🍅 Quick take: Royal Finger (Korolevskiy Palchik) is a determinate, mid-season paste tomato producing massive clusters of elongated, bright scarlet finger-like fruits on compact 3.3 to 4.5 ft (1-1.4 m) bushes. Extremely meaty with almost no seeds, it excels at whole-fruit canning and sun-drying. Unlike many long paste varieties that are notorious for blossom end rot, growers report zero BER, though the tender skins mean short counter life and loose stem attachments that prefer greenhouse protection over windy outdoor beds. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-6b Experience)
Determinate, compact habit staying around 3.3 to 4.5 ft (1-1.4 m), mid-season maturity. Gorgeous variety with insane productivity. Fruits are bright scarlet, long, finger-shaped, meaty, and have very few seeds. Tailor-made for whole-pack canning and sun-drying, and works wonderfully cooked down into ketchup and thick tomato pastes. Outstanding, rich, classic old-time tomato flavor with great sweetness.
Planted this one specifically for dehydrating, but it turned out so delicious with tender skins that we ended up eating almost all of them fresh right out of hand 🙂
They do not keep long on the counter, they start shriveling from the stem end fairly quickly. The fruit also does not hold onto the stem very tightly, so if you deal with strong gusts, I would avoid planting it outdoors in open ground. Inside the high tunnel everything was fine, they didn’t drop on their own.
Crazy productive, and zero BER throughout the entire season. Extended harvest window. I pruned suckers only up to the first flower cluster.
Edited September 17, 2023 by Natalya79
They do not keep long on the counter, they start shriveling from the stem end fairly quickly. The fruit also does not hold onto the stem very tightly, so if you deal with strong gusts, I would avoid planting it outdoors in open ground. Inside the high tunnel everything was fine, they didn’t drop on their own.
Crazy productive, and zero BER throughout the entire season. Extended harvest window. I pruned suckers only up to the first flower cluster.
Edited September 17, 2023 by Natalya79
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant & Habit: Determinate bush staying manageable at 3.3 to 4.5 ft (1-1.4 m). Mid-season maturity. Growers recommend pruning suckers only up to the first flower cluster, allowing the upper canopy to bush out and maximize cluster count.
- 📈 Yield & Disease Resistance: Huge overall yields with a staggered, extended harvest window. Crucially, despite having the elongated “icicle” shape that is notoriously prone to calcium uptake issues, growers experienced zero blossom end rot (BER).
- 🌬️ Wind Vulnerability & Storage: Fruit stems detach easily from the calyx when mature. In exposed outdoor beds subject to heavy summer windstorms, fruit drop can occur. Best grown in high tunnels or staked firmly. Short shelf life once picked, fruit softens and wrinkles around the stem end quickly.
- 👅 Taste & Culinary Uses: Very meaty, dense flesh with remarkably few seeds. While bred primarily for paste, canning, and drying, the skin is tender enough and the flavor sweet enough to make it an enjoyable fresh salad or snacking tomato.
- 🌎 Who Reviewed It: Verified by experienced growers in USDA Zone 6b (Volgograd) and USDA Zone 4 (Tula Region).
