📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zebra
- 🌍 Origin: Circulated among Eastern European growers simply under the name “Zebra”. Given the massive advertised size and bicolor stripes, it is highly likely this is a localized strain of “Big Zebra” or a similar large striped heirloom.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Can be grown successfully outdoors in open ground, though it requires a full season to reach its maximum potential.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Stunning bicolor fruits with beautiful external stripes and delicately colored flesh. While seed vendors claim it can reach a massive 1.7 lbs (800 g), growers with shorter outdoor seasons or late plantings report practical weights of 7 to 12.3 oz (200-350 g).
- 👅 Flavor: Highly praised for a sweet, delicate flavor that perfectly matches its striking internal appearance.
🍅 Grown this variety? Click here to add your own photos and review below!
I really liked this variety for its taste, but especially for how it looks. The flesh has a very delicate color, and the stripes are just gorgeous. My fruit weights were around 7 to 12.3 oz (200-350 g). The description claimed it could hit 1.7 lbs (800 g), but to be fair, I planted it late in the season and grew it outdoors in the dirt.
Edited January 17, 2015 by Drosera
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: Which “Zebra” is this?
In the American heirloom community, if you just say “Zebra,” most people immediately think of Tom Wagner’s famous Green Zebra. However, Green Zebra is a small, tangy salad tomato that rarely exceeds 3 to 4 oz. When Russian and Eastern European forums discuss a “Zebra” with claims of it reaching 1.7 lbs (800 g) and having delicate, sweet bicolor flesh, they are almost certainly growing Big Zebra (a large green/red/yellow beefsteak) or a very similar cross. Alexander’s smaller fruit size was likely just the result of his late planting and outdoor growing conditions!
In the American heirloom community, if you just say “Zebra,” most people immediately think of Tom Wagner’s famous Green Zebra. However, Green Zebra is a small, tangy salad tomato that rarely exceeds 3 to 4 oz. When Russian and Eastern European forums discuss a “Zebra” with claims of it reaching 1.7 lbs (800 g) and having delicate, sweet bicolor flesh, they are almost certainly growing Big Zebra (a large green/red/yellow beefsteak) or a very similar cross. Alexander’s smaller fruit size was likely just the result of his late planting and outdoor growing conditions!
