Kenigsberg Tomato Review: Siberian Heirloom

Description from the seed packet: A mid-season variety from amateur Siberian breeders. The plant is indeterminate, intended for growing in open ground, height 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 m). Characterized by excellent fruit set in greenhouses. An extremely heavy yielder, the plant is literally showered with red, elongated, eggplant-shaped fruits weighing up to 10.5 oz (300 g). The fruits are very uniform, dense, tasty, perfect for canning, and store well. Depending on growing conditions and soil fertility, yields can reach 2 to 3 buckets per plant. The variety was acclimatized in the Western Siberian region. Recommended planting density is 3 plants per square meter (approx 10 sq ft).

Photo credit: Ninu

I grew Kenigsberg from SibSad. I really liked the variety, it’s meaty, tasty both fresh and canned. But even in the greenhouse, I didn’t get that crazy massive yield that was promised on the packet. 🤠

We grew it in our polycarbonate greenhouse in 2014. The fruits have an elongated shape, but the taste seemed just average to us. Maybe that was because of the unusually cold summer. Yield was decent. The largest tomato was 10.5 oz (300 g). We aren’t planting it this year, we are going to try Golden Kenigsberg instead.

Kenigsberg really surprised me this year! Seeds were from SibSad. Planted it for the first time, grew it in the greenhouse. From the very beginning, it was lagging way behind everything else. It bloomed later than the rest, set fruit later. I honestly thought I wasn’t going to get anything from it this year. But slowly, little by little, it set fruit and bulked them up. And in the end, I forgave it for EVERYTHING because of the taste! Definitely a candidate for next year’s list!

I absolutely love this variety. I’ve planted it for 3 years now. Hasn’t let me down once.

The first year it made me nervous at first because it started setting fruit very late.

But then, once it got going, every truss had 5-7 tomatoes weighing 7 to 10.5 oz (200-300 g) each 🙂

And I loved the flavor. I shared seedlings with my neighbors this year, and everyone is praising it for both the yield and the taste!

My very first fruits this year turned out absolutely massive: 2 lbs (900 g), 1.6 lbs (750 g), and 1.3 lbs (600 g). 😲

I will never give this variety up 😉

SibSad seeds. It showed average yield for us, about 8.8 lbs (4 kg), which was stretched out over 3 months. The taste is a solid 4 out of 5, the very last fruits were definitely the tastiest. It was in no rush to grow tall, topping out at about 5 feet (1.5 m). But this was our first year growing it, we will keep growing it from our own saved seeds moving forward. The biggest one was a chubby little beauty.

Is there such a thing as an orange-yellow Kenigsberg? Mine turned out that way, seeds were from a forum swap. The shape is a mix between a heart and a plum.

Here it is pictured next to a Yellow Comb tomato:

There is. But it’s specifically called Zolotoy Kenigsberg (Golden Kenigsberg).

There is. But it’s specifically called Zolotoy Kenigsberg (Golden Kenigsberg).

Thank you!

Tanya, do you happen to know which one has the richer flavor profile? Which one has more sweetness?

Thank you! Tanya, do you happen to know which one has the richer flavor profile? Which one has more sweetness?

The tastiest out of the three Kenigsbergs is definitely Golden Kenigsberg.

The tastiest out of the three Kenigsbergs is definitely Golden Kenigsberg.

Thanks, Yulia. I’ll wait for them to ripen up fully then, my very first tomatoes were totally bland and cardboard-like.

Beautiful, elongated, red, perfectly balanced sweet and tart flavor. I had to tie up every single truss to support the weight. In August, after heavy rains, the top ones cracked on me.

I liked the flavor. Very juicy, sweet and tart, and quite meaty, but mine cracked too. We’ve already eaten all the bottom ones.