Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-5 Experience)
Moonlight Delight. Seeds came from Galya (Esme), grew it outdoors right in the dirt. Determinate, large-fruited, yellow. The bush has that wispy, wimpy foliage. The first truss swells up super fast, and the tomatoes on it are absolutely massive (my biggest hit around 19 oz / 550 g). The shape was barely a heart, closer to a flat-round beefsteak on the bottom, but the upper trusses had a very pronounced heart shape.
Color is a deep yellow, and mine developed these nice pink streaks. Flavor is very pleasant and mild. While those first trusses were swelling up, the rest of the plant just stalled out, but once I picked that first batch, the upper trusses finally kicked into gear.
Outdoors the bush stayed around 31-35 inches (80-90 cm). Didn’t get to show its full potential because late blight got to it first. Definitely want to try it in the greenhouse next time.
Olya, that is absolutely gorgeous!!! Especially considering it came off such a compact bush! 👍 👍 👍
Hey ladies, anyone who grew Moonlight Delight, mine just refuses to sprout. Is it naturally this stubborn to germinate, or did I mess something up?
??? Mine grew out looking completely identical to Golden Domes and King of Siberia.. 😲
I grew Moonlight Delight for 2 years. Tatiana Kushnareva actually sent me the seeds on the PH forum. So I definitely had the real deal. It looked exactly like Olya described. Plus, it is an incredible yielder.
The only drawback it has is that it’s incredibly delicate. You basically have to eat it straight off the vine. I tried not to even touch them when they were green, because the slightest bump left dents and bruises. Ended up swapping it out for Honey Savior because of that. Thanks for reminding me though, need to plant it again so I don’t lose the strain.
Hey y’all, what seed company actually sells Moonlight Delight? Where can I order it?
Quote from tomatinka:
??? Mine grew out looking completely identical to Golden Domes and King of Siberia.. 😲
My Moonlight Delight (grew as an indet, seeds from Galya) looked a lot like Golden Domes (from SibSad), but for some reason I liked it way better. It had a much more pronounced heart shape. King of Siberia was totally different for me, pure yellow, no blush or marbling, and the flavor was worse.
Planted it for the first time, seeds from Galochka (GalinaD), huge thanks to her for that!! Turned out to be a massive yielder, beautiful, delicious, massive whoppers, and not just on the bottom trusses either. But….. yeah, I totally agree with Tamara—it bruises if you just look at it and has absolutely zero shelf life.
Here’s a photo of the tomatoes from the second truss:
Moonlight Delight (seeds from o-lya-lya 🌸), absolutely gorgeous, but man is it delicate! Just carrying it to the scale left a dent in it 🤷♀️
Barely any seeds, just pure meat. Flavor is a bit bland, which happens a lot with these yellows.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Issues
- 🌿 Plant: Features classic wispy, weeping oxheart foliage. There is some debate over its growth habit: some growers had compact determinate bushes staying under 3 feet (90 cm), while others experienced taller indeterminate growth. Seeds can be stubborn and slow to germinate.
- 🍅 Fruit: Massive yellow hearts/beefsteaks weighing up to 19 oz (550 g). The first fruits tend to be flatter, with upper trusses throwing more pronounced heart shapes. Some strains develop beautiful pink marbling/blushing at the blossom end. Extremely meaty with very few seeds.
- 📈 Yield: Very high. The plant sets huge clusters, though the vine may temporarily stall its upper growth while swelling the massive bottom fruits.
- 👅 Taste & Use: Mild, delicate, and low-acid. A classic sweet yellow tomato flavor.
- ⚠️ Issues: Highly susceptible to bruising. The skin is incredibly thin, meaning it has zero shelf life and will dent or bruise just from being handled on the way to the kitchen. Must be eaten fresh immediately.
