Quick Summary of Podarok Monakhini (Nun’s Gift)
- 🌍 Origin: An old heirloom variety originating from a monastery in the Novosibirsk region (Siberia). It was gifted to a gardener by a nun with a blessing, giving the variety its beautiful name.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Produces a powerful, vigorous bush up to 1.7 m (5.5 ft) tall with large, sprawling, regular foliage.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flat-round) beefsteaks of a rich crimson/raspberry-pink color. They average 200-300 g (7-10.5 oz) in weight. The fruits are incredibly vibrant and immediately catch the eye in the greenhouse.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Considered a true delicacy. The flesh is buttery, melting, and sugary/granular on the break. The flavor is a harmonious, sweet profile with a slight, refreshing tang and a wonderful aroma.
- 💡 Pro Tips for Growing: This variety is somewhat demanding of potassium (K). If grown in high heat without sufficient potassium, it may develop white veins inside. Ensure proper feeding (either root or foliar) during the fruiting stage to maintain its perfect melting texture.
Podarok Monakhini (Nun’s Gift) is an old variety from a monastery in the Novosibirsk region. The fruits of this variety were gifted to a Russian amateur gardener by a nun with the following words: “Pray, daughter, for our health and our Mother Earth, and name the variety Nun’s Gift.” Thus, this variety received its second life in the secular world.
Mid-season, indeterminate variety. The height of the vigorous bush is up to 1.70 meters (5.5 ft). The leaf is large, sprawling, regular. Flat-round fruits weighing 200-300 g (7-10.5 oz) of a rich crimson/raspberry color. The flesh is buttery, sugary on the break, with a harmonious taste and a pleasant refreshing note in the aftertaste, a true delicacy.
My Nun’s Gift grew in a polycarbonate greenhouse. The bush is sturdy, strong, and completely hung with crimson fruits with an average weight of 250 g (8.8 oz). The taste is simply magnificent, exactly the kind I love. The flesh is tender, buttery, melting. Very aromatic fruits. I grew it from seeds from Valdis.
I grew Nun’s Gift in the greenhouse, right against the wall.
The seeds were from Valdis, Roza @opexovka shared them with me.
Sowing was on March 21. Moved to the greenhouse on April 22; by this time, after the second potting up, the roots had already completely filled a 2-liter (0.5 gallon) pot. Planted it in the ground in the greenhouse on May 19. My bush was not very tall, due to the fact that right after transplanting to its permanent spot, its growth stunted severely, apparently someone (a pest) chewed on its roots… For me, it was around 140-150 cm (4.5-5 ft). I picked the first ripe tomatoes on August 6. Tomato weight 200-300 gr (7-10.5 oz). Average yield. The tomatoes are distinguished by a very bright, scarlet color; you can immediately catch them with your eye when you enter the greenhouse. The tomatoes are tasty, sweet with a barely noticeable tartness. The flesh is quite dense, moderately juicy.
Photos of the bushes did not survive.
In the last photo, white veins are visible on the cut. Does it handle heat in the greenhouse poorly, is it demanding of potassium feedings?
On 11/23/2023 at 13:27, CherriTanya said:
In the last photo, white veins are visible on the cut. Does it handle heat in the greenhouse poorly, is it demanding of potassium feedings?
Yes, the variety is demanding of fertilizers. And since I grow tomatoes without watering (dry-farming) and only amend the planting holes when planting, I rely solely on foliar feedings. But for two years in a row now (2022 and 2023) I haven’t managed to do foliar feeding. However, these white veins are not tough/hard, and they are mostly emphasized by the camera lens optics. In reality, they are not that striking.
I grew this variety this season, it grew by the wall, a tall indet. It set beautiful large fruits very well throughout the whole season. The color is deep red, the flesh is buttery, very tasty, with a slight tartness that highlights the sweetness.
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