{"id":5925,"date":"2026-10-20T16:27:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=5925"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:33:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:33:01","slug":"granny-cantrells-german-red","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/granny-cantrells-german-red\/","title":{"rendered":"Granny Cantrell’s German Red Heirloom Tomato Reviews & Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> Granny Cantrell’s German Red is a legendary indeterminate<\/strong> heirloom beefsteak renowned for its robust, perfectly balanced, old-fashioned tomato flavor. Originally hailing from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, this heavy-yielding vine produces stunning, meaty red slicers that typically weigh between 10 oz and 1.5 lbs, though they can occasionally reach massive proportions. It is universally praised by growers for its outstanding taste and juicy texture. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n

Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-7 Experience)<\/h2>\n
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Sandr \u2b50 Forum Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Got this variety from Alexey Kulik; in his catalog, it goes by the name “Granny German Red”. Really liked it. The flavor is very good, fruits are beautiful with a deep, saturated color. I grew it out in the dirt, and the vine only reached about 3 feet (1 m). I planted it out late, so I can’t give a definitive verdict on the yield. The fruits were supposed to reach up to 1.5 lbs (700 g), but mine topped out around 10-11 oz (300 g).<\/p>\n

Edited January 17, 2015 by Drosera<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Granny<\/a>
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Svetikk \u2b50 Pro Grower (29,398 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tracking down the original name led me to this:<\/p>\n

Granny Cantrell German Red Tomato
\nhttps:\/\/www.rareseeds.com\/granny-cantrell-german-red-tomato\/<\/p>\n

And here’s another variation of the name:
\nGranny Cantrell’s German Red https:\/\/www.southernexposure.com\/granny-cantrells-german-red-pink-tomato-016g-p-1083.html<\/p>\n

And of course, there’s a beautiful legend behind it (machine translated from English):<\/p>\n

“Granny Cantrell German Red Tomato
\nThis meaty beefsteak-type tomato is named in honor of Lettie Cantrell, who received seeds *out of* soldiers returning from Germany during WWII. She grew this tomato in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky for many years. It was her favorite tomato and the only one she grew. Every year she saved seeds from the largest tomatoes, some reaching 2 1\/2 lbs. Our gardeners consider this to be highly productive. Ah! What a flavor! This variety was named best tasting heirloom tomato of the year in 2006 at our heirloom garden show taste test contest.”<\/p>\n

I’m just wondering, how exactly did Granny extract those seeds *out of* the soldiers? \ud83d\ude00 Looks like there was still some life left in the old girl!<\/p>\n

Edited November 15, 2014 by Drosera<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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ElenaN \u2b50 Pro Grower (28,513 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kostroma, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Good job, Detective Sveta! Yep, looks like that’s the one. Just found it on Tatiana’s TOMATObase too:
\nhttps:\/\/tatianastomatobase.com\/wiki\/Granny_Cantrell<\/p>\n

It was probably *from* the soldiers, not *out of* them! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n

Edited November 3, 2014 by ElenaN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Esme (Galina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (5,701 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Svetik, you are our very own Miss Marple, great job! To be completely accurate, since it’s Granny Cantrell’s, the name indicates who the seeds were received from or who they belonged to. So, Granny Cantrell’s German Red it is.<\/p>\n

Edited November 3, 2014 by Esme<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Danko (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (10,117 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the 2014 season, this Granny had the most outstanding tomato flavor. Everything was so perfectly balanced that I could recognize this tomato out of a lineup blindfolded!<\/p>\n

I’ll add photos tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\"Massive<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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ElenaN \u2b50 Pro Grower (28,513 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kostroma, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My Granny Cantrell. Yield was good, and the variety started ripening among the very first. The flavor is incredibly balanced, and the fruits are juicy and meaty. Huge thanks to Sasha for the seeds!<\/p>\n

\"Granny<\/a>
\n\"Sliced<\/a>
\n\"Harvested<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mila \u2b50 Pro Grower (8,493 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here is my Granny! Strangely enough, at the start of the season, the vine was an absolute zero. Then it woke up and pumped out some great, firm fruits with bright red flesh. (Seeds from Lena D)<\/p>\n

\"Granny<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Murka (Masha) \u2b50 Pro Grower (9,763 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here’s my Granny. Rich tomato flavor! It ended up being a late one for me, but it was growing in a shady spot.<\/p>\n

\"Sliced<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lana_s_Kavkaza \u2b50 Pro Grower (19,268 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Pyatigorsk, Russia (USDA Zone 6-7)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Delicious variety, I really liked it, and the yield is good too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Nadine \u2b50 Pro Grower (11,454 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Volgograd, Russia (USDA Zone 6-7)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Delicious, highly productive variety. The fruits are large, meaty, and have an excellent taste. I absolutely loved it.<\/p>\n

\"Granny<\/a>
\n\"Granny<\/a>
\n\"Large<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage<\/h2>\n