Quick Summary of Yasha Yugoslavian
- 🌍 Origin & History: A legendary heirloom variety originally brought to the US from Yugoslavia. There is an ongoing historical debate (discussed in this thread) about its connection to the famous Crnkovic Yugoslavian variety, with many believing they are either the same or closely related sister lines from the Vojvodina region.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: A tall indeterminate vine. It is known for having sparse (wispy) foliage, which is typical for oxheart genetics. Because the foliage is thin, the fruits are highly susceptible to sunscald and “yellow shoulders” in extreme heat. Shading is highly recommended in hot climates (USDA Zones 7+).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink/raspberry fruits weighing 300g to 500g+ (10.5 – 17.6 oz+).
Crucial Shape Note: This variety naturally produces variable shapes on the exact same plant! The lower trusses often throw oblate (flat-round) beefsteaks, while the mid-to-upper trusses produce beautiful, classic oxhearts. - 👅 Flavor & Texture: Universally praised for an outstanding, sweet, sugary flavor. The flesh is very delicate, juicy, and completely lacks hard white cores.
- 💪 Disease Resistance: Some growers note that it shows impressive resilience to Late Blight (Phytophthora) compared to other heirlooms.
Yasha Yugoslavian in the old forum catalog:
Seeds of this variety came to the US from Yugoslavia. Indet. The fruits are lovely pink hearts, excellent taste, weighing up to 300 g (10.5 oz). For exquisite salads. A rare variety!
This variety really surprised me. In the garden bed, all the tomatoes died from Late Blight (Phytophthora), but Yashka survived and fruited. A sweet tomato.
Visually Yashka is very beautiful, and in terms of plant health, it turns out to be great too! 👍👍👍
A very unusual and beautiful variety. 👍👍👍 When sliced, it also has absolutely no white cores/veins inside. 🙏🙏🙏
What a beauty! The shape is very original! 👍👍👍
I had Yasha Yugoslavian from T. Yashchenko, also heart-shaped, abundant, slightly on the late side, with soft (delicate) fruits.
Girls! I also found an oblate (flat-round) Yasha. But Lida’s fruits on her Yasha are prettier 😋 👍
[Links to Tatiana’s TOMATObase & SeedSavers regarding Crnkovic Yugoslavian]
Quote by ElenaN:
Girls! I also found an oblate Yasha…
Lena, does that exactly translate to Yasha? It seems like a different name. It’s growing for me, but I can’t even properly pronounce the first word [Crnkovic].
Valyush! If we’re being exact, the translation is Yakov Yugoslavian (Jacob), but I could be wrong 😳
Mine looks like this, and I got scared that it wasn’t heart-shaped, but the subsequent trusses are hearts. Granted, the first ones weigh more than half a kilo (1 lb+) for sure, I’m afraid whether the branches will hold up…
Here is another photo from the same bush.
I think this is IT after all. I don’t doubt it anymore.
Neighbors are asking for seeds, even though they haven’t ripened yet. Which tomato should I take them from—the biggest one or the more heart-shaped one???
I want to thank Tomatanya for the wonderful seeds 🙏
Quote by Valentina 54:
Lena, does that exactly translate to Yasha? It seems like a different name. It’s growing for me, but I can’t even properly pronounce the first word [Crnkovic].
I think this name should sound like “Tsrnkovich” (Crnković), or, for the convenience of the Russian language, Tsyrnkovich. In Serbian, vowels are not always indicated.
On Tatiana’s [TOMATObase] it is written: Yasha Crnkovic of the Vojvod area of Yugoslavia. So, Yasha Crnkovic from Vojvodina, Yugoslavia. I have also seen the name Yasha Yugoslavian (Yasha Yugoslavskiy). I have the seeds sitting here, haven’t gotten around to them yet, but I believe that this is the exact same variety.
Planted the Yasha Yugoslavian variety for the first time. The fruits turned out to be very large, juicy with an excellent sweet taste. The yield is also beyond praise. The height of the bush in the greenhouse is about 1.5 meters (5 ft). I didn’t tie the trusses. I will plant it next year.
2015 Season:
Productive, tasty, fruits with sugary flesh. In the South in +40C (104F) heat, the leaves started to burn (sunscald). It requires shading. I had to tie up the trusses, the stem was a bit too thin for such harvests.
The bush has sparse foliage, up to 1.8 m (6 ft) in the greenhouse. The fruits can get sunburned, and yellow shoulders form. The fruits are tasty, I liked them. It’s staying in my collection.
My Yasha grew in the greenhouse, was mid-early, productive, and tasty.
Grew in the greenhouse. Up to 1.5 meters (5 ft). An interesting variety. Fruits of different shapes on the same bush. 😲 At the bottom they are round/oblate, and higher up they are heart-shaped. Both tasty and productive.
Pink-raspberry hearts, very tasty, yield in the open ground is excellent, literally an avalanche… The raspberry color doesn’t develop well in full direct sun…
Grew in the greenhouse in 2 stems, tall, mid-early, productive, slicing type, pink-fruited, very tasty. Fruits range from heart-shaped to oblate on the same plant. I liked it very much.
One of my most beloved varieties. One of those that I am ready to repeat myself, and I will recommend it to others.
Beautiful, tasty, productive.
I support Katrinka, this variety is magnificent in everything – shape, color, and taste – many consider taste the main characteristic of a fruit. I would have to agree. My first experience growing this variety was filmed in a short video review over the summer of 2021.
Yasha Yugoslavian tomato.
A favorite variety for permanent residency in the greenhouse! Meaty, tasty hearts!
