Kolokolchik (Bellflower) Tomato Review & Photos

I even clarified the seed brand in the thread title because there are different versions of Kolokolchik floating around. Here is what grew from my seeds. Of course, my tomatoes didn’t weigh 12 oz (350 g) or even 7 oz (200 g) (very few got up to 5 oz / 150 g), but otherwise they were an absolute joy. Picked the first ripe one on July 8th, weighed 3.7 oz (105 g) (I grow everything outdoors in the dirt!). The fruits didn’t crack. The most important part is the taste, it has a very noticeable sweetness. A friend of mine who got my leftover seedlings noticed it too. The plant is indeterminate, regular leaf. Doesn’t spread out too wide, but it’s not a wimpy plant either. Yield is also solid.

More photos:

Awesome variety, very pretty. If it’s tasty too, then it’s just super… But it reminds me of something from SibSad… I can’t remember which one, but it definitely has a twin out there. I was just looking at the catalog recently… 😳 gotta go take another look…

tomatinka wrote:

Awesome variety, very pretty. If it’s tasty too, then it’s just super… But it reminds me of something from SibSad…

Not Königsberg by any chance? 😉

It might resemble Königsberg in fruit shape, but it’s a completely different variety.

No, Galya, compared to your Kolokolchik, Königsberg is garbage. I didn’t like it at all.

Galochka, your fruits have a different shape than the ones on the packet. Yours are perfect smooth plums, and in the photo they look like semi-pears. Right?

You sent me this one (🙏), do you think it would be good for sun-drying?

My oldest daughter just can’t get enough of sun-dried tomatoes, she won’t stop until she finishes the whole bag (I froze the sun-dried ones based on a tip from Valyusha from Pyatigorsk (💖) – they are so good!)

Yeah, Olenka, it doesn’t look much like its portrait. They are all perfectly smooth on every plant, and the plants themselves are identical.

It might be great for sun-drying, but honestly, I don’t think you’ll even have time to dry them, the flavor is just…

Tasty is wonderful! That means instead of planting 2 of the tasty ones, I can plant 5 for example 😋

I just meant, is it watery? Judging by the cross-section photo, it looks like “just what the doctor ordered” for sun-drying.

Not watery at all.

Galochka, thank you for this variety.

I really loved it, it performed beautifully even this year.

Heavy yielder, nice sized beauties, very tasty 👍

Galyush, Esme, I saved Kolokolchik for seeds. Today some friends walked through my outdoor beds and were blown away 😲 by my harvest, and I just keep thinking of you. You are such a smart, hardworking lady, and I’m so lucky I got some of your seeds!!! The variety actually performed really well in our Ural region climate, definitely deserves respect.

Ladies, this year it only showed one flaw for me, blossom end rot (didn’t have it last year), but definitely not on the same massive scale as on Auria (let alone the Monti F1 hybrid).

🙏 On the packet they look like pears. Some fruits on my “Truffles” look like pears too. Seriously, where do they get these variety names????? Maybe they should group them somehow?! I’m completely confused. It’s the exact same variety, just in a different wrapper with a different name….. PEOPLEEEE! Help me make sense of this!!!!

Esme wrote:

Ladies, this year it only showed one flaw for me, blossom end rot (didn’t have it last year)…

Mine didn’t have any blossom end rot at all, Galya.

Galyush, my Kolokolchik grew out just like yours. Elongated, smooth, firm. We usually call this shape “rackets” (bullets), because plums are usually short, just typical plums. But in the greenhouse, mine got up to over 6.5 feet (2 m) tall. Has a great shelf life too.

Marina, that’s exactly what it is, elongated-oval, you could say.

Tasty, juicy, yield is above average, pruned to 2 stems. Planted out in the dirt under low tunnels. It ended up being mid-late because I had weak seedlings (planted them tiny, took a long time to catch up), BUT it still managed to set 3 solid trusses.

Excellent variety. Thank you for the seeds to Galochka-Esme (blessed memory to her 😘) and Irina from St. Petersburg 🙏

Indeterminate, heavy yielder, mid-early. Grew 2 plants in the greenhouse, pruned to 2 stems. The fruits are tasty, slightly sweet, juicy red plums around 3-5.5 oz (80-160 g)… yum-yum 😋 If you’re using them for canning, it’s better to pick them slightly underripe so they stay firmer.

Excellent variety. Smooth red fruits, very tasty, heavy yielder. Pruned it to 2 stems. Thanks to Svetik for the seeds.

This year I grew Kolokolchik from 2013 seeds that Galya-Esme sent me. I grew it in 2014, but the plant turned out wimpy and didn’t yield much. I didn’t even bother saving seeds. So after 5 years, I decided to give it another shot. Surprisingly, I had zero issues with germination, even though the seeds were 6 years old. And this year I really loved the variety. It did great both in the greenhouse and out in the dirt. Heavy yielder, fruits are smooth, beautiful, zero cracking. Tasty for fresh eating, but for canning, this variety is just absolutely perfect. One of my favorites this year. Highly recommend!

Kolokolchik

I grew this wonderful variety again, sent to me a long time ago by Galochka-Esme 😘 The old-timers here remember her. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been with us for a long time, but the memory of her kindness lives on in our hearts and in her seeds.

It was in the very first seed mail I ever received from this forum, from a true fanatic of tomato growing.

Indeterminate, can be pruned to 3 stems, very long production window. The tomatoes are red, elongated-oval, weighing up to 4.5 oz (130 g). Very tasty and sweet 😋 The last ones I picked are storing really well without losing their flavor. Today is November 8th, and I still have one beauty sitting on the counter.

Svetikk wrote:

Kolokolchik. I grew this wonderful variety again, sent to me a long time ago by Galochka-Esme 😘

Svet, I absolutely adore this variety. It was in the very first seed mail I got from you 😘

Svetikk wrote:

Indeterminate, can be pruned to 3 stems, very long production window, tomatoes are red, elongated-oval up to 4.5 oz (130 g).

Svetikk, how tall does it get in the greenhouse?

T@tka wrote:

Svetikk, how tall does it get in the greenhouse?

Like a lot of icicle/paste types, it will just keep growing until you force it to stop by topping it. It grew on 3 stems near the greenhouse wall, then I tied it to the ceiling, it reached all the way to the walkway and I topped it there. Probably around 8.2 feet (2.5 m). I love varieties like this. Sure, they get tall, but they set every single truss, and in October I can still take a whole crate off the plant back to the city with me.