{"id":6806,"date":"2026-10-31T16:29:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T16:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=6806"},"modified":"2026-10-31T16:40:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T16:40:53","slug":"muddy-mamba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/muddy-mamba\/","title":{"rendered":"Muddy Mamba Tomato Review & Photos: Murdock’s Tricolor Beefsteak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n 5\/5 - (1 vote) <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> Muddy Mamba<\/strong> is an indeterminate<\/strong> tricolor beefsteak bred by Millard Murdock<\/strong> (North Carolina, USA). Vines produce 7-19.5 oz (200-550 g) olive-brown, dusky-green fruits with deep amber-red interiors. Northern growers report incredible drought and heat tolerance when grown outdoors, delivering exceptional rich, sugary flavor. Growers frequently note segregation between regular leaf (RL)<\/strong> and potato leaf (PL)<\/strong> seedlings, and emphasize picking slightly underripe to avoid a watery texture. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n

Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-5 Experience)<\/h2>\n
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Sandr (Aleksandr) \ud83c\udf31 Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Black-green bicolor, grown outdoors in open ground. Got it in the dirt late, but it still pumped out 2 complete trusses with 5-6 beefsteaks each, running 7-10.5 oz (200-300 g). Trusses 3 and 4 are still sizing up. Taste is sweet and rich, right in line with similar colored varieties, really enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

I probably picked this one a bit early, looks like they turn more red as they sit. But based on my past experience with these dark bicolors losing their flavor once overripe, I decided to harvest in stages to pinpoint the sweet spot for peak flavor and color.<\/p>\n

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Sandr (Aleksandr) \ud83c\udf31 Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Just as I thought, the color shifted and flushed a lot redder as it fully matured. With these types of tomatoes, the key is catching that exact window when the flavor peaks. It stayed just as sweet, but got way juicier, honestly bordering on watery.<\/p>\n

\"Muddy<\/a>
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Zulfiya \u2b50 Pro Grower (15,967 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ufa, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aleksandr, did you grow this in a greenhouse? Did that fruit end up catfaced because of a megabloom during high heat?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sandr (Aleksandr) \ud83c\udf31 Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Grew it straight outdoors. Relentless heat all summer long without a drop of rain, beds dried out constantly, but this variety turned out surprisingly productive despite the drought.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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ElenaN (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (28,513 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kostroma, Russia (USDA Zone 3\/4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here is how the coloring turned out on mine:<\/p>\n

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Danko (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (10,117 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Looks like this variety still is not fully stabilized. Out of the exact same seed batch, I have seedlings throwing both regular leaf and potato leaf foliage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sandr (Aleksandr) \ud83c\udf31 Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Really? Mine look totally uniform. Just checked all 4 of my emerged seedlings and they are all identical regular leaf.<\/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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Look Aleksandr, that is just how they sprouted. Seeds came from a very trusted source, and this is definitely not the only novelty variety acting up like this!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sandr (Aleksandr) \ud83c\udf31 Member (339 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Who knows, strange traits can show up generations down the road. My crop this year is already from home-saved seeds, and I took a close look after your post. Try keeping that potato leaf plant going, might end up with something very interesting if the line is throwing off-types.<\/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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Kept it! \ud83d\ude42 Got curious myself, so I am going to tuck it right at the end of the bed. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Irina \u2b50 Pro Grower (4,840 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kursk, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I had 2 come up with potato leaf foliage and 1 regular leaf. Kept both potato leaf ones thinking the regular leaf was an imposter. Now we wait and see. Love the suspense! \ud83d\udc4d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Reys1963 (Andrey) \ud83c\udf31 Member (39 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Primorsky Krai, Russia (USDA Zone 5)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On 2\/19\/2017 at 10:22 AM, ElenaN said:
\nHere is how the coloring turned out on mine:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Color looks fantastic. How is the flavor?<\/p>\n

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Galina P. \u2b50 Pro Grower (37,710 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On 4\/16\/2021 at 8:06 AM, Reys1963 said:
\nColor looks fantastic. How is the flavor?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Extremely delicious, very sweet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Vladimir Baranov (Vladimir) \ud83c\udf31 Member (312 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kaluga, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Grew this variety outdoors in open ground this season and it really delivered. Would not say it is a crazy record-breaking producer, but the table flavor is simply out of this world. The largest whoppers on the first cluster weighed in between 12-19.5 oz (350-550 g). Here is how the vine looked in the garden.<\/p>\n

Will post taste notes and a cross-section cut later once these finish ripening up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lisenok (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (14,229 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Ryazan Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ovechka (Lyudmila) \u2b50 Forum Pioneer (13,966 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Catalog description:<\/p>\n

Tall, mid-season. Oblate fruit with very unusual color shifts between green, red, and chocolate, weighing 10.5-14 oz (300-400 g), firm. Flesh is green-beige with pink marbling, very sweet with a fruity profile. Super variety! High yields. For greenhouse culture.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Grew this in my greenhouse. Indeterminate vine, mid-season. Yield was about average. Delicious eating quality. I love these multicolored beefsteaks, but honestly, I wish the poundage had been higher. If you asked me to pick between Muddy Mamba and Black Pineapple (Ananas Noire), I would choose Black Pineapple every time.
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irysska \ud83c\udf31 Member (291 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Received seeds for this variety from our wonderful Nadja, can’t thank her enough! \ud83d\ude4f
\nVines grow tall, but manageable and very sturdy. Fruit are whoppers, did not get a single one under 10.5 oz (300 g). Incredibly delicious and so gorgeous on the vine. Yield really pleased me, especially considering what a rough season this turned out to be. Easy candidate for my 2020 garden plan.
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Vladimir Baranov (Vladimir) \ud83c\udf31 Member (312 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kaluga, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
This variety survived in my greenhouse no matter what got thrown at it. And the eating flavor is pure heaven. Lock for next year’s 2021 lineup.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Lana_s_Kavkaza (Svetlana) \u2b50 Pro Grower (19,273 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Pyatigorsk, Russia (USDA Zone 6)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Ran it in an unheated hoop house. Yield was through the roof, and the flavor was great, very sweet.
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Full Summary: Foliage Segregation, Ripening Stages, and Garden Performance<\/h2>\n