{"id":3267,"date":"2026-09-23T08:28:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T08:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3267"},"modified":"2026-09-23T08:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T08:29:15","slug":"vanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/vanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Van&#8217;ka 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;3267&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;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Van\\u0026#039;ka 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\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vanka (Little Ivan)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin &amp; Name:<\/strong> A private Russian heirloom variety that gained popularity through seed collector Anzhelika Manusha. The name &#8220;Vanka&#8221; is an affectionate, colloquial diminutive of the name Ivan (essentially meaning &#8220;Little Ivan&#8221; or &#8220;Johnny&#8221;).<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Indeterminate (tall), but highly praised for not being an overly aggressive &#8220;jungle&#8221; grower. It is well-behaved and unfussy, making it easy to manage in both greenhouses and open ground.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Classic red, flat-round beefsteaks. While some growers report average sizes of 7-10.5 oz (200-300 g), the original seed line is capable of pumping out massive slabs weighing 1.3-1.7 lbs (600-800 g)! The trusses are surprisingly heavy, often holding 5-8 large fruits.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor:<\/strong> A classic, solid &#8220;real red tomato&#8221; flavor. Well-balanced with a slight touch of sweetness. Perfect for fresh eating and slicing.<\/li>\n<li>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>Grower&#8217;s Note:<\/strong> Some growers affectionately refer to Vanka as a &#8220;slow starter&#8221; or &#8220;late bloomer&#8221;. It may take its time to fully ripen on the vine, pushing it into the mid-to-late season category depending on your climate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\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\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Galya-64 (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (4,414 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I received this variety as a gift last year, but I know it originally came from Manusha (a private seed seller). I unfortunately didn&#8217;t keep my own photo, but here is description from Anzhelika Manusha:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Vanka &#8211; a tall super-variety, the absolute leader of 2013! No words can describe it \u2013 just massive red flat-round beefsteaks weighing 1.3-1.7 lbs (600-800 g). 5-6 fruits per truss, some trusses even had up to 8. I don&#8217;t understand how the poor tomatoes managed to grow and hold such weight!&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I completely confirm all these claims. I absolutely loved this variety!!!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">Z<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Zulfiya <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,967 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Ufa, Russia (USDA Zone 3\/4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Galina, what about the taste? Did you grow it outdoors in open ground or in a greenhouse?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Galya-64 (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (4,414 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Zulya, I&#8217;ve mentioned before that I&#8217;m afraid to judge taste. Sometimes my first trusses turn out bland and the top ones are sweet, and sometimes it&#8217;s the other way around. For this one, I&#8217;ll just say: it has a classic tomato flavor.<\/p>\n<p>To be honest, Zulya, I often rely on other forum members&#8217; opinions about taste when I&#8217;m putting together my seed list for planting, because it&#8217;s hard for me to give a definitive verdict myself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">P<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Plena (Elena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (9,239 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Solnechnogorsk, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I planted Vanka this year (mostly because of the name \ud83d\ude42) &#8211; probably rushed it, seeds were from Angelina, and the year wasn&#8217;t warm at all. It set fruit and started blushing red as one of the very first in the garden, but then it severely stalled. I&#8217;ll need to repeat it next season to get the full picture.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/189\/9709-210817165253.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/189\/thumb_9709-210817165253.jpeg\" alt=\"Vanka red tomatoes ripening on the vine\" width=\"160\" height=\"120\" \/><\/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\">Marusha (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Grower (393 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Tall plant. The fruit truss is somewhat fan-shaped, which confuses me a bit&#8230; the fruit shape on mine is more flat-round. Does this look like Vanka to you guys?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2020_08\/PANO_20200819_180851.jpg.a91032ad1d2ba46678382a485d7cf4ed.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2020_08\/PANO_20200819_180851.thumb.jpg.0ed40f3ab3a990be80f683fec2169e3b.jpg\" alt=\"Vanka flat round tomato trusses\" width=\"143\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2020_08\/PANO_20200819_171643.jpg.c7b32e9393277a3e881f064b72ac53e8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2020_08\/PANO_20200819_171643.thumb.jpg.14f0ac8a40081b4da347a90ab89fc6c0.jpg\" alt=\"Fan shaped tomato truss\" width=\"143\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2020_08\/IMG_20200819_181035.jpg.932be7af94630d3c2732d61e12054ca3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2020_08\/IMG_20200819_181035.thumb.jpg.393b6325f9ffda76c27647ad45a78df2.jpg\" alt=\"Green Vanka tomatoes growing\" width=\"143\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">V<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Veta (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Grower (427 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>This is my Vanka. Got the seeds from Galya-64 about 4 years ago, finally got around to growing this variety. Tall, very heavy yielder, didn&#8217;t weigh the fruits, but they are large and flat-round. The taste is good, not sour. I will be repeating it this year. And <em>Kot Timofey (Timofey the Cat)<\/em> too (also a variety from Galya-64).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/SAM_0623.JPG.02dd4a31212d41036977db4c283099be.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/SAM_0623.thumb.JPG.4aef793349d6d904f16f74a1d7363f49.JPG\" alt=\"Beautiful red Vanka beefsteak tomatoes\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/SAM_0844.JPG.9f30ae512beed537c1237245aa8174ad.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_01\/SAM_0844.thumb.JPG.4f3d4e8ff288a622b198423affe9620a.JPG\" alt=\"Harvest of large Vanka tomatoes\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/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\">Marusha (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Grower (393 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Unfussy, productive, but a bit of a &#8220;slow starter&#8221; (late bloomer) is Vanka. As of today, September 17, there are still so many cute fruits hanging on the vine, it&#8217;s a pity they won&#8217;t have time to ripen before frost.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_09\/IMG_20210910_144820.jpg.23b5f3ed5e6e0942f89dbf234ea5a674.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_09\/IMG_20210910_144820.thumb.jpg.07add412a68aeef74f29e0995e9ad52c.jpg\" alt=\"Green Vanka tomatoes late in the season\" width=\"144\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_09\/IMG_20210910_144631.jpg.22f8c3ecf72205305eb29ea0ef5861dd.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_09\/IMG_20210910_144631.thumb.jpg.03f68406561b5dc170a68dfa9de1a66d.jpg\" alt=\"Heavy late yield of Vanka tomatoes\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/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\">sofochkamai (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (4,293 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Yekaterinburg, Ural Region (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I liked Vanka. Unfussy, not an aggressive grower, a reasonably tall indeterminate. Classic color and taste of a real red tomato, perfect for slicing. For me, it was mid-early. The fruits are flat-round, red, weighing 7-10.5 oz (200-300 g), juicy. The taste is balanced, &#8220;tomatoey&#8221; with a touch of sweetness.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2023_01\/1914593895_1.JPG.a808d445d2e243499ac69226fa930478.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2023_01\/1924379729_1.thumb.JPG.a6f4e58c320aa2dd84c8edda7a850f46.JPG\" alt=\"Vanka red tomato slice\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2023_01\/583039185_1.JPG.25bfc3cbe770fde2239e28fffa4061eb.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2023_01\/1945243529_1.thumb.JPG.c6021c2f486c76fdbb70791e6b9a4e46.JPG\" alt=\"Flat round Vanka tomato\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><\/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\">Aria (Maria) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (2,767 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Northern Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia (USDA Zone 3\/4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I planted Vanka this year. It couldn&#8217;t fully reach its potential due to late transplanting into the ground (due to personal circumstances) and a very difficult summer weather-wise. But it was one of the few varieties that actually gave a decent yield under these conditions. Grew in the greenhouse, took a long time to ripen. The taste was satisfactory &#8211; but honestly, I didn&#8217;t have any exceptionally tasty tomatoes at all this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vanka (Little Ivan) \ud83c\udf0d Origin &amp; Name: A private Russian heirloom variety that gained popularity through seed collector Anzhelika Manusha. The name &#8220;Vanka&#8221; is an affectionate, colloquial diminutive of the name Ivan (essentially meaning &#8220;Little Ivan&#8221; or &#8220;Johnny&#8221;). \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but highly praised for not being an overly &#8230; <a title=\"Van&#8217;ka Tomato Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/vanka\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Van&#8217;ka Tomato Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,438,5],"tags":[30,11,33,831,830,47],"class_list":["post-3267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beefsteak-large-slicers","category-red-tomatoes","category-russian-eastern-european-heirlooms","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-huge-tomato","tag-indeterminate","tag-late-bloomer","tag-manusha-seeds","tag-red-beefsteak"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3267","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=3267"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3269,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3267\/revisions\/3269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}