Quick Summary of Petrusha-Ogorodnlk (Petrusha the Gardener)
- 🌍 Origin & Name: A very famous commercial Russian variety from the “Siberian Garden” (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Petrusha the Gardener” (Petrusha is an affectionate diminutive of Peter).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is highly prized for its compact, stocky “tree-type” seedlings that do not stretch on windowsills. Outdoors, it typically stays around 60 cm (2 ft) tall. Excellent for open ground and small spaces, requiring minimal pruning.
- ⚠️ The “Pink vs. Red” Controversy: According to the official registry, true Petrusha should be a pink, elongated plum/cylindrical tomato. However, SibSad is notorious for seed mix-ups, and many growers receive a red version (which is often suspected to be the variety ‘Siberian Troika’). Both colors perform very similarly.
- 🍅 Fruit & Flavor: Elongated plums weighing 100-200g (3.5-7 oz). Known for a balanced, classic tomato flavor. It is highly versatile—great for fresh eating, juicing, and barrel pickling. Note: Some growers report a tendency to crack at the stem.
- 🛡️ Disease Resistance: Several growers specifically highlighted its outstanding resistance to Late Blight (Phytophthora), surviving outdoors late into the rainy autumn without chemical sprays.
Petrusha the Gardener.
A good little tomato! Super productive, and the taste is pleasant. Good for absolutely anything—salads, canning, or just eating fresh. Seeds were from Siberian Garden (SibSad). Good germination rate (90%).
The bush is short, about 60 cm (2 ft), completely showered with dense, beautiful, red, pepper-shaped fruits. I will definitely plant it again.
Petrusha-Ogorodnlk, both by the description on the seed packet and in the garden, has always been PINK, tasty, and meant for slicing/salads. Due to its thin skin, it wasn’t the best for canning. Your description sounds more like ‘Siberian Troika’ or something similar…
It’s good that you got a lucky mixed-up seed (off-type) that tasted great. Sorry for correcting you, but since people use this catalog as a reference, I wouldn’t want beginners to be misinformed because of Siberian Garden’s packing mistakes.
Zulya, I agree with you that it should be pink, but for me, it’s a favorite for canning—second only to the Truffle varieties. Just goes to show, everyone’s tastes are different.
Zulya, what is there to apologize for? On the contrary, thank you very much for the correction! Maybe someone can show a photo of the “correct” Petrusha in this thread so we at least know what it’s supposed to look like.
That first photo IS the real deal! I’ve been planting it for many years from my own saved seeds, and it looks exactly like that.
Galya! I use the hot canning method, and you probably use the cold pickling method. I won’t argue—you can pickle slightly unripe Petrushas. In my house, they were eaten fresh and fully ripe in salads.
Svetlyachok-plus said:
Maybe someone can show a photo of the “correct” Petrusha…
I don’t have photos, but my Petrusha was exactly like yours, except the fruits were pink. The bush is short, sturdy, tree-type, and compact as a seedling (doesn’t stretch). Siberian Garden has another variety with the exact same bush type and similar fruits (but red) called ‘Siberian Troika’ (Sibirskaya Troyka).
Sveta, in my opinion, yours looks correct. It’s not a deep pink, but rather a pinkish-red, maybe your camera distorted the color a bit. I don’t have a great photo either, but here is what I have. You can see this is the top truss; usually, the lower ones are larger and more barrel-shaped.
In the photo, the shape and size definitely look like Petrusha. Sometimes cameras don’t capture shades accurately. Since this variety is not in the official State Register, I relied on the description and photo on the packet, years of forum reviews, and my own experience.
Perhaps the variety is genetically unstable and produces variations. In any case, it’s a good variety. Another huge plus is that the seedlings are compact and very sturdy.
Yeah, Galya, the ones on my first truss were exactly like that, like little plums. I even doubted if I had a crossed seed. I saved seeds from a tomato on the second truss, and yes, I think it was actually more pink-red after all.
Here is how my Petrusha turned out:
Svetikk said:
Siberian Garden has another variety with the exact same bush type and similar fruits (but red) called ‘Siberian Troika’.
… and ‘Pink Stella’ (Rozovaya Stella) is very similar too.
My Petrusha looked just like the picture on the SibSad packet. It was a solid string of “NOTs”—it did NOT get sick, did NOT stretch, I did NOT prune it, it was NOT tasty, and it was NOT productive. It was pink. I tried to find a photo where you can see it. It’s hard to see the tomato clearly, but the color is definitely a cool pink.
My Petrusha the Gardener was a failure. It didn’t impress me with yield or taste. I don’t have photos, but color-wise it was a cool pink shade, just like Tatiana’s.