🍅 Quick take: The name Michurinets refers to two completely different tomato strains circulating among growers, both featuring potato-leaf (PL) foliage.
Strain 1 (The Early Dwarf): A short, rugose tree-type (determinate) bush that produces small, early 3 oz (80-90 g) red tomatoes. Excellent for short-season climates.
Strain 2 (The Brandywine Cousin): An indeterminate PL heirloom that was popularized on Russian gardening forums. It acts exactly like a Brandywine, producing massive, delicious, dark pink/magenta beefsteaks in the 10-14 oz (300-400 g) range. It requires heavy potassium feeding to ripen evenly. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-5 Experience)
Early-season, tree-type (stout determinate) bush meant for outdoor growing. It features beautiful, rugose potato-leaf foliage.
It is an incredibly reliable, heavy-yielding variety specifically suited for short-season climates (marginal growing zones). The fruits aren’t huge, usually around 3 oz (80-90 g), firm, and red. Because it’s so early, it pumps out its entire yield potential very quickly, which is a massive plus in our unpredictable, short northern summers.
Edited January 24, 2015 by Drosera
Yes! The yield on it is massive! We grew it across 3 different gardens this year, and everyone got the exact same fantastic results.
Just a heads-up, there is a second “Michurinets” circulating among us. The seeds were originally distributed by Tamara (an editor for a gardening magazine), and then Galya Esme spread them throughout our forum. Tamara explicitly stated that the name was just a placeholder/nickname she gave it.
This version is an indeterminate vine with potato leaves (PL). It produces large, oblate beefsteaks. Both in its foliage and its fruit, it is an absolute twin to Brandywine, and it tastes just as delicious as any Brandywine strain.
In my photo, you can’t really see the leaves unfortunately. Michurinets is the one in the background; the plant blocking it in the front is a regular-leaf Pantano. This PL Michurinets is a permanent fixture in my garden now.
Correction: The fruit isn’t red, it’s actually dark pink.
Edited January 30, 2015 by Aleksander
Aleksander, how tall did your Michurinets get in the greenhouse? Planning to grow it next season.
On 1/30/2015 at 1:45 PM, Aleksander said:
Just a heads-up, there is a second “Michurinets” circulating among us…
I actually have seeds in my stash labeled “Michurinets from Prihoz forum”—that must be the exact strain you are talking about.
How is the yield on it, and what’s the average fruit weight?
On 1/30/2015 at 1:45 PM, Aleksander said:
…Michurinets is the one in the background with the red fruit…
Aleksander, what is the exact color of the ripe fruit on your strain?
On 1/30/2015 at 4:20 PM, Sweet said:
Aleksander, what is the exact color of the ripe fruit on your strain?
Sveta, I apologize for the confusion, the color is actually dark pink.
Here are my stats for the PL Michurinets from the 2012 season:
– Height by August 1st: 5 feet (1.5 m)
– Yield per plant: 14.5 lbs (6.6 kg) (Note: In 2013, the yield dropped by half, but almost all my varieties struggled that year).
– Max fruit weight: 9.7 oz (275 g)
– Flavor rating: 5/5, solid pink tomato flavor.
I practically didn’t prune the suckers at all, just removed leaves that got hit with leaf mold (Cladosporium). The foliage isn’t super dense, and the vines are actually quite thin/wispy.
I grew it right next to another Brandywine strain (Brandy Wine from an Altai seed company). They looked nearly identical, but the Altai one had a lower yield and slightly smaller fruits.
On 1/30/2015 at 5:10 PM, Aleksander said:
Sveta, I apologize for the confusion, the color is actually dark pink.
No need to apologize, I figured you meant the ripe fruit! I was specifically asking because I’ve been hunting for a deep magenta/dark pink heirloom. We used to grow them years ago, and I just can’t seem to track one down now.
I grew the PL Michurinets from Aleksander’s seeds. Really loved how relatively low-maintenance it was, its mid-early ripening time, high yields, and very balanced flavor.
My fruits averaged around 10.5 oz (300 g), with the largest hitting 14 oz (400 g). They were very resistant to cracking. Because I get significantly more intense sun than Aleksander does, my ripe fruits turned a vibrant, deep magenta.
Just a tip: if you want the fruits to ripen evenly without hard green shoulders, you absolutely must give them supplemental potassium and magnesium.
Edited January 30, 2015 by Zulfiya
Michurinets. Excellent, highly productive variety. In my greenhouse, it acted as a mid-season, medium-tall vine, topping out around 4 feet (1.2 m). The fruits were large, oblate pink beefsteaks with classic heirloom flavor. Foliage is strictly potato leaf (PL).
I grew a version of Michurinets too, but mine did NOT have potato leaves—it was strictly regular leaf (RL). It was still very tasty and gave a huge yield, so I’ll be growing it again.
Full Summary: Sorting Out the “Michurinets” Confusion
If you acquire seeds labeled Michurinets, pay close attention to your source, as the name encompasses multiple entirely different tomatoes.
- 🌿 Strain 1: The Short-Season Dwarf. This is an early, highly concentrated yielder meant for harsh northern climates. It grows as a stout, tree-type determinate bush with highly rugose potato leaves. It produces small 3 oz (80-90 g) red fruits very rapidly before dying back.
- 🍅 Strain 2: The Heirloom Beefsteak (Forum Strain). Distributed via Russian gardening forums, this is a tall, indeterminate potato-leaf (PL) vine. Growers universally agree that it is a genetic twin to Brandywine. It features thin/wispy vines but produces massive, 10-14 oz (300-400 g) oblate beefsteaks. The color ranges from dark pink to vibrant magenta depending on sun exposure.
- 📈 Yield & Care: Both strains are considered heavy yielders for their respective classes. If growing the large beefsteak strain, growers highly recommend aggressive potassium and magnesium feeding to prevent hard green shoulders and ensure even ripening.
The name Michurinets (meaning “follower of Michurin”) is a tribute to Ivan Michurin (1855–1935), an iconic Russian botanist and plant breeder. He is often referred to as the “Russian Luther Burbank.” Michurin developed hundreds of cold-hardy fruit and vegetable varieties capable of surviving brutal Siberian winters. Because of his legendary status, many seed savers and commercial breeders attach the name “Michurin” to any exceptionally tough, reliable, or high-yielding crop, which explains why several completely unrelated tomatoes end up sharing this name!
