{"id":1320,"date":"2026-08-31T09:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=1320"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:50:11","slug":"black-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/black-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Russian (Chernyy Russkiy) Heirloom Tomato Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;1320&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Share your rating&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Black Russian (Chernyy Russkiy) Heirloom Tomato Review&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Share your rating<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<h2>Quick Summary of Chernyy Russkiy (Black Russian)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A famous old heirloom variety, highly popular among Eastern European gardeners. Interestingly, it is considered a &#8220;folk&#8221; variety, as growers note it isn&#8217;t even listed in the official Russian State Register of Seeds.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Indeterminate (tall), but its vigor heavily depends on the seed source. Most growers report very strong, powerful vines with thick stems that require pinching (topping) late in the season. Best pruned to 1 or 2 stems.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Medium to large round or slightly flattened beefsteaks. The color is stunning: a deep, rich mahogany or burgundy-black. Average weight ranges from 150 g to 250 g (5.3 oz to 8.8 oz).<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor:<\/strong> Highly rated! Growers frequently describe it as one of the best-tasting black tomatoes, noting a complex, rich, and very sweet flavor profile.<\/li>\n<li>\u23f3 <strong>Maturity:<\/strong> Mid-season. Often takes a while to gain strength but produces heavily until the fall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #f9f9f9; border-left: 4px solid #4CAF50; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83c\udf45 Grown this variety?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Click here to add your own photos and review below!<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">C<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Cherry (Olga) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (6,822 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Baranovichi, Belarus (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p><strong>Chernyy Russkiy (Black Russian)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Seeds were from APD (Minsk). Claimed as a mid-season salad variety of English breeding, medium-tall around 1.2 m (4 ft), and fruit mass over 150 g (5.3 oz).<\/p>\n<p>I grew it in 2012 in a greenhouse. Its height was completely unlimited; I had to pinch the growing tip in early August. The plant is very powerful, with large spreading leaves and a thick, sturdy stem. It requires quite a bit of space, and in a greenhouse, it&#8217;s definitely better to prune it to a single stem. The ripening time matched the description\u2014mid-season. The fruit weight was mostly 200 g (7 oz) and higher. The color is just amazing\u2014a deep burgundy, easily the most beautiful color among all my black tomatoes in 2012. The taste was also excellent.<\/p>\n<p>I also had one plant of Black Russian outdoors in open ground. Its height was about 150 cm (5 ft), I trained it to 2 stems, and the yield was above average.<\/p>\n<p><em>Edited January 14, 2013 by Cherry\/Olga<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4859_6934f1b632037e94a9bbcf34e16468765b0c82f1.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4859_6934f1b632037e94a9bbcf34e16468765b0c82f1.jpg\" alt=\"Large ripe Black Russian tomato on the vine\" width=\"819\" height=\"614\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4861_648ad599960c0c2c066d589736733d7e1e9bc6f8.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4861_648ad599960c0c2c066d589736733d7e1e9bc6f8.jpg\" alt=\"Harvested deep burgundy Chernyy Russkiy tomatoes\" width=\"819\" height=\"614\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4863_a5a87d95efce815e3462f916c808df856fbe8379.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4863_a5a87d95efce815e3462f916c808df856fbe8379.jpg\" alt=\"Sliced Black Russian tomato showing locules and seeds\" width=\"819\" height=\"614\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4865_b98e0db29db3264bc6a5e658cbbc634124fba5f6.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/4865_b98e0db29db3264bc6a5e658cbbc634124fba5f6.jpg\" alt=\"Thick stem and foliage of Black Russian tomato plant\" width=\"819\" height=\"614\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">E<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Elena_ <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (3,838 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Samara Luka, Samara Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>My Black Russian is more of a &#8220;red-black&#8221;. I saved my own seeds, from which I later got some bushes with red fruits and some with black fruits. The fruits are round-shaped, and when sliced, they have 3-4 locules (mostly three, really).<\/p>\n<p>We noticed that the red-black ones are sweeter than the pink-black ones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">S<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Sandr (Alexander) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Unknown<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I decided to compare this variety side-by-side with <em>Black Prince<\/em>, because at first, it seemed to me that they were twins, but there is still a difference between them. Both varieties are definitely not early; they gained full strength closer to autumn, and the fruits on both are almost perfectly round. The size is up to 250 g (8.8 oz) for the Prince and 220 g (7.8 oz) for the Russian, both are very productive. Taste-wise, Black Russian turned out to be tastier. In fact, we did a tasting of several black varieties, and Russian proved to be the most delicious of them all. I will tell you about the other varieties in a separate thread.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/56045_fb521f5df977abc476bac07b31b3df7ed18df9a9.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/56045_fb521f5df977abc476bac07b31b3df7ed18df9a9.jpg\" alt=\"Black Russian vs Black Prince tomato comparison\" width=\"1216\" height=\"912\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/56047_8ba3aa3317ce60250ffa18df43ec95a85671e88c.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments\/56047_8ba3aa3317ce60250ffa18df43ec95a85671e88c.jpg\" alt=\"Cross section comparison of dark tomatoes\" width=\"1184\" height=\"888\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">T<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Tomatanya (Tatiana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (10,243 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Sinyavino-2, Leningrad Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Olya-Cherry shared these seeds with me. The bush is indeterminate, up to 1.8 m (6 ft). There were a lot of fruits; they weren&#8217;t huge, but very tasty. Ripening time is mid-season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments01\/59919_4ead94cfb315913a5f4def09ec3a26e4dfff62e1.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments01\/59919_4ead94cfb315913a5f4def09ec3a26e4dfff62e1.jpg\" alt=\"Cluster of Black Russian tomatoes on the plant\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments01\/59921_563408c87aae7723b02c1d39886d0360eb83145b.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments01\/59921_563408c87aae7723b02c1d39886d0360eb83145b.jpg\" alt=\"Harvested plate of black heirloom tomatoes\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments01\/59923_0687fff37bdb38990419215fd1bce916bf3dd5c5.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/attachments01\/59923_0687fff37bdb38990419215fd1bce916bf3dd5c5.jpg\" alt=\"Cut Black Russian tomato showing juice and flesh\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">M<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Medinilla (Nadezhda) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (568 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kostroma (USDA Zone 3\/4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I had some bad luck with my Black Russian. My seeds were from Aelita (a commercial seed brand). I planted two bushes, and they turned out totally different, and as far as I understand, neither was the true Black Russian. One was extremely tall, very productive, but with tiny plum\/roma type fruits (40-50 g \/ 1.5 oz). I thought they would be good for canning, but they started splitting. The other bush was only 80 cm (31 inches) tall, with tomatoes weighing 150-200 g (5.3-7 oz), and it quickly topped itself (determinate). The only reassuring thing was that the tomatoes on both bushes were indeed black.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">K<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">kae-2 (Irina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (4,537 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Unknown<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I grew it for the 2nd year and I am very satisfied&#8230;<br \/>\nTaste and yield are top-notch.<br \/>\nAverage weight is 200 &#8211; 250 g (7 &#8211; 8.8 oz).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/137\/15392-060816022503.jpeg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/137\/thumb_15392-060816022503.jpeg\" alt=\"Beautiful large Black Russian tomatoes harvested\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">D<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">dorelly2 (Victor) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Beginner (20 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Unknown<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>The tomato variety &#8220;Black Russian&#8221; (Chernyy Russkiy) is NOT listed in the State Register of Seeds of Russia as of March 1, 2018. The same goes for &#8220;Russian Black&#8221;. See for yourselves at the register website.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/211\/20559-130318115532.png\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/211\/20559-130318115532.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of the Russian State Seed Registry showing no results for Black Russian\" width=\"1000\" height=\"721\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">T<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">tomatinka (Vera) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (14,911 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Tyumen Region (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Oh, you&#8217;d be surprised how many of the heirlooms we grow here are not in the register. \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">AsyaViki (Asya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Beginner (4 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>On 1\/25\/2013 at 5:38 PM, Elena_ said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We noticed that the red-black ones are sweeter than the pink-black ones.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>For me, it was <em>Purple Strawberry<\/em>\u2014which is a pink-black type\u2014that turned out to be the sweetest of all the dark tomatoes during the difficult 2023 growing season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quick Summary of Chernyy Russkiy (Black Russian) \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A famous old heirloom variety, highly popular among Eastern European gardeners. Interestingly, it is considered a &#8220;folk&#8221; variety, as growers note it isn&#8217;t even listed in the official Russian State Register of Seeds. \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but its vigor heavily depends on the seed &#8230; <a title=\"Black Russian (Chernyy Russkiy) Heirloom Tomato Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/black-russian\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Black Russian (Chernyy Russkiy) Heirloom Tomato Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,89,5],"tags":[19,72,30,33,82,49,15],"class_list":["post-1320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beefsteak-large-slicers","category-black-purple-tomatoes","category-russian-eastern-european-heirlooms","tag-dark-tomato","tag-greenhouse-tomato","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-indeterminate","tag-meaty-tomato","tag-open-ground","tag-sweet-flavor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1322,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320\/revisions\/1322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}