Quick Summary of Poltavskaya Galushka (Poltava Dumpling)
- 🌍 Origin: An heirloom variety from Eastern Europe (Poltava is a famous city in Ukraine). The name translates to “Poltava Dumpling”, perfectly describing the plump, satisfying shape of the fruits. Widely distributed by famous Ukrainian collector Alexey Kulik.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Plant height depends heavily on pruning and feeding. If left unpruned (no suckering), it stays around 60 cm (24 in) tall. In rich soil or when pruned, it can reach over 1 meter (3.3 ft) and becomes quite sprawling.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Golden-orange fruits that range in shape from plump plums/eggs to blocky barrels and even slightly heart-shaped. Inside, they often have a beautiful pink blush or “tongue” in the center. Weight ranges from 150 g (5.3 oz) on unpruned bushes up to 300 g (10.5 oz) on well-fed plants.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Dense, firm, and elastic (but not hard/woody), remaining juicy and tasty.
- ⏳ Maturity: Early to mid-early, with a very extended fruiting period.
- 💡 Pro Tips for Growing: This variety is an absolute champion of shelf life. The fruits can hang fully ripe on the vine for a long time without spoiling, and once picked, they store exceptionally well while maintaining their flavor.
I fished this variety out of Kulik’s catalog. I liked the description. Early, determinate, productive, orange, and heart-shaped.
In the seedling stage, it scared me with terrifying wing-like leaves that took up half the window. In the greenhouse, the bush grew to over a meter (3.3 ft), sprawling. It wasn’t very early, because it got slightly frostbitten in the seedling stage. The fruits are orange, dense plums, very firm and have excellent keeping qualities, with good taste. The yield is quite good.
Poltavskaya Galushka. A short-growing variety, up to 60 cm (24 in) in the greenhouse. I didn’t prune/sucker it, it is very productive, set a whole basin full of golden eggs. The fruits are quite dense, becoming golden-orange when fully ripe, with a pinkish tint on the cut, up to 150 g (5.3 oz). They can hang on the vine for a long time at first, and then store very well after picking. Seeds from @Yaroslavna.
My Poltavskaya Galushka grew in the pepper greenhouse. It was given a lot of space, and on good rich soil, it grew powerful (above 1 meter / 3.3 ft) and sprawling. The seeds were from Larisa from Vilnius. It started fruiting early, and the fruiting period was very long. The yield is excellent. The fruits are bright yellow-orange, with a pink “tongue” inside, quite large for an early variety, averaging 200-300 g (7-10.5 oz) and higher. The shape is barrel-like, some fruits were heart-shaped. The flesh is dense, yet at the same time juicy and tasty. Excellent keeping quality on this little tomato; it doesn’t get soft for a long time, preserving its taste. A very good variety!
Olga Kalugina shared the seeds with me. Thank you! I will add it to my list of “favorites”. A harmonious, slender bush. Just over a meter. The fruits are elastic / the word “woody” doesn’t fit the description /. Tasty, beautiful. I planted the seedlings in the open ground (outdoors) on May 23. I picked the first fruit on July 20.
