Quick Summary of Rozovyi Gigant (Pink Giant)
- 🌍 Origin: An official commercial variety registered in the Russian State Register. Note: It should not be confused with the family heirloom “Ukrainian Pink Giant” (Rozovyi Gigant Ukrainskiy).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but its growth habit is sprawling. It enthusiastically throws out side shoots (suckers) in all directions. Important Note: There is a famous discrepancy among Russian seed companies regarding this variety. Some sell a Regular Leaf (RL) strain, while others (like “Flos” and “Helios”) sell a Potato Leaf (PL) strain. Many growers consider the PL version to be superior in yield and texture.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic, large pink beefsteaks. Fruits typically average 300-500g (10.5-17.5 oz), but can easily grow into absolute behemoths.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Juicy and sweet with a pleasant, balancing acidity. Interestingly, the highly sought-after Potato Leaf strain is noted for having a unique “silky” texture, rather than the sparkling/sugary (mealy) flesh typical of many large pink tomatoes.
- 🍹 Culinary Use: Excellent for fresh eating, but it is especially legendary for making phenomenal, rich tomato juice.
Pink Giant in the catalog on the old forum.
Seeds from the “Rossortsemovoshch” company, first year growing it here. I liked it for the taste: juicy, a good tartness to balance the sweetness, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Full ripening on the vine, extended fruiting period. It didn’t reach 1.5 meters (5 ft) tall for us, but it sprawled sideways, throwing out suckers very willingly.
The last photo is from mid-September.
Please do not confuse Rozovyi Gigant, which is registered in the State Register with a specific author, with the variety Ukrainian Pink Giant, as the latter is a family heirloom.
I planted Pink Giant from the “Poisk” seed company, and I got this absolute behemoth )))
The Pink Giant from the “Flos” company was incredibly tasty and productive, but it had potato leaves (PL). The taste is juicy, sweetish, and somewhat “silky” (not the typical sugary/mealy flesh on the break). I didn’t save seeds in time, so I planted it from many other companies later—and it’s just not the same, they all have regular leaves (RL) 😞. I need to order from them again 📝
garnet said:
The Pink Giant from the “Flos” company was incredibly tasty and productive, but it had potato leaves… I planted it from many other companies later—and it’s just not the same, they all have regular leaves 😞
Svetik, try the variety Rozovyi Lyubitelskiy (Amateur’s Pink), it’s possible that was the variety you actually had. Pink Giant is often confused with it.
OLGA said:
Svetik, try the variety Rozovyi Lyubitelskiy…
Olya, it was definitely Pink Giant.
This year I planted it from 4 different companies, and so far the one from the Lugansk company “Helios” looks the most like the “real” one—a little monster with potato leaves and tons of fruit set. The rest are ordinary bushes with regular leaves.
Nataly said:
I planted Pink Giant from the “Poisk” seed company, and I got this absolute behemoth )))
Mine were roughly the same size as yours (7 bushes), averaging 300-500g (10.5-17.5 oz). Sweet with a little tang. They grew in open ground, pruned to 2 stems on a trellis, mulched with wilted grass.
I preferred to eat it fresh/raw, however, my wife, with some sort of unearthly stubbornness, insisted on processing this specific variety into tomato juice. But the juice turned out excellent! Out of ten 2-liter (half-gallon) jars of “Pink Giant” juice, only 5 were left by early December. Seeds were from “Far Eastern Seeds”. I will definitely plant it next season.
