{"id":7447,"date":"2026-11-09T17:05:39","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T17:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=7447"},"modified":"2026-11-09T17:06:42","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T17:06:42","slug":"slankards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/slankards\/","title":{"rendered":"Slankard’s Tomato Review & Photos: Pennsylvania Giant Oxheart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\ud83c\udf45 Quick take:<\/strong> Slankard’s<\/strong> is a legendary Pennsylvania heirloom indeterminate<\/strong> oxheart capable of producing colossal, blunt raspberry-pink fruits from 14 oz up to well over 2 lbs (400-1000 g+)<\/strong>. Multiple growers call it the largest tomato they have ever grown. Because its slender vine carries a modest leaf canopy relative to its gigantic fruit load, heavy potassium feeding and consistent deep watering are critical to prevent internal hollow pockets. Full summary \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n

Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 2b-6b Experience)<\/h2>\n
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ElenaN (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (28,513 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Kostroma, Russia (USDA Zone 4a)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Indeterminate mid-season variety. The fruits are gigantic: deep pink, blunt round-hearts, occasionally showing faint yellow shoulders. Yield was very heavy.
\nThe vine frame is quite slender with remarkably stout fruit trusses. It’s honestly baffling how such a polite, modest plant manages to carry such monstrous fruit.
\nAs for taste: I don’t think I unlocked its full potential this season. My fruits had internal hollow spaces and tough white vascular veins. Seeds came from A. Kulik. Definitely planning to give this variety another trial down the road.
\n\"Massive<\/a>
\n\"Large<\/a>
\n\"Cross-section<\/a>
\n\"Sliced<\/a><\/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 4a)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Thinking back on it: this variety was clearly starved for potassium. It definitely needs a more aggressive feeding regimen. The fruit are gigantic, but the leaf canopy is fairly sparse, so the vine struggles to pump enough nutrition into those monsters. Dug up a photo of it hanging on the plant:
\n\"Slender<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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PanIrina (Irina) \u2b50 Active Member (1,208 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Nizhny Novgorod Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Such a gorgeous tomato! \ud83d\udc4d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Pani Tomat (Irina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (8,773 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
From my 2015 season:
\n\"Huge<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Danko (Elena) \u2b50 Pro Grower (10,117 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Pretty and productive, but the flavor didn’t blow me away either.
\n\"Harvest<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ninulia (Nina) \u2b50 Pro Grower (39,707 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd SE Nizhny Novgorod Region (USDA Zone 4)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
For me, this turned out to be one of the absolute tastiest tomatoes in the garden!
\nYield was right down the middle, and the shape wasn’t even a classic pointed heart – more like rounded cuboid blocks or cones. \ud83d\ude04<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadine (Nadezhda) \u2b50 Pro Grower (11,454 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Volgograd, Russia (USDA Zone 6b)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Ended up mid-season for me, even leaning slightly mid-early. First photo is from July 3, the second and third from July 10. Flavor was good, though a little extra acidity would have made it more balanced – felt slightly mild.
\nProductivity was fantastic, averaging 9-14 oz (250-400 g), and the fruit on the upper clusters actually sized up even larger! It set every single cluster and kept ripening fruit deep into summer.
\nOut in open garden beds, the clusters set fewer total blossoms, but the individual fruits grew significantly bigger. In hindsight, I probably should have thinned the fruit clusters to balance sizing.
\nEdited August 20, 2016 by Nadine
\n\"Early<\/a>
\n\"Ripe<\/a>
\n\"Large<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Potassium Demand, Watering, and Sizing Up 2-Pound Giant Hearts<\/h3>\n
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Elena_ \u2b50 Pro Grower (3,838 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Samara Region, Russia (USDA Zone 4b)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
In my garden, Slankard’s struggles with disease every single year, and without question it demands heavy potassium. In an early heated greenhouse (planted out in early February), it sets fruit very late.
\nBut once it finally kicks into gear? Out of nowhere, it starts throwing massive boulders – easily 14 oz (400 g) and up, usually much larger. Heavy, ribbed blunt hearts. If you want to avoid hollow cavities inside, you have to water consistently and deeply. The plant itself is very strong.
\n\"Oversized<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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KsenaZ (Kseniya) \u2b50 Active Member (1,479 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Slankard’s has been an all-time staple for me. You can only describe it in superlatives: massive fruit, huge yields, gorgeous looks, delicious flavor, and surprisingly resilient.
\n\"Huge<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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KsenaZ (Kseniya) \u2b50 Active Member (1,479 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Another angle of the harvest! \ud83d\ude0a
\n\"Broad<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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KsenaZ (Kseniya) \u2b50 Active Member (1,479 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
And here is how the green fruit look sizing up on the vine:
\n\"Massive<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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IrinaVinn (Irina) \ud83c\udf3f Member (318 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
One of the largest tomatoes I’ve ever grown. Every single fruit on the vine was huge, with some turning into absolute monsters!
\nEdited February 27, 2020 by IrinaVinn
\n\"Giant<\/a>
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Shevyachok (Lyudmila) \u2b50 Section Moderator (12,133 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n
\ud83d\udccd Omsk Region, Western Siberia (USDA Zone 3)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Hands down the biggest tomato I have ever grown in my life!
\n\"Enormous<\/a>
\n\"Top-down<\/a>
\n\"Colossal<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Quick Facts: Variety Summary<\/h2>\n