Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-7 Experience)
Grew this in the greenhouse – indet, regular leaf, fruits are roundish pink hearts, 5.3 to 14 oz (150-400 g). Tastes like most pink hearts, but in my dirt it definitely begged for some extra potassium…
Edited January 4, 2017 by Drosera
Super variety. Wasn’t a huge yielder for me… but the tomatoes turned out to be absolute beauties! Massive, no white tissue or green shoulders. And the taste… out of this world!
First year growing this one. Really liked it. Heavy producer, huge, and sweet.
.JPG.3fb0bf072a4f3365a88bfac4afc6b5ae.JPG)
Can anybody tell me why the shapes are so different under the exact same name?
Mine threw slightly ribbed plums with a little point, and I’ve seen this “version” of Minusinsk Bulls online too.
Another seed mix-up?
Edited August 19, 2020 by Marusha
Marina, I got my seeds from Alena (Red Riding Hood). My Minusinsk Bulls grew exactly like her photos and totally matched the description. To be honest, I never really dug into the whole different fruit shape issue after that. So I couldn’t tell you which fruit shape is the “correct” one for Minusinsk Bulls. 🤷♀️
On 8/18/2020 at 12:15 PM, Marusha said:
Can anybody tell me why the shapes are so different under the exact same name?
Mine threw slightly ribbed plums with a little point, and I’ve seen this “version” of Minusinsk Bulls online too.
Another seed mix-up?
I’ll add another type of Minusinsk Bulls I grew. I see some folks here posted a similar shape. Massive red hearts (wasn’t super productive outdoors, but the fruit quality was just a dream. Huge, smooth, no cracking). The vine was super scrawny at first, but really bounced back by September. While a lot of other vines had already dried up, this one stayed nice and green. It’s got that classic “weeping” or wispy foliage. Pulled the first ripe one on Sept 9th. Fantastic flavor (buttery, meaty, sweet. I usually struggle to get good sweetness, but not with this one).
Edited September 10, 2020 by Marusha
Minusinsk Bulls
Grew it in the greenhouse in ’23. Had 2 plants, kept them to 2-3 leaders. Fruits are pink, blunt-hearted. Super heavy yielder and a great tasting variety. Loved it.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Shape Variations
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate, mid-to-late season. The plant can start out looking scrawny with drooping, wispy foliage, which is very typical for large-fruited oxheart varieties. Despite the fragile look, it bounces back and powers through late into the season.
- 🍅 Fruit & Shape: Traditionally large, blunt pink or red oxhearts weighing well over 14 oz (400 g) under good conditions. There is a secondary strain circulating in the seed trade that produces ribbed plums with a sharp point, but the general consensus leans heavily toward the large heart shape being the authentic “Minusinsk” strain.
- 📈 Yield: Mixed results depending on the grower. It can be wildly productive in a greenhouse setup with proper pruning (2-3 leaders), though some found it a bit stingy when grown entirely outdoors.
- 👅 Taste: Universally praised. Described as incredibly sweet, buttery, and meaty with excellent internal texture—no hard white cores or annoying green shoulders.
You’ll often see the word “Minusinsk” attached to many Russian heirloom tomatoes. Minusinsk is a historic town in southern Siberia famous for its unique microclimate that allows for surprisingly good tomato growing despite the brutal winters. Every August, the town holds a massive “Tomato Champion” festival where locals compete to weigh in the largest tomato. That tradition has spawned dozens of incredible, cold-tolerant, giant-fruited heirloom families that American growers absolutely love today.
.jpg.d58fff69a0a7d83a5b456cc04d4602b9.jpg)
