Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-5)
I was a bit hesitant to add this variety to our catalog, mostly because after several years I still haven’t been able to figure out its real name. Here is the backstory.
My coworker (Natalya, obviously) is a fantastic, hardworking gardener, but she never bothers to remember what seed packets she starts her plants from, and she always throws the packets away. About 5 years ago she had an amazing harvest, and she completely fell in love with one specific variety because of its sweetness and massive fruit size. She brought me a tomato to save seeds from (and even gave me a few just to taste). No matter how much I interrogated her, she couldn’t remember the real name, just told me that she personally calls them “Watermelons” because the unripe green fruits have very distinct stripes:
I don’t leave my tomatoes on the vines until they are dead ripe (mainly to beat the two-legged “helpers” who like to raid gardens), and with beauties like this… well, you get the idea.
I planted 6 vines this year because I’ve grown it before and really loved it. The plant is indeterminate, regular leaf, mid-season (leaning toward mid-early). When we got hit with a sudden heavy downpour in August, a few of the massive fruits cracked a bit, but nothing critical. I should probably mention that I gave all my plants a foliar spray a few times with a Calcium and Boron mix to help prevent BER (blossom end rot) and reduce cracking, which definitely helps.
The flavor is fantastic, with a very noticeable sweetness. The variety definitely wants to throw massive slicers, reaching 1.5 lbs (676 g) is a pretty impressive result for me (really kicking myself for not taking a photo of that one sliced open).
A few more photos (I would be incredibly grateful if someone could actually ID this variety):
My seeds were from our dear Galya (Esme), bless her memory 😢 I was so worried they wouldn’t germinate, the packet was dated 2009. But they popped right up, and I am absolutely thrilled.
Very worthy variety 👍 Heavy yielder, incredibly meaty, and delicious.
Got my seeds from Galya (Esme). She gave it this working name because the real one was lost to time. She used to compare it to Malinovyi Gigant (Raspberry Giant), but it’s definitely not that, I’ve grown that one before.
Grew this out in the dirt, and even in this cold, rainy summer it proved to be a heavy yielder, super low-maintenance, and delicious with sugary flesh. At the green stage, the tomatoes had that striped pattern, really looking exactly like little watermelons, very pretty.
Whenever possible this year, I sent seeds of this variety out to our forum folks who remember our Galya. Huge thanks to her for this variety, and may she rest in peace!
I actually saw those same kind of stripes on my Gigant Sukhanova (Sukhanov’s Giant) vines this year. The photo is a bit blurry, but you can kind of see it.
Olya, yeah, I noticed those same characteristic stripes on Gigant Sukhanova too, but the tomatoes themselves taste totally different. Gigant Sukhanova has a good balanced flavor, but with a nice acidic tang. Natalya’s Watermelon is pure sweetness.
This variety is easily one of the best discoveries of the season! 👍 Big thanks for the seeds and the recommendation to Tanya, 🌺 and to our Galya-Esme for spreading this incredible variety to the masses, we remember and love her! 😘
I grew 2 vines in the greenhouse, pruned to 2 stems each. Tall, huge yield, gorgeous round pink fruits, and one of them even tipped the scales at over 2.2 lbs (1 kg)! Set fruit reliably all the way up the vine. Absolutely loved the flavor, perfectly balanced with a lot of sweetness, just how I like it! 😋
The stripes on the green fruits weren’t as obvious in the greenhouse shade compared to the folks growing it outdoors, but they were definitely there! I inspected them closely 😊
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate, mid-early season. Tall, robust vines that perform exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. The defining characteristic of this mystery variety is the distinct dark green, watermelon-like stripes visible on the unripe fruits. The mature fruits are massive, round pink beefsteaks weighing 1.5-2.2 lbs (650-1000 g).
- 📈 Yield: Extremely heavy yielder. Growers report that it sets fruit reliably all the way up the vine, even in cold, rainy outdoor conditions.
- 👅 Taste: Universally loved. Very sweet, sugary, and meaty flesh with a perfectly balanced profile. It lacks the acidic tang found in similar large pinks.
- 📦 Storage: As with most massive heirloom pinks, the skin is somewhat thin. It can be prone to cracking after heavy rains, so maintaining consistent soil moisture (and using a Calcium/Boron foliar spray) is recommended.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Growers across Russia (USDA Zones 4-5). This variety is especially cherished on the forum as a legacy heirloom spread by a beloved late community member.
In the second post, Esme mentions dealing with two-legged “helpers” (помощники) — this is a tongue-in-cheek Russian gardening slang for thieves or neighborhood pests who raid dacha gardens to steal ripe crops.She also mentions treating her plants with a Calcium/Boron mix to prevent cracking. In Russian agriculture, Calbit C (a liquid calcium supplement) and Boroplus (a boron supplement) are frequently tank-mixed and used as a foliar spray during fruit set. This combo is a highly effective way to prevent Blossom End Rot (BER) and strengthen the fruit skin against sudden rain splits.
