{"id":6727,"date":"2026-10-30T15:58:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T15:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=6727"},"modified":"2026-10-30T16:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T16:00:29","slug":"lovers-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/lovers-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Lover’s Lunch Tomato Review & Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> Lover’s Lunch<\/strong> (known in Russian collections as Obed Vlyublyonnykh<\/em>) is a stunning mid-season indeterminate<\/strong> bicolor slicer originally bred by Brad Gates<\/strong> of Wild Boar Farms. It produces heavy clusters of round, yellow-and-red striped beefsteaks weighing 9+ oz (250+ g)<\/strong> with sweet, balanced, marbled flesh. Northern growers note it is an aggressive, heavy feeder with a strong tendency to go overly vegetative if hit with excess nitrogen, and heavy clusters require early truss support to prevent kinking. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n

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Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4 Experience)<\/h2>\n

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A<\/div>\n
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Alisa \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,406 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Lover’s Lunch (Obed Vlyublyonnykh).<\/p>\n

Vigorous indeterminate, mid-season, hefty regular foliage, very strong vegetative habit. The fruit are round and smooth, textbook shape without any catfacing, striped in red and yellow. Slices open into a gorgeous bicolor pattern. Great balanced flavor, easily 9+ oz (250+ g), with 5 or more fruit per cluster.<\/p>\n

You definitely want to tie up those trusses. I had to do an emergency job taping the first trusses with painter’s tape to keep them from kinking under the weight. Honestly didn’t expect that kind of load after starting seeds late in April.<\/p>\n

The best eating stage is a matter of personal taste. I preferred eating them while they were still a bit firm, but my coworkers let them sit until they turned to pure jelly.<\/p>\n

Overall, a very healthy plant that shrugs off rain. Out in the open ground, once the non-stop fall downpours and cold fogs set in, the fruit did start cracking, though they held out for a long time before that. The skin is neither too thin nor too thick, pretty much spot on. Really impressed me with its vigor, health, and looks. The main trick is not to overdo the nitrogen, or the vine will get lazy and go completely vegetative on you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A<\/div>\n
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Anela (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,218 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Seeds came from Popenko. Ran it both in the greenhouse and outdoors in the ground.<\/p>\n

\"Lover's<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Y<\/div>\n
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Yaroslavna (Natalya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,275 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd North of Yaroslavl Region, Russia (USDA Zone 3b\/4a)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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What an exceptional variety. Drop-dead gorgeous, turns heads, and gets everyone talking!<\/p>\n

Put several plants in my polycarbonate greenhouse. Tall grower, mid-season for our northern climate. Clusters are loaded with big, neatly shaped, slightly flattened fruit that absolutely must be supported so the stems don’t snap.<\/p>\n

The fruit are breathtakingly pretty. Soft orange painted with golden brushstrokes and subtle pink striping. Flesh inside is delicate with a very enjoyable flavor.<\/p>\n

\"Lover's<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I<\/div>\n
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ilja (Ilya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (758 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Klinsky District, Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Really enjoyed this one! Grew it in an unheated hoop house. Topped out around 6.5 ft (2 m). Not only a real looker, but packed a sweet, top-notch flavor too.<\/p>\n

\"Lover's<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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E<\/div>\n
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Evgeniya 03 (Evgeniya) \u2b50 Pro Grower (1,590 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Grew this back in 2018 from Gusev’s seeds. The vine went wild on nitrogen and I couldn’t pull it back into generative growth. Ended up with just 2 measly fruit on the entire plant. Haven’t grown it since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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N<\/div>\n
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neLENtyayka (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (2,799 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kemerovo, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Had two vines going in the greenhouse last season. Same deal as Evgeniya (@Evgeniya 03), both wanted to run rampant with leafy vegetative growth, but I managed to get them steered in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Solid flavor, juicy and sweet. Moderate producer.<\/p>\n

Seeds came from Lena (@Anela). Much appreciated! \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n

Edited August 5, 2021 by neLENtyayka<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Lover's<\/a>
\n\"Lover's<\/a>
\n\"Lover's<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Full Summary: Plant Habit, Productivity, and Taste<\/h2>\n