Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4 Experience)
Been growing this one for a long time. Seeds are from Biotekhnika. Super low maintenance. The bush stays around 20 inches (50 cm). You can completely skip pruning. I usually pinch suckers early on, but then just let it go. The whole plant gets absolutely loaded with these neat little lightbulbs.
Awesome for canning. Some of my friends actually think the pickled green ones taste better than the red ones in the marinade. Early variety. Weird that I don’t have a picture of them on the scale, tried to photograph everything. But you can easily tell it’s no giant.
Vera, my Ledenets outdoors reached about 4 feet (1.3 m), but everything else you said is spot on. Out of all the small tomatoes I’ve grown, this one is my absolute favorite for flavor, yield, and disease resistance.
Edited January 8, 2013 by Galina P.
Could you guys tell me how much these weigh? The packet says 1.4-1.8 oz (40-50 g), but the pictures make them look like cherries.
Nope, definitely not a cherry. It easily hits that 1.4-1.8 oz (40-50 g) mark. 👍
Grew this out in the open garden this year. The yield completely blew me away. Despite a scorching June and a freezing August, it set every single truss without dropping a blossom. Didn’t quite manage to ripen on the vine for me, and the ones I ripened indoors didn’t develop much sugar, but man are they good for canning!
Definitely growing this again!
Yeah Lena, it’s a really solid tomato. Actually kinda surprised I haven’t run into any renamed clones of it yet, or maybe I just haven’t stumbled across them. 😉
Hmm, you’re totally right. But honestly that’s great, at least we know exactly what we’re growing!
Ledenets really impressed me this year, and you guys are right, it’s absolutely fantastic for canning. Having trouble posting my picture though.
Grew this last season and absolutely loved it. Kept it under a row cover and it got over 3 feet (1 m) tall. I actually planted two per hole since I had an extra seedling left over. Pruned everything below the first truss, then just spread the stems out when tying them up. Such a gorgeous, heavy yielder. 👍
Definitely on my grow list again. Huge thanks to Vera for the seeds! 🌸
I grow this one every single year, easily one of my favorite small varieties. Does great both outdoors in the dirt and in a low tunnel. Doesn’t throw too many suckers. I usually prune up to the first truss, which keeps the bush looking super neat. Fruits are nice and dense, really delicious.
Tried growing this one in the poly greenhouse and it did great! Not an aggressive grower at all, topped out around 5 feet (1.5 m) inside. I pruned it up to the first cluster and it behaved perfectly, just stayed in its lane without crowding anything out.
The plant was absolutely smothered in these little plum tomatoes! Very similar to Chocolate Bunny and Pink Raisin in shape and size, and the flavor is right up there with them too. Canned a jar of them, haven’t taste-tested yet. Highly recommend! Kept some seeds for myself. In the bunny picture, it’s playing the role of the tummy 🙂 🎩
It’s an early variety, so I planted it out early as my first tomatoes under cover. Couldn’t get a shot with the plant fully loaded because it’s such a long producer – we were constantly picking these little icicles for over 3 months straight.
Bush reached about 30 inches (80 cm) tall. The suckers sprawled out in every direction, and we just let them all grow since we had the space. Flavor is good, and gets even better in the fall. Seeds were from Vera.
Ran Ledenets again during this freezing season. Grew it outdoors under cover, and it definitely cleared 20 inches (50 cm) for me, even though my seeds were from Vera. 🌸 Despite the icy start to the summer, fruit set was solid. Perfect size for me since I can in small jars. Going right back on my grow list.
Mine definitely stayed right around 20 inches (50 cm), didn’t get any taller than that.
Well Vera, you’ve got a colder climate and it’s out in the completely open garden, whereas I kept mine under cover the whole season.
Quote from Plena:
Well Vera, you’ve got a colder climate and it’s out in the completely open garden, whereas I kept mine under cover the whole season.
No, I was just referring to the folks above saying it reached 3 to 5 feet. But man, I can only imagine how great it does in a warmer climate. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Especially since it thrives and makes me happy every single year despite my freezing cold nights.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Usages
- 🌿 Plant: Determinate/Semi-determinate. Highly adaptable based on the environment. In cold climates in the open garden, it stays bushy and compact at around 20 inches (50 cm). Grown under tunnels or in greenhouses, it can stretch anywhere from 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 m). Can be grown with zero pruning, or just pruned up to the first flower cluster.
- 🍅 Fruit: Small, red, elongated plums/icicles weighing roughly 1.4-1.8 oz (40-50 g). Not quite as small as a cherry tomato, but very dense and uniform.
- 📈 Yield: Exceptional. Growers praise its ability to set every single blossom without dropping fruit, even through extreme temperature swings. Produces heavily over a long period.
- 👅 Taste & Use: Excellent fresh flavor, but it truly shines as a pickling and canning tomato. The small size makes them perfect for fitting whole into jars, and they hold their texture incredibly well in marinades.
