{"id":538,"date":"2026-08-21T18:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=538"},"modified":"2026-08-21T18:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:05:23","slug":"desert-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/desert-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Desert Heart (Serdtse Pustyni) Orange Oxheart Tomato"},"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;538&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;Desert Heart (Serdtse Pustyni) Orange Oxheart Tomato&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<h2>Quick Summary of Serdtse Pustyni (Desert Heart)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A stunning modern variety developed by Vitaly Alifirov, a well-known breeder from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The name translates to &#8220;Desert Heart&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The bush is compact, not overly leafy (&#8220;well-behaved&#8221;), and highly disease-resistant. It sets fruit reliably from bottom to top without skipping trusses.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Bright, vibrant orange oxhearts. The shape is flawless, as if someone specifically &#8220;sculpted&#8221; these perfectly even hearts. They are firm, meaty, and hold up well to weather changes.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor:<\/strong> The main selling point! Unlike many orange tomatoes, growers specifically note that it has <em>no<\/em> carrot\/carotene aftertaste. In warm weather, they become &#8220;obscenely sweet&#8221;\u2014tasting almost like a fully ripe persimmon, balanced with very delicate fruity and tangy notes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\">Svetikk (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (29,344 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd South Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Serdtse Pustyni (Desert Heart). A beautiful variety from Vitaly Alifirov (Almaty). It might be a twin of some other orange heart-shaped varieties, there are many similar ones and they are all wonderful.<\/p>\n<p>Indeterminate, very productive, long fruiting period (today is September 21st, and the remnants are still hanging in the greenhouse). The first fruits, which ripened in warm weather, were obscenely sweet, exactly like a well-ripened persimmon. Now, after a prolonged period of cold weather, they have become firmer and just generally tasty.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_09\/IMG_20210918_132030.jpg.bb46d5e22a65c1868285879e97d7c6ea.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2021_09\/IMG_20210918_132030.thumb.jpg.e1d9fc660a480acc2340cef450cab45a.jpg\" alt=\"Harvest of beautiful orange Desert Heart tomatoes\" 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\">L<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">LanYa (Nelya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (6,389 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Volga Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4\/5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Sveta, tell me please, does this variety differ a lot from <em>Zheltyi Klyuv<\/em> (Yellow Beak) and <em>Serdtse Lyuby<\/em> (Lyuba&#8217;s Heart)?<\/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\">Svetikk (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (29,344 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd South Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>On 10\/29\/2021 at 10:19 AM, LanYa said:<\/strong><br \/>\nSveta, tell me please, does this variety differ a lot from Zheltyi Klyuv and Serdtse Lyuby?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>No, not a lot. The fruits are slightly smaller and even sweeter than those two, although it&#8217;s hard to imagine how they could be sweeter. In the first fruits, the sugar levels were just off the charts. Well, all varieties of this type turn out very productive for me and fruit until the end of the season, and Desert Heart is no exception. I&#8217;ve already written it down to be repeated next year.<\/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\">Amina <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (722 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Tobolsk, Tyumen Region (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Indeed, an excellent variety! I grew 9 of Vitaly&#8217;s varieties, and they all showed their best side\u2014tasty, productive!<\/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\">Valeriy1968 (Valeriy) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,504 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Vologda, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Serdtse Pustyni.<br \/>\nBred by V. Alifirov.<br \/>\nOne of his most successful varieties, across all characteristics.<br \/>\nFirstly, it really is very beautiful. Bright, orange, immediately catches the eye. The shape looks as if someone specifically &#8220;sculpted&#8221; such even, perfect hearts. The tomato is tasty and will appeal to those who love sweets. At the same time, it has fruity notes and a slight tang. A very vibrant taste for this type of tomato.<br \/>\nThe yield is good, the bushes have medium foliage, and are compact. Mid-season.<\/p>\n<p>A very worthy variety, you can delight yourself and your loved ones not only with a tasty product but also with its beauty.<br \/>\nYou can&#8217;t pick and eat every beautiful flower&#8230; but here, you certainly can \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2023_01\/IMG_20220817_222926.jpg.3c7240f23ae969334b88c2ceff796a97.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2023_01\/IMG_20220817_222926.thumb.jpg.8deb94421105d3b310542385e533003f.jpg\" alt=\"Beautiful orange Desert Heart tomato\" 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\">L<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">LenaA (Elena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (8,628 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Chaykovsky, Perm Region (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I didn&#8217;t like it. I expected more.<\/p>\n<p>A bit too small, and the taste was bland. The yield, yes, is very good. Beautiful. But that&#8217;s it.<\/p>\n<p>There are many similar varieties that are much more worthy in terms of taste. Therefore, for ME, Desert Heart is going into the archive (won&#8217;t grow again).<\/p>\n<p><em>P.S. Seeds were originally from Vitaly.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">B<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Bylinka (Lena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,101 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Oryol Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>An excellent variety! It sets fruit all over, from bottom to top, without skipping any trusses. The tomatoes are firm, the taste is very bright and rich. What is very important to me\u2014there is absolutely no carotene (carrot) aftertaste! It is the kind of tomato that you can put into jars in slices, make mind-blowingly delicious sauce from it, or just snack on\u2014your hand just reaches for it on its own.<\/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\">Shusha Kuznetsova (Elena) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (595 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>It is beautiful! Handsome and stately, and the taste is lusciously appetizing. Well-behaved and has good disease immunity.<\/p>\n<p>One bush, initially grown in 2 stems, but it might have added some more along the way.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/IMG_20240808_100921.jpg.78eb6422ffaefa3cc1feef78bc8d466d.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/IMG_20240808_100921.thumb.jpg.794fce4768631cf59dd131804d67c03f.jpg\" alt=\"Serdtse Pustyni tomato cut in half showing solid flesh\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/img1723124593180.jpg.e2e87c625eaaa9f051c873617eabd281.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/img1723124593180.thumb.jpg.be2bd6154807207590fdb3ff59dbc106.jpg\" alt=\"Beautifully shaped orange oxheart tomato\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/img1723124565708.jpg.c086dbe20f5729db45dde2bbfb92d785.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/img1723124565708.thumb.jpg.ae197a019120effd329f07ed662bd4e9.jpg\" alt=\"Heavy fruit set on the Desert Heart vine\" width=\"243\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/img1723124485348.jpg.1d64e9bfa69fc70dbc3190b4f68ce521.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2024_08\/img1723124485348.thumb.jpg.1480fddb4034ebb03060c756aef90aa8.jpg\" alt=\"Healthy compact vine of Serdtse Pustyni\" width=\"255\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quick Summary of Serdtse Pustyni (Desert Heart) \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A stunning modern variety developed by Vitaly Alifirov, a well-known breeder from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The name translates to &#8220;Desert Heart&#8221;. \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The bush is compact, not overly leafy (&#8220;well-behaved&#8221;), and highly disease-resistant. It sets fruit reliably from bottom to top without &#8230; <a title=\"Desert Heart (Serdtse Pustyni) Orange Oxheart Tomato\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/desert-heart\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Desert Heart (Serdtse Pustyni) Orange Oxheart Tomato\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,61,67,5],"tags":[30,33,392,391,353,71],"class_list":["post-538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beefsteak-large-slicers","category-orange-and-yellow-tomatoes","category-oxheart-tomatoes","category-russian-eastern-european-heirlooms","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-indeterminate","tag-kazahstan-heirloom","tag-no-carotene-taste","tag-orange-oxheart","tag-sweet-tomato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538","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=538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":539,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538\/revisions\/539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}