Quick Summary of Shalun (Playful)
- 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Siberian breeders. The name translates to “Playful” or “Mischievous”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, reaching about 2 m (6.5 ft). The plant has a very specific structure: it is highly compact with sparse, open foliage (often described as wispy). It takes up very little space, allowing growers to plant them densely (e.g., two plants per hole). In some harsh climates, growers note it may prematurely terminate (top itself) after setting several trusses.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, round pink/crimson cherry tomatoes. Average weight is 11–15 g (0.4–0.5 oz). They grow in massive, cascading trusses that can hold up to 60 fruits each.
- 👅 Flavor: Renowned for its excellent sweet taste.
- ⏳ Maturity & Yield: Early season (100–105 days from germination). It sets fruit incredibly reliably, even in extreme heat, and produces abundant yields right up until late autumn.
Description from the seed packet:
An early-ripening cherry tomato of Siberian breeding with excellent taste qualities. Sweet, round crimson tomatoes with an average weight of 11–15 g (0.4–0.5 oz) are gathered in huge trusses of up to 60 pieces. The bush is indeterminate, 2 m (6.5 ft) tall. Begins fruiting 100–105 days after germination and bears fruit until late autumn.
Photo author: Valentina 54
Edited April 24, 2019 by Pomidoroved
I really liked this variety. It is indeed very early; it started ripening right after the ‘Iyunskiy’ (June) variety. While my large tomatoes only have a single fruit blushing, this one already has its second truss ripening. I just think they are pink, not crimson.
The bush itself doesn’t take up much space compared to other cherries, and it has a somewhat transparent look—not spindly, but rather “open”, so you can plant them closer together. It doesn’t produce many suckers, and it sets fruit without skipping blossoms, even in the heat. I pruned it to 2 stems; it produced 5 trusses on one stem and 4 on the other, and then it topped itself (terminated). A must-plant for next year.
I really liked the Shalun cherry 👍. It turned out to be the most space-saving bush in the greenhouse. It’s absolutely perfect for those who love planting 2 bushes per hole and pruning them to 3 stems 😄. And doing all this with just 25 cm (10 inches) spacing 🫣.
Plus, it delights you with an early harvest. It sets fruit without skipping any blossoms. Thank you very much to Natalya (Yaroslavna) for the seeds.
Edited October 28, 2016 by Elena 62
Grew it outdoors in open ground, the color is more pink… delicious..
Shalun is my favorite variety.
Pavel wrote:
Shalun is my favorite variety.
What a beauty!! How many stems do you prune this tomato to when growing?
You can form it into 2 stems.
