📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe (Orange Oxheart)
- 🌍 Origin & Confusion: A popular commercial Russian variety sold by various seed companies (Russkiy Ogorod, Poisk, Sibsad, etc.). However, growers report massive variations depending on the seed vendor. It is often confused with varieties like Liskin Nos (Fox Nose), Oranzhevoe Serdtse (Orange Heart), and Korol Sibiri (King of Siberia).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, generally mid-season (though some report early maturity). Has average foliage and performs well in both greenhouses and open ground.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Highly variable depending on the seed source. While it’s supposed to be an “oxheart,” many commercial packets yield oblate or completely round tomatoes. Another distinct strain circulated by private collectors (the “Pointy” or Ostroe variant) produces true hearts with a prominent beak. Regardless of shape, the fruits are large (up to 400g / 14 oz), bright orange, dense, and very meaty with few seeds.
- 👅 Flavor: Highly rated across all shape variations. Very sweet, rich, and often described as having a texture that “cuts like butter.” Excellent shelf life for an heirloom type.
Description from the seed packet: “A popular large-fruited variety with unusual fruit coloring. Mid-season, indeterminate plant with average foliage. Fruits weigh up to 400g (14 oz), slightly ribbed, multi-locular, meaty, sweet, with superb flavor qualities. The color of the ripe fruit is orange. Suitable for growing in open ground and greenhouses. A slicing tomato (for fresh eating).”
Photo authors: cat2008, vavladi, Cherry
Edited January 23, 2015 by Sweet
Do I need to prune these to a single stem out in the garden (open ground)?
In your region, pruning to 2 stems will yield better results.
Sweet, which seed company did yours come from? I have a packet from Russkiy Ogorod sitting here, and I’m debating whether to plant it or not. How was the yield?
Meri said:
Sweet, which seed company did yours come from? I have a packet from Russkiy Ogorod sitting here, and I’m debating whether to plant it or not. How was the yield?
Mine were also from RO, I grew them in 2013. The shape wasn’t really heart-like, but otherwise – it was great! Large-fruited, tasty, meaty. Despite having thin skin, it kept well in storage and was one of the last ones we finished eating.
I’ll show mine too – I really liked the variety, the tomatoes are large and tasty! And it didn’t hold back on the yield either! 👍 I’d plant it again… but the new varieties want a chance to show off too 😂
Meri said:
Sweet, which seed company did yours come from? I have a packet from Russkiy Ogorod sitting here, and I’m debating whether to plant it or not. How was the yield?
I’ve been planting RO seeds for three years in a row, now using my own saved seeds. I train them to 2 stems. It is my earliest and most productive variety in the greenhouse. And tasty (as my gardening neighbor says: “It cuts like butter”) 🙂
It was great last season too, but with all the new varieties I forgot about it. I will definitely grow it this season. A very worthy tomato in both taste and yield.
Could you guys tell me, are Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe (Orange Oxheart) and Liskin Nos (Fox Nose) different varieties, or the same one?
I thought I read they were the same, but the fruit shapes look very different.
Liskin Nos is actually Oranzhevoe Serdtse (Orange Heart).
salix said:
Could you guys tell me, are Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe (Orange Oxheart) and Liskin Nos (Fox Nose) different varieties, or the same one?
I thought I read they were the same, but the fruit shapes look very different.
Ever since this thread started, I’ve been looking at both varieties with great suspicion.
The Russian State Register only lists Oranzhevoe Serdtse (Orange Heart), with Poisk as the originator.
Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe (Orange Oxheart) is not in the register. And what Russkiy Ogorod is actually putting in their packets, only they know.
P.S. “Hearts” of any variety can differ greatly in shape even on the exact same plant.
Sweet said:
Liskin Nos is actually Oranzhevoe Serdtse (Orange Heart).
Thanks, looks like they really are completely different varieties.
RO can call it whatever they want, honestly, thank God they are packing such a good variety regardless.
I really liked it this year – tasty and productive 👍 Grew in the greenhouse, trained to two main stems. Seeds were from Russkiy Ogorod.
Breeder Myazina also has a variety called Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe. We should compare them and figure this out.
salix said:
Could you guys tell me, are Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe (Orange Oxheart) and Liskin Nos (Fox Nose) different varieties, or the same one?
I thought I read they were the same, but the fruit shapes look very different.
They are different tomatoes. The shape of Orange Heart is more ribbed. Orange Oxheart doesn’t have those sharp edges/ribs. Orange Heart or Liskin Nos 😕 originally came from the “Author’s Seeds” line.
It’s a pity that authors/breeders are almost never listed on variety packets here.
My Orange Heart is from Poisk, “Author’s Seeds”. But as for Orange Oxheart, I don’t know who the originator is. Or if there even is one. Honestly, I think it looks very similar to Korol Sibiri (King of Siberia). 😳
I have Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe from RO and from Myazina’s website. I’ll try planting them next year side-by-side to compare, now I’m curious.
Olviya said:
It’s a pity that authors/breeders are almost never listed on variety packets here.
If the variety is registered in the State Register, the description always begins with the author’s last name or the company name.
Olviya said:
Breeder Myazina also has a variety called Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe. We should compare them and figure this out.
I know Myazina has “Serdtseed F1 Orange” (Heartbreaker F1), but I haven’t come across a variety called Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe from her. 🤷♀️ Though she did write that Serdtseed is an oxheart type.
About three years ago I planted Orange Oxheart from Russkiy Ogorod, now I plant my own saved seeds. I really love the variety for both taste and yield.
I specifically checked the packet, it says mid-late season, although for me it’s one of the earliest. And well, shape-wise it doesn’t look like a heart at all, just a standard round, medium-sized tomato.
I’m going to plant Orange Oxheart from Sibsad. Just bought the seeds, I’m curious to see what grows, it says it’s a novelty.
Try it and let us know! Though I’ve gotten off-types (wrong seeds) from Sibsad more than once.
tomatinka said:
My Orange Heart is from Poisk, “Author’s Seeds”. But as for Orange Oxheart, I don’t know who the originator is. Or if there even is one. Honestly, I think it looks very similar to Korol Sibiri (King of Siberia). 😳
Vera, Korol Sibiri is yellow though.
Tanya, the first time I grew it, it was orange. Then from my saved seeds, it got yellower. But according to the description, it is orange-fruited. And I’ve noticed on all similar varieties, the hotter the summer, the deeper orange they become.
Mine was yellow, seeds were from our forum member Irishka.
I planted Orange Oxheart last year from the company ZAO “PR-M” (Moscow). The shape was not a heart at all, just a standard oblate tomato with slightly gathered shoulders.
Aleksan9ra said:
I’m going to plant Orange Oxheart from Sibsad. Just bought the seeds, I’m curious to see what grows, it says it’s a novelty.
Did you plant it this year? How did it turn out?
I planted the Sibsad seeds this year. A very good, productive, and tasty tomato. Even though my seedlings looked terrible, the final result was excellent.
Wow, what beauties!
Hellavtomske said:
Did you plant it this year? How did it turn out?
Yes! Grew it, not just one plant, but several. I LOVED them! They looked just like the photos above. I will definitely repeat them. Not heart-shaped at all, they are round, bright orange, highly productive, and the earliest ones I had. And the main thing I really liked—the fruits aren’t soft; they are very firm, almost like a hybrid. But tasty! They can hang on the vine for a while and store well. Overall, I highly recommend trying it!
Bychie Serdtse Oranzhevoe Pointy/Beaked variant (seeds from Marina Devyatkova).
Description: “Mid-season, tall indeterminate. Fruits are heart-shaped, large, meaty, dense, few-seeded, with a beautiful point/beak, bright orange color, tasty. Extended harvest period until frost.”
Grew in the greenhouse on the sunny side, partially shaded. Tall vine. The fruits are orange with an elongated beak, beautiful, meaty, firm, and store well. I didn’t write down the weight, but they are fairly large fruits. Few seeds. I really liked the variety—tasty and productive. Kept producing right up until late September.
I have one like that too ) just not as pointy/beaked as yours.
Here it is on Oct 22, 2016. By this time the taste is gone—it’s bland and dry.
Ovechka said:
Here it is on Oct 22, 2016. By this time the taste is gone—it’s bland and dry.
Lyudochka, thanks for the seeds for this little tomato. I sowed them and am really looking forward to them sprouting. Did they germinate normally for you?
