{"id":599,"date":"2026-08-22T14:21:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=599"},"modified":"2026-08-22T14:21:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:21:33","slug":"sprint-timer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/sprint-timer\/","title":{"rendered":"Sprint-Timer Tomato: The Minusinsk Giant Heirloom 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;599&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;Sprint-Timer Tomato: The Minusinsk Giant Heirloom 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<h2>Quick Summary of Sprint-Timer<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>Origin:<\/strong> A legendary Russian giant heirloom. It gained massive fame when a grower won the 2016 &#8220;Minusinsk Tomato Day&#8221; (Russia&#8217;s famous giant tomato competition) with a Sprint-Timer fruit weighing a whopping 1.878 kg (4.14 lbs)!<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf3f <strong>Plant Habit:<\/strong> Indeterminate with thick, robust stems. Typically grows up to 1.5 meters (5 ft) tall. It produces best when pruned to 1 or 2 stems and needs plenty of sunlight\u2014do not let it get shaded out by other vigorous plants.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udf45 <strong>Fruit Characteristics:<\/strong> Colossal red beefsteaks that can be heart-shaped or oblate (flat-round). Average weights range from 300g to 800g (10\u201328 oz), but reaching over 1 kg (2.2 lbs) is very common. They have thin skin, incredibly dense and meaty flesh, and very few seeds.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc45 <strong>Flavor:<\/strong> Outstanding, old-fashioned sweet tomato flavor with a rich aroma. Because the skin is thin, it has a short shelf life and should be eaten fresh.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Pro Tips:<\/strong> Rain right before harvest can wash out the flavor, making them taste slightly bland. It also recovers amazingly well from stress\u2014if seedlings suffer from &#8220;damping off,&#8221; you can easily snip the top and root it in water!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">G<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Galya-64 (Galina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (4,414 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Many probably remember the photo from &#8220;Cheese Boy&#8221; showing absolutely massive tomatoes. Here is the description for Sprint-Timer:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Bush: up to 1.5m (5 ft). Fruit is red, heart-shaped, intended for fresh salads. Meaty, delicious, very large, weighing up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs) and more.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The seed seller did not disappoint. Mine didn&#8217;t quite reach 1 kg, but on the bush, they were simply enormous. I had weights of 816g, 720g, 710g, and 670g (29, 25, 25, 23.5 oz), plus 2 more still on the vine that look to be around 400g (14 oz). The plant suffered frost damage early on, grew outdoors in open ground, and fruited on the suckers (lateral shoots, I left two of them). Because of that, I will definitely grow it again; getting this kind of yield after such stress is amazing.<\/p>\n<p>But there is one &#8220;but&#8221; ??? The largest fruit was meaty, sweet, simply a miracle, but the one higher up the vine tasted a bit bland. It&#8217;s possible the first one ripened during dry weather, and by the time the next one was ready, our rainy season had started. That might be the reason.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/32\/685-220814070224.jpeg\" alt=\"Giant sliced red beefsteak 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\">P<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Pani Tomat (Irina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (8,773 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Season 2015:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/80\/13618-020815164149.jpeg\" alt=\"Beautiful large Sprint-Timer fruits harvested on a table\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" \/><\/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\">Lisa (Nataliya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Grower (756 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Girls, besides its size, does it stand out in any other way? Yield, taste? This year, almost all my large-fruited varieties turned out bland and watery.<\/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\">Viktoriya (Victoria) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (3,224 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Mine were around ~800g (28 oz), and they were quite tasty. This was with minimal care and in rather poor soil. However, inside they had hard white cores (veins)\u2014probably lacking some nutrient, or having too much of something. I originally gave up on it because, being the &#8220;expert&#8221; that I am, I kept mixing it up with Red Oxheart. I should probably try planting it again; I don&#8217;t even grow Red Oxheart anymore&#8230;<\/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\">Kustik (Victoria) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Grower (258 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Here is how mine turned out. The seedling almost died, then it got completely shaded out by its much stronger neighbors. As a result, it produced exactly one fruit weighing 850g (30 oz). Right now, it&#8217;s trying to bloom again. I saved seeds from it and will repeat it, because it is handsome and delicious, with a nice touch of sweetness. Next time, I just won&#8217;t torture the plant so much.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/133\/13017-240716063411.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/newforum\/galleries\/133\/thumb_13017-240716063411.jpeg\" alt=\"Beautiful 850g red Sprint-Timer tomato on a digital scale\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">I<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">IrinaVinn (Irina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Grower (318 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Krasnoyarsk Region, Siberia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, at the annual &#8220;Tomato Day&#8221; festival in Minusinsk, they chose the largest tomato of 2016.<\/p>\n<p>The winner was Natalya Medvedeva, who grew a &#8220;Sprint-Timer&#8221; variety tomato weighing an incredible 1 kg 878 g (4.14 lbs)!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/tvk6.ru\/upload\/resize_cache\/iblock\/afe\/afe9908607ddb57fcbbebe370df04afd.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tvk6.ru\/upload\/resize_cache\/iblock\/afe\/afe9908607ddb57fcbbebe370df04afd.jpg\" alt=\"Winner of the Minusinsk Tomato Day with a 1.8 kg Sprint-Timer tomato\" width=\"660\" height=\"495\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">E<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Ekaterina (Katyukha) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Beginner (44 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Russia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I want to plant this variety in 2018. I bought the seeds, but I have a question: is it really worth it if the yield is small? Or does it actually produce a decent crop? I mean, we plant them to harvest food, not just to stare at a couple of fruits, right? I&#8217;m not sure if it&#8217;s worth the space just for the taste alone. In the reviews, no one really mentions high yields. Let me know if you grew it. I&#8217;m sitting here turning the seed packet over in my hands&#8230; \ud83e\udd14<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">P<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">PolinaG (Natalya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (2,779 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Yekaterinburg, Ural (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I had 6 fruits on the bush. Their weight ranged from 600g to 900g (21\u201332 oz). The variety is very impressive. The bush itself is quite vigorous. However, my cucumbers in the greenhouse ended up shading it. The yield probably would have been much better otherwise.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2018_12\/1011147860_(12).JPG.1a7ee90e0bef35a05b1878a4bbbc5fa6.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2018_12\/809743277_(12).thumb.JPG.7292184f6564bf592541eb73432a8869.JPG\" alt=\"Large red Sprint-Timer tomato with dense flesh\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2018_12\/1908514008_4(1).JPG.49828fd6f2df05aed7cc1700f44d7873.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2018_12\/10854588_4(1).thumb.JPG.1df4857326c8a31f9867a90edede706f.JPG\" alt=\"Another huge Sprint-Timer tomato harvest\" 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\">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 Moscow \/ Stupino Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>I had wanted to plant this variety for a long time\u2014I&#8217;d read so many good reviews. After receiving seeds from Minusinsk, I sowed it this year. Unfortunately, in late April, my single seedling suffered a disaster: due to the cold nights at the dacha, it collapsed from &#8220;damping off&#8221; (fungal rot at the stem base).<\/p>\n<p>I cut the top off and re-rooted it in a glass of water, and once the little guy grew roots, I planted it in the greenhouse and pruned it to 2 stems. Of course, it didn&#8217;t have time to show its full potential, and its older neighboring plants shaded it out, but it still managed to push out two gigantic, perfectly round, red spheres (weighing about 850g \/ 30 oz each) with excellent flavor and texture, plus three smaller fruits. Definitely going on the repeat list!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2019_09\/DSCN0335.JPG.162cf0c1b872e2387290786cca976a6f.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2019_09\/DSCN0335.thumb.JPG.cb9d5ddd19a81845ae59b012afb6942b.JPG\" alt=\"Perfectly round massive Sprint-Timer red tomato\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2019_09\/DSCN0344.JPG.c1cd9557eac2103ab0030e9d334e4159.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/uploads\/monthly_2019_09\/DSCN0344.thumb.JPG.ce3d67dcbd1fb101e785d1e01859d6fe.JPG\" alt=\"Cross section of Sprint-Timer showing meaty seedless flesh\" 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\">T<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Tatiana (T@tka) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (34,543 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Kazan, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Svetlana said:<\/strong><br \/>\nDefinitely going on the repeat list!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Svetlana, I&#8217;m sorry if I&#8217;m pestering you with questions&#8230; But did you repeat it this year?<\/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 Moscow \/ Stupino Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Tatiana said:<\/strong><br \/>\nSvetlana, I&#8217;m sorry if I&#8217;m pestering you with questions&#8230; But did you repeat it this year?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes! But I didn&#8217;t take any photos. I will probably plant it every single year; it is an excellent workhorse variety. The fruits are huge and delicious. It&#8217;s exactly the kind of tomato you always need in the household. The only issue is that it has very few seeds.<\/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\">Melisssa (Natalya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Beginner (87 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Eastern Europe<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Seeds are from E. Gorlova. In my garden (grown outdoors in open ground), it turned out to be a short indeterminate. Red. Oblate (flat-round). But oh, so tasty, and the aroma&#8230; The skin is thin, so the tomato doesn&#8217;t have a long shelf life. The vast majority of them weighed around 300g (10.5 oz). Yield was average. It&#8217;s definitely going on the seed-sowing list for next year, it was just too delicious. The only thing that confuses me is that it was supposed to be heart-shaped, but mine were oblate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quick Summary of Sprint-Timer \ud83c\udf0d Origin: A legendary Russian giant heirloom. It gained massive fame when a grower won the 2016 &#8220;Minusinsk Tomato Day&#8221; (Russia&#8217;s famous giant tomato competition) with a Sprint-Timer fruit weighing a whopping 1.878 kg (4.14 lbs)! \ud83c\udf3f Plant Habit: Indeterminate with thick, robust stems. Typically grows up to 1.5 meters (5 &#8230; <a title=\"Sprint-Timer Tomato: The Minusinsk Giant Heirloom Review\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/sprint-timer\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Sprint-Timer Tomato: The Minusinsk Giant Heirloom Review\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,1,5],"tags":[420,30,11,419,49,47,126,15],"class_list":["post-599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oxheart-tomatoes","category-beefsteak-large-slicers","category-russian-eastern-european-heirlooms","tag-damping-off","tag-heavy-yielder","tag-huge-tomato","tag-minusinsk-giant","tag-open-ground","tag-red-beefsteak","tag-russian-heirloom","tag-sweet-flavor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599","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=599"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":602,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599\/revisions\/602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}