{"id":3359,"date":"2026-09-23T14:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3359"},"modified":"2026-09-23T14:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:41:37","slug":"valentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/valentina\/","title":{"rendered":"Valentina 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;3359&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;Valentina 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<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/\",\n  \"@type\": \"Product\",\n  \"name\": \"Valentina Tomato\",\n  \"image\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/66-211113023917.jpeg\",\n  \"description\": \"An early-season determinate paste tomato from Russia. Highly prized for its heavy yield and excellent canning qualities. There is an ongoing debate among growers regarding its true leaf type (Regular Leaf vs. Potato Leaf).\",\n  \"brand\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n    \"name\": \"SeDeK (Russian Commercial Seed Company)\"\n  },\n  \"aggregateRating\": {\n    \"@type\": \"AggregateRating\",\n    \"ratingValue\": \"4.5\",\n    \"reviewCount\": \"5\",\n    \"bestRating\": \"5\",\n    \"worstRating\": \"1\"\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\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): Valentina Tomato<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A Russian commercial variety, heavily distributed by the &#8220;SeDeK&#8221; seed company.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Determinate (bush). Typically grows about 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall.<br \/>\n<strong>The Great Leaf Debate:<\/strong> Growers report two distinct strains circulating\u2014one with Regular Leaf (RL) foliage and one with Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Both produce identical fruits.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Red, plum\/roma-shaped paste tomatoes. Weight is consistently around 2.8-4.2 oz (80-120 g). They have thick skins, meaty flesh, and do not crack.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Use:<\/strong> Known for a sweet flavor, but its primary purpose is processing. It is considered an absolute superstar for whole-fruit canning and pickling. Very long shelf life.<\/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 Did your Valentina grow Regular or Potato leaves?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Drop a comment below!<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">O<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Ovechka (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Forum Pioneer (13,966 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p><strong>Valentina<\/strong> &#8211; A variety from &#8220;SeDeK&#8221;. Early season (95-98 days) for open ground. The plant is determinate, 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall. Potato leaf. Does not require mandatory pruning\/suckering. The fruits are plum-shaped, red, weighing 2.8-4.2 oz (80-120 g), thick-skinned, and meaty.<\/p>\n<p>With this variety, you will get a harvest regardless of the weather conditions. It is unproblematic, yields its crop all at once very reliably, tastes sweet, and the fruits don&#8217;t crack. Its main purpose is for canning and pickling.<\/p>\n<p>Last year I pruned the suckers off Valentina. This year I didn&#8217;t prune her at all, and the harvest was much bigger. I planted her very late in mid-April, so the fruits didn&#8217;t have time to fully ripen on the vine, I picked them at the mature green\/breaker stage. A variety with a very long shelf life.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/66-211113023917.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 120px; width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/thumb_66-211113023917.jpeg\" alt=\"Red Valentina paste tomatoes on bush\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/66-211113024029.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 160px; width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/thumb_66-211113024029.jpeg\" alt=\"Harvested Valentina plum tomatoes\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/66-211113024050.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 160px; width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/2\/thumb_66-211113024050.jpeg\" alt=\"Meaty red paste tomatoes sliced\" \/><\/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\">mopsdad1 (Mikhail) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (6,123 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stary Oskol, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>A very worthy variety. People around here have really acquired a taste for it. The seeds sell out fast in the stores. Ideal for canning. The yield is beyond praise. For those who love determinate bush varieties\u2014it&#8217;s simply a godsend. Do not prune the suckers. You&#8217;ll just lose yield if you do.<\/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\">Kaliningradka (Elena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83d\udc64 Grower (211 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kaliningrad, Russia (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Ovechka (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe plant is determinate, 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall. Potato leaf.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I was tempted into growing this tomato too. My seeds are also from SeDeK, but the leaf is NOT a potato leaf \ud83d\ude32 All 10 plants came up with regular leaves \ud83d\ude22<\/p>\n<p>Luda, does that mean I got crossed seeds or an off-type?<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve seen Valentina mentioned in the Potato Leaf varieties thread, maybe there are different strains of it?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">O<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Ovechka (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Forum Pioneer (13,966 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Elena, I didn&#8217;t post it in the &#8220;Tomatoes with Potato Leaves&#8221; thread. But all my Valentina bushes definitely had potato leaves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">O<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Ovechka (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Forum Pioneer (13,966 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I just looked up the official description in the State Register. There is not a single word about potato leaves.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;The leaf is regular, medium size, yellow-green, slightly rugose (corrugated), with stipules.&#8221;<\/em><\/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\">Kaliningradka (Elena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83d\udc64 Grower (211 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kaliningrad, Russia (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Wow, well there you go, thanks Luda!! And here I was tempted by your specific description! \ud83d\ude1e<\/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\">Margosha (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (3,092 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>So I understand the leaf is actually supposed to be regular?<\/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\">mopsdad1 (Mikhail) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (6,123 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stary Oskol, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Yes, its leaf is regular.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">O<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Ovechka (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Forum Pioneer (13,966 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Then what did I grow? Not Valentina? \ud83e\udd14 Mine definitely has potato leaves. I just found another photo from last year (this one was grown from my own saved seeds). It&#8217;s a potato leaf. The bush was literally falling over, every single branch was loaded with fruit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/11\/66-310314080742.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 160px; width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/11\/thumb_66-310314080742.jpeg\" alt=\"Potato leaf tomato plant loaded with fruit\" \/><\/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\">Margosha (Marina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (3,092 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Even if it isn&#8217;t Valentina, it&#8217;s still an incredibly productive variety. \ud83d\udc4d<\/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\">Svetlyachok-plyus (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,450 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I had one that looked exactly like this with potato leaves, dense, sweet, and good shelf life\u2014it was the variety &#8216;Vovchik&#8217; from Aelita seeds.<\/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\">Vladimir <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83d\udc64 Grower (159 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stary Oskol, Belgorod Region (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Ovechka (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nThen what did I grow? Not Valentina? \ud83e\udd14 Mine definitely has potato leaves.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>You have the genuine, real Valentina, complete with the potato leaf. I consider Valentina to be an absolute masterpiece of a variety. I prune all my determinate bushes right up to the first flower cluster. I have been growing this variety for many years.<\/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, Siberia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>&#8220;The tomato bush is sprawling, which means its stem must be tied to a garden support, because with a large number of fruits, their weight can simply break the stem. There are few leaves on the bush, but this does not mean that the seedlings are bad or the bush was grown in negative conditions. The foliage of this plant naturally has a greenish-yellow tint, which is the norm. The shape of the leaves is slightly corrugated\/rugose and resembles potato leaves more than tomato leaves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That is the description from the Fermilon website. By the way, even on the SeDeK company photo, the leaf looks more like a potato leaf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 0.9em;\"><strong>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2c Editor&#8217;s Botanical Note:<\/strong> The &#8220;Potato Leaf vs. Regular Leaf&#8221; mystery is very common with Eastern European and Russian commercial varieties! Because commercial seed producers often grow massive fields of tomatoes side-by-side, accidental cross-pollination happens frequently, leading to two distinct genetic strains circulating under the same name. Alternatively, a recessive Potato Leaf (PL) gene can naturally emerge as a mutation. Regardless of the foliage type you end up with, the fruits of Valentina remain consistent: dense, heavy-yielding plum tomatoes perfect for canning!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Valentina Tomato \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A Russian commercial variety, heavily distributed by the &#8220;SeDeK&#8221; seed company. \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Typically grows about 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall. The Great Leaf Debate: Growers report two distinct strains circulating\u2014one with Regular Leaf (RL) foliage and one with Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Both &#8230; <a title=\"Valentina Tomato Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/valentina\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Valentina Tomato Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4,438],"tags":[56,53,48,30,10],"class_list":["post-3359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bush-and-dwarf","category-paste-canning","category-red-tomatoes","tag-canning-tomato","tag-determinate","tag-early-season","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-paste-tomato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359","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=3359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3360,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359\/revisions\/3360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}