Quick Summary of Tsarskiy Podarok (Tsar’s Gift)
- 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). Interestingly, growers have discovered that it is the exact same genetic variety as Sibsad’s Koroleva Elizaveta (Queen Elizabeth), simply marketed under two different names.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and very stocky bush. It grows up to 1 meter (3.3 ft) tall. The stems are incredibly thick and upright, meaning it doesn’t require staking for a long time compared to other varieties.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate (barrel-shaped), and heavily ribbed fruits. They ripen to a beautiful pearl-pink to rich dark pink color. Weight can reach up to 500g (1.1 lbs).
- 👅 Flavor: Reviews are mixed depending on the growing season. Some growers report a very good, well-balanced flavor, while others found it just average. Good for both fresh eating and canning.
- ⏳ Maturity: Officially classified as mid-season, but some growers note it behaves more like a late-season variety, taking its time to set and ripen fruit.
I made a “discovery” that Koroleva Elizaveta (Queen Elizabeth) and Tsarskiy Podarok (Tsar’s Gift) from Sibsad are the exact same variety.
The photo and the variety description on the seed packets are absolutely identical word for word. Here is what the back of both packets says:
Translation of BOTH seed packet descriptions:
“An interesting mid-season, large-fruited, determinate variety for open ground and film greenhouses. The bush is up to 1m (3.3 ft) tall, upright, regally beautiful, and does not require staking for a long time. The fruits are large, weighing up to 500g (1.1 lbs), oblate-barrel shaped, ribbed, pearl-pink in color, and whitish at the unripe stage. Delicious both fresh and canned. The variety ensures a consistently high yield in Siberian summer conditions.”
I grew the “Queen Elizabeth” variety and posted photos in the catalog under that name.
I would really like to see photos and reviews of the Tsarskiy Podarok (Tsar’s Gift) variety to know if it is indeed the exact same tomato.
I grew Tsarskiy Podarok (from Sibsad) in 2012. For some reason, it seems it didn’t impress me much (probably because of the yield), because I couldn’t even find a description of it in my old garden diary 😁.
Tsarskiy Podarok, seeds from Sibsad. Grew it for the first time. It grew outdoors in open ground. The bush is short (up to 1m / 3.3 ft) and stocky. The yield was excellent. The fruits are oblate, slightly ribbed, large, and of a rich pink color. The taste is good and well-balanced.
I didn’t quite figure this variety out last season. It grew, but the fruits weren’t large, and there were very few of them. The taste was not bad. I’ll try growing it again this year from my saved seeds. 😎
Could you please tell me, are Tsarskiy Podarok (Tsar’s Gift) and Podarok Kommersanta (Merchant’s Gift) different tomatoes? (I couldn’t find anything about Merchant’s Gift on the forum).
I grew Tsar’s Gift again this year in open ground. Overall, I didn’t really like it. It’s late; apparently, there is some dwarf lineage in this variety. It takes a long time to start fruiting, and the fruits take a long time to ripen. The taste is just average. The only plus for me is the strong bush, which doesn’t require support for a long time. I won’t be planting it again—there are much more interesting varieties out there.
