Quick Summary of Russkiy Kazak (Russian Cossack)
- 🌍 Origin: Originally a US-bred variety (likely by Tom Wagner) that became highly popular among Russian seed collectors (like V. Redko and V. Popenko) under the translated name “Russkiy Kazak”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate to indeterminate. Generally stays relatively compact, with most growers reporting a medium height of 1.2 m to 1.6 m (4 to 5.2 ft).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Stunningly beautiful! The medium-sized, round to oblate fruits weigh 200-300 grams (7-10 oz). The skin is a striking mix of pink/crimson with green and deep blue/purple (anthocyanin) stripes. They are very dense and store well.
- 👅 Flavor Debate: This variety is highly dependent on growing conditions! In cooler weather or shaded greenhouses, it can turn out quite sour/tart. However, when given enough heat and proper nutrients, growers report a very rich, sweet, and complex old-fashioned tomato flavor.
- ⚠️ Grower’s Note: Can be prone to blossom drop in a hot greenhouse, yet if planted outdoors in extreme southern heat, the dark fruits can get sun-baked. Finding the right microclimate is key.
Variety Russkiy Kazak (Russian Cossack) USA, seeds from V. Redko.
“Medium height, mid-season. Fruits are round, medium size, weighing 200-300 g (7-10 oz). The coloring is a mix of pink, green, and blue stripes. Juicy flesh and an excellent sweet taste. For greenhouse and open ground.”
Mine grew in the greenhouse and outdoors in open ground. In the greenhouse in 2015, it dropped a lot of blossoms. The taste turned out to be rather tart/sour.
My Russian Cossack was also very beautiful but turned out quite sour (to put it mildly) in taste. I was so looking forward to trying it (it’s mid-late), and what a disappointment.
Seeds were from Popenko.
Why even write about it if it’s sour?
Andrey_K said:
Why even write about it if it’s sour?
That’s exactly what a catalog is for—so we know the whole truth about every variety! 🙈
Maybe if it was grown outdoors in the south, it would taste better? Svetlana, did yours also grow in a greenhouse?
Zulfiya said:
Maybe if it was grown outdoors in the south, it would taste better? Svetlana, did yours also grow in a greenhouse?
Yes, mine was in a greenhouse (or rather, I had one bush in two different greenhouses). Outdoors, it probably would have tasted better. That is, if it didn’t get totally sun-baked before it had a chance to ripen. I definitely wouldn’t call it an early or even a mid-season variety.
Russian Cossack grown from a megabloom (fasciated blossom). It grew outdoors in the garden, good solid tomato flavor.
We really liked this variety; seeds were from V. Redko. A good, rich tomato flavor. Grew in the greenhouse. It also stores very well.
I loved the variety; I practically gobbled up all the fruits myself. I happen to love sweet-and-tart tomatoes; this one had a tartness, but it was barely noticeable and very pleasant. The yield is good, and the first trusses were very large. The fruits themselves are quite dense and can store for a while. The height of the bush in the greenhouse was up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft). Seeds were from Anela, thank you so much!
My Russian Cossack in the greenhouse was medium-tall (1.2 meters / 4 ft), productive, and mid-season. The fruits are medium-sized, crimson with stripes, oblate in shape. Very tasty and sweet.
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