{"id":3811,"date":"2026-09-28T11:03:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3811"},"modified":"2026-09-28T11:03:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:03:23","slug":"grot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/grot\/","title":{"rendered":"Grot (Grotto) 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;3811&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;Grot (Grotto) 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): Grot (Grotto)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A Russian variety whose name translates to &#8220;Grotto&#8221;. There is significant controversy surrounding this seed. Commercial seed companies (like SeDeK) often sell &#8220;fake&#8221; off-types. The <em>true<\/em> Grot was scientifically bred by Russian agricultural institutes specifically for high resistance to Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) using wild tomato genetics.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Determinate\/Semi-determinate. Commercial packet off-types might be small, lazy bushes, but the <em>true<\/em> Grot grows to about 3.3 ft (1 m) tall and requires aggressive suckering (pruning) due to its wild lineage.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Red, firm, and medium-sized. The true version has a classic round, apple-like shape without any heavy ribbing or catfacing (fasciation).<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor:<\/strong> Classic, old-school tomato flavor. Growers note it leans more toward tang and acidity rather than sugar. A solid workhorse tomato.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f <strong>Disease Resistance:<\/strong> The true Grot is highly prized for carrying Ph-1 and Ph-2 genes, allowing it to survive devastating Late Blight outbreaks in wet, foggy seasons without the need for chemical fungicide sprays.<\/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\">R<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Rodebielesumer (Elena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,832 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Germany\/Luxembourg\/France border (USDA Zone 8)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Seeds were from the SeDeK company. A small bush, low maintenance, we tied it up just once. Early season, with a slightly extended harvest period.<\/p>\n<p>The fruits aren&#8217;t always round like the seed company claims, sometimes they have a stretched shape, not quite elongated though, see pics. The variety is considered resistant to 2 types of Late Blight. For us, the bush in open ground survived the first wave of fogs, but then gave up in August due to pouring rains. The second bush was under plastic in a hoop house, we picked red tomatoes off it right to the very end.<\/p>\n<p>The little tomatoes are firm, ripen fully, they have flavor\u2014more tang than sugar. Yield per plant is over 4.4 lbs (2 kg). I&#8217;m giving the flavor a 4 out of 5 this year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-images\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014155755.jpeg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014155755.jpeg\" alt=\"Grot tomato plant with fruit clusters\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014160100.jpeg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014160100.jpeg\" alt=\"Red Grot tomatoes harvested\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014161156.jpeg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014161156.jpeg\" alt=\"Sliced Grot tomato showing interior\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014161640.jpeg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/36\/2212-091014161640.jpeg\" alt=\"Cross section of Grot tomato\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\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\">Artemiy <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (506 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Vladimir Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>The one in the photo is fake. It&#8217;s some wild mix of weird seeds. The fruit architecture is completely different.<\/p>\n<p>No late blight-resistant tomato can be a &#8220;small bush,&#8221; because blight resistance is passed down from wild and semi-cultivated tomatoes, which carry wild traits along with the resistance. The real one needs heavy suckering, grows to about 3.3 ft (1 m) tall, and the fruits have a classic apple-like shape, without any fasciation (catfacing).<\/p>\n<p>The real one survives the season without the harvest being ruined by late blight even without pesticide sprays. Its resistance to late blight comes from having the cherry tomato &#8220;Ottawa 30&#8221; in its lineage, which carries the Ph-1 and Ph-2 genes. Most likely, both made it into &#8220;Grot&#8221;. For absolute certainty, it needs marker testing. I sent it in for analysis, we&#8217;ll see what they say.<\/p>\n<p>Its resistance isn&#8217;t to &#8220;two types of late blight,&#8221; but to what used to be called races T0 and T1. Understanding of late blight races is changing nowadays.<\/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\">Artemiy <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (506 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Vladimir Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Yeah. &#8220;SeDeK&#8221; didn&#8217;t breed it, they stole it with their dirty hands, for which the actual breeders definitely won&#8217;t thank them. You can&#8217;t find any of their genuine varieties for sale from commercial companies like SeDeK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 25px; font-size: 1.1em; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf3e Editor&#8217;s Note on Late Blight (Phytophthora) &amp; Ph Genes:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn this thread, Artemiy drops some fantastic advanced tomato genetics knowledge. <strong>Late Blight<\/strong> (caused by the oomycete <em>Phytophthora infestans<\/em>, the same pathogen responsible for the Irish Potato Famine) is a garden destroyer in cool, wet, and foggy climates. It can wipe out an entire tomato patch in 48 hours.<\/p>\n<p>When Artemiy mentions the <strong>Ph-1 and Ph-2 genes<\/strong> (derived from wild accessions like <em>Solanum pimpinellifolium<\/em> or lines like Ottawa 30), he is talking about specific resistance genes bred into tomatoes. American growers on the East Coast and Pacific Northwest actively seek out varieties with Ph-2 and Ph-3 genes (like <em>Mountain Magic<\/em> or <em>Defiant PhR<\/em>) to survive blight seasons. Knowing that a Russian heirloom like the true <strong>Grot<\/strong> carries these genes makes it a highly valuable variety for organic growers who want to avoid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/late-blight-prevention\/\">copper fungicide sprays<\/a>!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grot (Grotto) \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A Russian variety whose name translates to &#8220;Grotto&#8221;. There is significant controversy surrounding this seed. Commercial seed companies (like SeDeK) often sell &#8220;fake&#8221; off-types. The true Grot was scientifically bred by Russian agricultural institutes specifically for high resistance to Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) using wild tomato genetics. &#8230; <a title=\"Grot (Grotto) Tomato Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/grot\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Grot (Grotto) Tomato Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,52,438,211],"tags":[54,48,30,976,49],"class_list":["post-3811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-paste-canning","category-bush-and-dwarf","category-red-tomatoes","category-ribbed-tomatoes","tag-bush-tomato","tag-early-season","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-hoop-house","tag-open-ground"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811","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=3811"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3812,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions\/3812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}