Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4 Experience)
Got this variety from collector Khoroshev out in the Kostroma region. Planted it in mid-February for an early crop, and it started giving ripe fruit by mid-July. Sprawling, vigorous bush, gets up to 2.6 ft (80 cm) tall. Blossoms appear every leaf or even back-to-back. No pruning needed, it tops itself. Heavy yield, ripens all at once. Fruits are large for an early type, up to 5.3 oz (150 g), rich tomato flavor, very juicy inside. I’m planning to sow it straight into a cold frame on a hot bed next time.
Edited January 12, 2013 by Tomatanya
More photos:
I grew Labrador too, seeds from Logunov. The bush outdoors in the dirt was no more than 2.3 ft (70 cm) tall, fruits had a standard tomato taste, averaged around 3.5 oz (100 g), and did pretty well for pickling in jars. I actually pruned mine, but honestly, I probably shouldn’t have.
Tanya, my Labrador is the Improved version, that’s why the fruits are larger, Khoroshev claimed they can get up to 7 oz (200 g).
On 1/12/2013, Tomatanya said:
Tanya, my Labrador is the Improved version, that’s why the fruits are larger, Khoroshev claimed they can get up to 7 oz (200 g).
Tatyana, did I get that right, the variety is actually called Labrador Improved??? I planted it this year as a gift from D. Gusev.
Well here is what grew. The bush was very productive, standard tomato taste with a nice little tang, almost every single fruit weighed exactly 4.2 oz (120 g), and they didn’t split in the canning jars.
On 4/18/2013, Olesenka said:
Tatyana, did I get that right, the variety is actually called Labrador Improved??? I planted it this year as a gift from D. Gusev.
Yeah, that’s right. Got mine from Khoroshev.
Tanyushechka, thanks for the Labrador seeds. Grew it in the absolute hottest greenhouse. Height was 2.6 ft (80 cm). Tomatoes were up to 3.5 oz (100 g). And it ended up being the highest yielding variety out of everything I grew, even beating the giant beefsteaks. Pumped out over 4.4 lbs (2 kg) per bush. Holds up well in storage and tastes great. It’s definitely staying in my family rotation.
I grew Labrador Improved this year too. Taste is just standard tomato, but it’s incredibly productive and totally immune to late blight. Every single tomato ripened completely on the bush in the greenhouse, right while most of my other plants were practically turning black from blight. Honestly, its only two real highlights are the heavy yield and blight resistance. I won’t be planting it again, I want something tastier! 😋
I really liked it. Det, very heavy yielder, super early, it was one of the very first to ripen. Fruits are perfectly uniform, sets all at once, nice sweet and tart flavor, didn’t prune it at all.
Thanks Tatiyanka1!
Planted this variety for the first time. At first the fruits were medium sized around 3.5 oz (100 g), then they started getting much bigger. Liked it for being low maintenance, disease resistant, and pumping out a great harvest. Tasty fruits with a nice tang. I actually did prune and top the bush because I planted them way too close together. Maybe I had the improved version too.
Edited January 24, 2015 by ilja
I have this one lined up for my early crop, thanks for the photos and descriptions, really giving me hope.
Here are my two Labradors. One is from Nash Sad, planted on Jan 15, I’m going to hold it in a 3/4-gallon pot so I can squeeze it into the greenhouse later, and the second one from Gusev is going straight into the dirt outdoors.
I’ve grown Labrador for many years and it is an absolute must-plant for me every season. Never lets me down, always loaded with fruit. The bush is a tiny powerhouse under 1.6 ft (50 cm), with beautiful fruits weighing 2.5 to 5.3 oz (70-150 g), and it’s always the very first to ripen. It is my absolute favorite for sweet pickled canning, so incredibly delicious. Yield is at least 4.4 lbs (2 kg) off this little guy.
On 10/26/2016, Elena 62 said:
I’ve grown Labrador for many years and it is an absolute must-plant for me every season. Never lets me down, always loaded with fruit.
Elena, that is a super impressive result! For our cold climate, that yield is crazy! How do they taste just for fresh eating and whose seeds were they originally? I want to track them down, really love the look of them.
Edited October 27, 2016 by Drosera
Sveta. Taste is standard, not bland and not a sour bomb, but definitely not a grocery store plastic tomato either. The best part is it’s super early. This year I sowed June (Iyunskiy) from the forum and Labrador on the exact same day. They started ripening at the exact same time. Last year I sowed on May 2, my cat ruined this exact variety, so I transplanted them straight into the dirt on May 20 (they were only 2 inches tall) and by late July we were already eating them. But usually I start seeds in early April.
I grew a lot of varieties this year, but for sweet canning brine, Labrador is the reigning champ. 😋 Though I haven’t tasted all my jars yet. I can mail you some seeds if you want. 📝
Third year it’s making me happy with the very first ripe tomatoes. This year sown in early March, the first ripe one was picked on June 6. It’s got a permanent spot in my garden! The overall yield from this little plant isn’t massive, but the flavor is great for the very first tomato of the season.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: Determinate (compact bush). Usually tops itself at 1.6 to 2.6 ft (50-80 cm). It is completely low-maintenance and requires zero pruning or suckering. The fruits are uniformly round and red, weighing between 2.5 and 7 oz (70-200 g) depending on whether you grow the standard or “Improved” strain.
- 📈 Yield: Very high for its size. Growers report up to 4.4 lbs (2 kg) per tiny bush, and it drops its harvest incredibly early and all at once, allowing growers to pick buckets of tomatoes before the cold autumn weather arrives.
- 👅 Taste: A classic, old-fashioned standard tomato flavor with a nice acidic tang. While not as complex as late-season beefsteaks, it is highly praised for being one of the best-tasting ultra-early varieties you can grow.
- 📦 Hardiness: Legendary. It performs beautifully outdoors in the dirt, survives cold springs, and is widely reported to be highly immune to late blight, often staying green and producing while other plants are wiped out. Excellent for canning and pickling whole.
Notice how Elena mentions Labrador being the undisputed champion for “sweet canning brine”? In the US, we typically can tomatoes crushed, as sauce, or whole in acidic tomato juice. But in Russian gardening culture, one of the most popular ways to preserve the harvest is to pickle whole, firm tomatoes in a boiling vinegar brine heavily sweetened with sugar and infused with garlic, dill, and black peppercorns. Labrador’s firm texture and small size make it the absolute perfect candidate for this traditional European canning method.
