally pulled the bush in early October. They turned out so delicious, with a bright tomato flavor, very sweet, and thin skin. My kids were devouring them right alongside Blush and Pink Ampel. I liked it way better than the forum-favorite Iyunskiy. It has become an absolute favorite, permanent resident on the grow list! 🙏
Planted this for an early harvest this year, seeds were from Larisa @CUCSA, thank you! It makes me so happy. We started eating them on June 6th and to this day it hasn’t given up. I was planning to rip it out in July to free up space, but no way, it went completely crazy and just keeps pumping out fruit. For me, it beat Iyunskiy to the punch, and Iyunskiy’s yield was much lower, at least in my garden.
Planted this for an early harvest this year, seeds were from Larisa @CUCSA, thank you!…
When did you sow and transplant them? Was it in open ground?
When did you sow and transplant them? Was it in open ground?
I sowed on March 1st, planted out on May 10th in the greenhouse tucked in the feet of my tall indets, which is exactly why I had originally planned to rip them out in July.
Great for an early harvest. Grew it at the feet of my indets in the greenhouse, right at the end of the bed. Even in September, it was still absolutely loaded with tomatoes.
…We started eating them on June 6th and to this day it hasn’t given up. I was planning to rip it out in July to free up space, but no way, it went completely crazy…
Could you tell me please, did you sucker/prune your Kazabalykskiy at the very beginning?
Could you tell me please, did you sucker/prune your Kazabalykskiy at the very beginning?
No, I didn’t prune it at all, but I guess you could later on, then the fruits would probably be bigger.
In April, I potted a little bush up into a bucket, and it just kept growing in it, sitting right inside the greenhouse. It brings me so much joy, despite its small size. Seeds from Roman in Lipetsk, thank you!!! Photo is from May 26th.
This tomato seriously needs a monument built in its honor! It is completely indestructible, both as a seedling and during vegetation. It grows like it’s celebrating life every single day. The tomatoes hang in massive clusters. Standard tying is useless, I think I need to build rigid supports for it like you would for a currant bush. The flavor improves heavily with wood ash feeds/top dressing, it gets super sweet.
I shared seeds with some extremely busy friends who only visit their garden/dacha once a month, and they told me that Kazabalykskiy was literally the only tomato that managed to produce a crop for them.
Honestly, with the right marketing, this would be an incredible commercial variety.
I just love it, I loooove it…
The Name: As user Marinessa pointed out, if you try to look up “Kazabalykskiy” on a map, you won’t find it. This variety almost certainly originated in or was named after the Karabalyk district in northern Kazakhstan. Over decades of passing through unprinted seed envelopes, hand-written trades, and small local shops, the “R” morphed into a “Z”. The typo is now so deeply ingrained in heirloom tomato catalogs that it will likely be called “Kazabalykskiy” forever!“At the feet of Indets”: You’ll see several growers in this thread mention planting this variety “in the feet/legs” of their indeterminates. This is a very common greenhouse space-saving technique. Because short, ultra-early determinates like this one finish their primary harvest fast, they are planted directly beneath tall, late-season vining tomatoes. By the time the tall indeterminates grow large enough to cast heavy shade, you have already harvested your early determinates and can pull them out of the soil entirely, giving the tall vines full reign of the greenhouse!
