{"id":4926,"date":"2026-10-10T11:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T11:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2026-10-10T11:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T11:03:08","slug":"cardinal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/cardinal\/","title":{"rendered":"Kardinal (Cardinal) Tomato Review &#038; Photos"},"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;4926&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;Kardinal (Cardinal) Tomato Review \\u0026amp; Photos&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: Kardinal (Cardinal)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A classic Russian\/Ukrainian commercial heirloom. The seeds in this thread originally came from the &#8220;Narodnaya Selekciya&#8221; (People&#8217;s Selection) company in Dnepropetrovsk.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Indeterminate (tall) in a greenhouse, requiring strong staking, but generally stays shorter when grown outdoors in open ground. It produces very sturdy trusses that don&#8217;t kink under the weight of the fruit. Best pruned to 2 stems.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Large, raspberry-pink oxhearts with relatively thin skin. They have a denser, firmer structure compared to many other classic, soft oxheart varieties.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor &amp; Use:<\/strong> Very juicy and tasty, with a slightly firmer bite and a bit more acidity than typical sweet hearts. Excellent for fresh salads and processing. <strong>Warning:<\/strong> Some growers note it can be sensitive to foliage diseases.<\/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\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Amira-12 (Raisa) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (2,247 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Another super variety. The fruits are heart-shaped, raspberry-pink, very large, and delicious! Seeds are from the &#8220;Narodnaya Selekciya&#8221; brand, Dnepropetrovsk.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/26\/6450-240714145015.jpeg\" alt=\"Kardinal pink oxheart tomato\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" \/><\/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\">Alyona Latviya (Alyona) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,366 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Latvia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Yesterday I sliced up a couple of beautiful fruits for seeds and did a taste test. I really loved Kardinal all summer long, but in a direct side-by-side comparison, it lost to Eagle&#8217;s Heart, which I hadn&#8217;t valued much before.<\/p>\n<p>Before that, I was extremely happy with its flavor, plus the fact that the trusses don&#8217;t kink under weight and the fruits are so perfect. It turned out it&#8217;s slightly firmer and slightly more acidic than my other oxhearts and beefsteaks. By the way, yesterday we also really loved Cosmonaut Volkov, a variety we completely despised before.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe the autumn fruits behave differently and the flavor profile changed??? Miracles happen.<\/p>\n<p>I kept it for next year&#8217;s grow list, but I need to keep a closer eye on it. Or maybe I&#8217;ve just eaten way too many tomatoes and my taste buds are ruined&#8230;<\/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\">Amira-12 (Raisa) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (2,247 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>My Kardinal was about twice the size of Eagle&#8217;s Heart.<\/p>\n<p>Though Eagle&#8217;s Heart is also very beautiful and tasty.<\/p>\n<p>Every variety is good in its own way!<\/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\">Mirabelle (Olga) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Grower (156 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Variety Kardinal. Indet, vigorous bush, great seed germination, high yield. Pruned it to 2 stems. It is sensitive to diseases. Requires tying up. Fruits are large with thin skin, heart-shaped, raspberry-pink color. It is one of the very first to ripen in the greenhouse. Perfect for salads and processing. We plant this variety every year in the greenhouse. Very happy with it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-fotki.yandex.ru\/get\/60015\/3448572.19\/0_1de8ef_676bc370_L.jpg\" alt=\"Large pink Kardinal tomatoes on the vine\" width=\"334\" height=\"500\" \/><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-fotki.yandex.ru\/get\/58454\/3448572.19\/0_1de8f0_29fe11_L.jpg\" alt=\"Harvested Kardinal tomato fruits\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" \/><\/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\">Valentina-11 (Valentina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Beginner (49 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Poltava, Ukraine (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_10\/501109408__viber_2021-10-11_22-58-15-635.jpg.1a44b2838770d46cfe858bbef23434cf.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_10\/1551606442__viber_2021-10-11_22-58-15-635.thumb.jpg.854be93e57216b5f4013e51ff20fe47c.jpg\" alt=\"Kardinal pink oxheart tomato held in hand\" width=\"232\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_10\/1047190951__viber_2021-10-11_22-59-21-672.jpg.3b29b96f2ea2c966104c234f5cd9f910.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_10\/109290137__viber_2021-10-11_22-59-21-672.thumb.jpg.c5d6132d362da1c7e192ab85645db231.jpg\" alt=\"Meaty cross section of Kardinal tomato\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_10\/2101581365__viber_2021-10-11_23-00-19-281.jpg.b0fd5b0a17859566f2bdafa01b9f68ce.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_10\/495367914__viber_2021-10-11_23-00-19-281.thumb.jpg.8629889e6b43b3f00803be742f76a834.jpg\" alt=\"Dense flesh of pink Kardinal tomato\" width=\"300\" height=\"279\" \/><\/a><\/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\">Valentina-11 (Valentina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Beginner (49 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Poltava, Ukraine (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Poltava, open ground. The bush wasn&#8217;t very tall. It didn&#8217;t end up being very productive. But I really loved the fruits. Juicy and delicious. They differ from a lot of other oxhearts because they have a much denser, firmer structure. The outside is dark raspberry colored, and the inside is pink.<\/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: 1.2em;\"><strong>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf3e Editor&#8217;s Note: Fall Flavor Shifts<\/strong><br \/>\nUser Alyona mentions that her Kardinal tomatoes suddenly started losing taste tests in the autumn, becoming more acidic. This is a very common phenomenon with heirloom tomatoes! As the days get shorter, the nights get colder, and the sun angle drops in September\/October, the plant&#8217;s ability to photosynthesize and pump sugars into the developing fruit drastically slows down. An oxheart that tasted incredibly sweet and fruity in peak July heat will often taste bland, watered-down, or noticeably more acidic if harvested in late fall!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary: Kardinal (Cardinal) \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A classic Russian\/Ukrainian commercial heirloom. The seeds in this thread originally came from the &#8220;Narodnaya Selekciya&#8221; (People&#8217;s Selection) company in Dnepropetrovsk. \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) in a greenhouse, requiring strong staking, but generally stays shorter when grown outdoors in open ground. It produces very sturdy trusses that &#8230; <a title=\"Kardinal (Cardinal) Tomato Review &#038; Photos\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/cardinal\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Kardinal (Cardinal) Tomato Review &#038; Photos\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,67,5],"tags":[271,736,84,30,81],"class_list":["post-4926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beefsteak-large-slicers","category-oxheart-tomatoes","category-russian-eastern-european-heirlooms","tag-dense-flesh","tag-disease-susceptible","tag-early-pink-tomato","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-pink-oxheart"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926","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=4926"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4928,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926\/revisions\/4928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}