Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4 Experience)
Determinate (up to 24 inches / 60 cm), mid-season variety. Fruits weigh up to 1.8-2.8 oz (50-80 g). They are bright red plums with a sharp beak, firm, and store well. Yield is high! I grew one bush in the greenhouse, didn’t prune the suckers, but it definitely requires good staking. This variety is primarily for whole-fruit canning.
Seeds from V. Popenko.
Edited January 4, 2019 by Svetikk
Sveta @Svetikk, huge thanks for the seeds of this productive beauty. I really loved this variety. I grew three bushes out in the dirt without any cover. To me, Roi Humbert is basically a twin brother to Vesennaya Kapel (Spring Drop). The varieties are very similar in bush height, plant structure, leaf shape, and how the trusses are built. The fruits on both are similar in size, color, and having that little beak, but Vesennaya Kapel’s are just a bit plumper.
Edited October 29, 2019 by Inn@
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: Determinate and very compact, staying around 24 inches (60 cm) tall. It does very well grown outdoors without protection, even in short-season climates. While pruning suckers isn’t strictly necessary, the heavy fruit set means it requires sturdy staking to keep the bush from collapsing.
- 🍅 Fruit: Small, bright red plums with a sharp, distinct beak at the blossom end. They weigh between 1.8 and 2.8 oz (50-80 g). The texture is firm and meaty, typical of classic paste tomatoes.
- 📈 Yield: Rated as highly productive, loading up the compact bushes with dense clusters of fruit.
- 👅 Storage & Use: Excellent shelf life. Because of its firmness and size, it is highly recommended specifically for whole-fruit canning rather than fresh eating.
Roi Humbert (also known internationally as Re Umberto or King Humbert) is a classic piece of tomato history. It was named in honor of King Umberto I of Italy and has been in circulation since the late 19th century. In this thread, you can see it compared to Vesennaya Kapel (Spring Drop), a modern Russian commercial determinate that shares almost identical traits, showing just how influential these old European paste genetics remain today. You’ll also see a mention of V. Popenko – Valery Popenko is a well-known heirloom seed collector.
