🍅 Quick take: Mama Alla is an indeterminate, mid-season Russian heart tomato introduced and named by Canadian collector and TOMATObase founder Tatiana Kouchnareva in honor of her mother. Growing on a slender vine, it produces plump, rounded reddish-pink hearts that resemble apples as they ripen, delivering above-average yields and a pleasant, mildly sweet, balanced flavor even in a shaded USDA Zone 4 greenhouse spot. Full summary ↓
Grower’s Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 4 Experience)
Indeterminate, mid-season slicer variety. The fruits are plump, rounded hearts, pink with a reddish hue, and look a lot like apples when they’re just slightly underripe. Slender, wispy vine. Flavor is really pleasant and well-balanced with a gentle sweetness. Yield was a bit above average, even though the plant grew in a shaded spot in the greenhouse. Seeds came from Tatiana Kouchnareva*. The variety originally came out of Russia, and Tatiana named it after her mom.
Edited February 11, 2017 by ElenaN
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Origin
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate, mid-season vine with a slender growth habit typical of classic Russian oxhearts.
- 🍅 Fruit: Plump, rounded heart-shaped tomatoes in reddish-pink that look remarkably like apples just before full maturity.
- 📈 Yield: Slightly above average in a USDA Zone 4 greenhouse, even when planted in partial shade.
- 👅 Taste: Pleasant, well-balanced slicer flavor with a mild sweetness.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Reviewed by ElenaN in Kostroma, Russia (USDA Zone 4) from seed obtained directly from Tatiana Kouchnareva.
🍅 Grown Mama Alla? Share your zone and how it did for you in the comments below, and add your photos!
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: The Story Behind Mama Alla
*Tatiana Kouchnareva received unnamed family seeds of this variety from her mother, Alla Gavrilovna Kouchnareva, who grew it in the Moscow Region of Russia. Tatiana introduced it to the North American heirloom community in 2009 under the name Mama Alla.
*Tatiana Kouchnareva received unnamed family seeds of this variety from her mother, Alla Gavrilovna Kouchnareva, who grew it in the Moscow Region of Russia. Tatiana introduced it to the North American heirloom community in 2009 under the name Mama Alla.
