{"id":6795,"date":"2026-10-30T19:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=6795"},"modified":"2026-10-30T19:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:41:03","slug":"marshas-starfighter-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/marshas-starfighter-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Marsha’s Starfighter Heart Tomato Review & Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> Marsha’s Starfighter Heart<\/strong> (Serdtse Marshi<\/em>) is an exotic indeterminate oxheart<\/strong> bred by Marsha Eisenberg<\/strong> of South Florida as part of her acclaimed Star Wars Project<\/em>. Vines climb past 6.5 ft (2 m)<\/strong> in greenhouses with classic weeping foliage, producing heavy trusses of blunt to elongated hearts weighing up to 10.5-12.5 oz (300-350 g)<\/strong>. The fruit showcase an intricate paint job of mahogany-bronze skin with metallic green-gold striping and dusky purple anthocyanin shoulders. Slices reveal dense, deep burgundy meat packing a sweet, rich, full-bodied heirloom flavor. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n

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Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-6 Experience)<\/h2>\n

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Inn@ (Inna) \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,399 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Arti, Sverdlovsk Region, Urals, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Marsha’s Starfighter Heart (Serdtse Marshi).<\/p>\n

One of the lines from the Star Wars Project bred by Marsha Eisenberg down in South Florida, which is why this selection got named Marsha’s Heart.<\/p>\n

Ran it in the greenhouse. The vines cleared 6.5 ft (2 m) easily. Sturdy, vigorous plants, though the foliage has that classic droopy, weeping look typical of most oxheart varieties.<\/p>\n

The fruit are ornate, painted-striped hearts topping out around 12.5 oz (350 g). Slices open to dense, deep crimson-red meat. Extremely heavy cropper and crazy sweet! Easily one of my top favorites of the entire past season. Totally thrilled with it.<\/p>\n

Next season I plan to grow Marsha’s Beefsteak side-by-side to compare the two.<\/p>\n

Big shoutout to Natalya Pavlovna (@Yaroslavna) for the seeds! \ud83d\ude18<\/p>\n

Edited December 20, 2020 by Inn@<\/em><\/p>\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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Props to Inna for getting this newcomer posted in our variety database! \ud83c\udf39<\/p>\n

Here are the notes on this line:<\/p>\n

Marsha’s Starfighter Heart (Serdtse Marshi). A distinct line from the Star Wars Project led by Marsha Eisenberg in South Florida.<\/p>\n

Seeds were sent directly to me by Marsha for regional trials under my northern conditions.<\/p>\n

Grown under cover in polycarbonate high tunnels. Tall, strong vines with weeping foliage, reaching 6.5 ft (2 m) and higher. Highly productive, pushing out clusters of 6-7 elongated heart-shaped fruit. The skin clearly displays detailed, wavy striping, with a subtle anthocyanin blush capping the crown.<\/p>\n

Fruit shape can vary across plants, ranging from plump, rounded hearts to slender elongated ones with a sharp pointed beak. All share dense, juicy flesh with a balanced, sweet-tart complexity.<\/p>\n

The variety adapted beautifully to our cooler northern climate. Growers in other regions are sending back glowing reviews too. A standout line that will definitely earn a following among heirloom collectors and everyday gardeners alike!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Edited December 20, 2020 by Yaroslavna<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Svetikk (Svetlana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (29,626 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow \/ Stupinsky District, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Marsha’s Starfighter Heart. Wonderful variety \ud83d\udc4d Heavy yielder, top-tier taste, and an absolute standout discovery among the exotics along with Marsha’s Beefsteak.<\/p>\n

Indeterminate vine, trained to two stems. Fruit are plump to elongated hearts up to 10.5 oz (300 g), reddish-brown with golden-olive striping. Meat inside is sweet \ud83d\ude0b and deep burgundy.<\/p>\n

Late in the season, once cooler weather and shorter daylight hours set in, the newly ripening fruit come out noticeably paler.<\/p>\n

Edited September 29, 2021 by Svetikk<\/em><\/p>\n

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Inn@ (Inna) \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,399 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Arti, Sverdlovsk Region, Urals, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Repeated it again this season, and it held every single trait: flavor, yield, and stunning looks.<\/p>\n

I grew Marsha’s Beefsteak this year as well, so I had the perfect chance to compare the two head-to-head.<\/p>\n

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YANGUN (Irina) \ud83c\udf31 Member (303 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ruza, Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Inn@: I grew Marsha’s Beefsteak<\/a> this year as well, so I had the perfect chance to compare the two head-to-head.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Inna, which of the two did you like better?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Inn@ (Inna) \u2b50 Pro Grower (6,399 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Arti, Sverdlovsk Region, Urals, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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YANGUN: Inna, which of the two did you like better?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Irina, just wrote a breakdown on that over in the Beefsteak thread today! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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neLENtyayka (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (2,799 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kemerovo, Siberia, Russia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Marsha’s Starfighter Heart.<\/p>\n

Gorgeously bred variety, checks all the boxes for looks, flavor, and production!<\/p>\n

Didn’t get any monster fruit, mostly stayed medium-sized. Matured right at mid-season.<\/p>\n

Seeds courtesy of Lyubasha (@Vesennyaya). Thanks! \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n

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Khrizantema57 (Lyudmila) \u2b50 Pro Grower (13,511 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Mozhaysk Area, Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Marsha’s Heart is a very tasty, eye-catching tomato. Yield turned out about average in my garden.<\/p>\n

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Nadine (Nadezhda) \u2b50 Pro Grower (11,454 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Volgograd, Russia (USDA Zone 5b\/6a)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Beautiful, medium-sized rounded hearts, burgundy-brown with olive-gold striping, weighing up to 10.5 oz (300 g).<\/p>\n

Turned out mid-early for me and yielded heavily. The meat is deep, rich burgundy with plenty of natural sweetness.<\/p>\n

Edited November 24, 2022 by Nadine<\/em><\/p>\n

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Yashma (Olga) \u2b50 Pro Grower (2,084 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ryazan Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4b)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Marsha’s Heart.<\/p>\n

Fell completely in love with this one. Grew it right out in the dirt. Height topped out around 4-4.5 ft (1.2-1.3 m).<\/p>\n

Fruit were mostly elongated pointed hearts. Heavy producer, excellent sweet flavor. The first ripe fruit were rich brown with green striping, while later in the season the striping showed noticeably more green.<\/p>\n

Big shoutout to Lyudmila (@Shevyachok) for the seeds!<\/p>\n

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Full Summary: Plant Habit, Fruit Phenotypes & Climate Response<\/h2>\n