Jump to: Off-Types and Seed Issues | The Leaf Type Debate (PL vs RL) | The True Large Bicolor
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-8 Experience)
Off-Types and Seed Issues
Seeds from the Vkusnoteka brand, sent by Galochka_Esme; she wanted to test this variety out herself too. Planted 2 vines last year and 2 this year, and got one off-type in both attempts. After planting them out in the dirt, a hurricane rolled through and snapped the seedlings. Rooted them in wet dirt, and in a week they pushed out a massive root system. The plant is short, up to 2 ft (60 cm), the leaves don’t hide the fruits. The tomatoes are up to 3.5 oz (100 g) and smaller, flat, and you can’t even tell they are bicolors from the outside, only when you slice them open. Didn’t really get to see its true yield potential, I’ll save my own seeds and test it again next year. Not an early one. Sweet and tart flavor, the meat is juicy and sweet, but the seeds have a little zing to them. So it tasted absolutely great without salt, and was excellent in a salad too.
I planted Honey Salute this year too. Turned out to be an off-type, I think. Perfectly round, around 3.5 oz (100 g) each, amber color, height 3.3 ft (1 m), taste is decent…
My Honey Salute, seeds from Poisk. Tasty, but turned out to be a very low yielder for me. Only 6 fruits on the whole plant. The seeds inside are tiny, despite it being a large-fruited variety.
The Leaf Type Debate (PL vs RL)
I planted seeds from two different packs from Poisk. One expires in ’18, the other in ’19. One batch has potato leaves, the other has regular tomato leaves. Which leaf type is the correct one?
Quote Natalya V.
I planted seeds from two different packs from Poisk. One expires in ’18, the other in ’19. One batch has potato leaves, the other has regular tomato leaves. Which leaf type is the correct one?
Potato leaf.
Quote Natalya V.
I planted seeds from two different packs from Poisk. One expires in ’18, the other in ’19. One batch has potato leaves, the other has regular tomato leaves. Which leaf type is the correct one?
Natalya, definitely grow both of them to fruition. I had one with a potato leaf; the exact same thing happened with Giant Delicious, and there’s no way Gusev did that on purpose. The fruits were extremely similar, I couldn’t find a difference. An interesting phenomenon.
And here is Honey Salute: Couldn’t save this one from cracking.
Edited March 23, 2017 by Sergey Prazdnichnov
The True Large Bicolor
Grew Honey Salute in 2021 outdoors in the dirt. It rained all June, followed by scorching heat. First fruit set in June, right alongside Pink Honey, and it started ripening by late July. Didn’t get any small ones, they were all 7 to 17.5 oz (200 to 500 g). It looks a lot like Armenian from Myazina, but tastier and didn’t catch any diseases. It produced right up to the bitter end, basically until I tilled the garden. Couldn’t quite figure out the leaf type, but definitely not potato leaf. Tons of leaves, stiff and a bit rugose/wrinkled.
Grew Honey Salute this season. Vine was about 5 ft (1.5 m), the fruits were incredibly beautiful and tasty, sweet, juicy. 7-10.5 oz (200-300 g).
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Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste, and Seed Issues
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate vine. There is significant debate over whether the true variety is Potato Leaf (PL) or Regular Leaf (RL), with both types commonly growing out of commercial packets. When true to type, the fruits are large bicolor beefsteaks averaging 7-17.5 oz (200-500 g).
- 📈 Yield: Highly variable due to unstable seed lines. Some growers reported poor yields (only 6 fruits) or stunted 3-foot off-types with tiny 3.5 oz amber tomatoes. However, growers with good seeds (like Inna5867) reported massive, disease-free harvests that kept producing right up until frost.
- 👅 Taste: Universally praised when grown successfully. The meat is sweet and juicy, balanced by a tart zing in the seed gel. Excellent for fresh eating and salads.
- ⚠️ Seed Issues: The Poisk and Vkusnoteka brands frequently produce off-types or crossed seeds. If you buy this commercially, be prepared for unpredictable plant habits or fruit sizes.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: 8 growers chimed in, with outdoor and greenhouse experiences ranging from USDA Zone 4 up to Zone 8.
