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Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:33 am
by HL2601
Hearts hearts hearts hearts. I "swoon" for Brad's Black Heart, Rosovyi Myod, Orange Russian 117. This year I am trying Inima de Bou, and Desdemona's Heart among many others. Has anyone grown these?
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:46 am
by Gardadore
I have grown the first three. Brad’s Black Heart and Orange Russian 117 are two favorites. Rosovyi Myod has not performed as well. Don’t know Inima de Bou or Desdemona so look forward to your report on these.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:52 am
by Gardadore
Just researched the Inima and Desdemona. Both look awesome. See Victory seeds has Desdemona Heart but not sure how to get the Inima de Bou. Where did you get your Inima seeds!
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 1:22 pm
by Tormahto
Go to the "2020 MMMM spoiler alert" thread for Inima de Bou, other hearts, or anything else. Then PM me a mailing address.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:33 am
by Gardadore
Thanks, Tormato. Will be in touch. No room this year but will seriously consider adding these to the 2022 list!
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 4:54 pm
by swordy
Once I grew a very prolific oxheart tomato (I think it was Otange Russian) but I couldn't save seeds because it seemed to have some virus. I felt so sorry for the plant because it was huge with lots of fruit but I shouldn't keep seeds from it in case the seeds had the virus. This year I grow no oxheart
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:59 am
by OhioGardener
Sorry I didn't see this until now. I've had a lot of personal things going on this year.
I have some extra seeds of Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart. I haven't looked recently, but last year the Heritage Food Crops Research Trust in New Zealand was the only source and USDA shut down small seed lot permits for tomatoes shortly after I acquired them. The variety was originally acquired by HFCRT from Amishland Seeds and were described to me by the owner of that company as coming from a customer, but they discontinued them and no longer have seeds. I sourced it directly from HFCRT along with Goldenlight since it consistently tested so high in tetra-cis-lycopene. Feed free to message me.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:25 pm
by Julianna
OhioGardener wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:59 am
Sorry I didn't see this until now. I've had a lot of personal things going on this year.
I have some extra seeds of Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart. I haven't looked recently, but last year the Heritage Food Crops Research Trust in New Zealand was the only source and USDA shut down small seed lot permits for tomatoes shortly after I acquired them. The variety was originally acquired by HFCRT from Amishland Seeds and were described to me by the owner of that company as coming from a customer, but they discontinued them and no longer have seeds. I sourced it directly from HFCRT along with Goldenlight since it consistently tested so high in tetra-cis-lycopene. Feed free to message me.
Tormato hooked me up! I have a plant growing along with several other hearts and others. I have had a few later season failures, but I am hopeful I can get enough tomatoes this season. My watering has really fallen to the side which is not helping the garden. We havent had rain in 3 months and have another 4 until it rains again, and so watering is something we have to do.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:53 pm
by bower
I'm growing AYOX this summer. Made a couple of crosses with it which are fattening up too. It has 8 fruit on it, as we wait and hope that all plants survive to ripen their load!
I had planned to grow EM Champion too, but when planting time came I couldn't find the seeds.

Tore the house apart and went through every seed box, card and letter for three days, and finally could delay planting no longer.
Desdemona Heart must be the same Serdtse Desdemony, I think? Which I got from Marina some years ago. It was good but I was more impressed with Zolotye Kupola and Rozoviy Flamingo.. it was a good year for hearts! But my farmer friend saved the seeds of SD and has grown it again the past two years - her DH the chef is especially fond of it. So it must be good.

Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2021 7:39 pm
by OhioGardener
Bower wrote: ↑Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:53 pm
I'm growing AYOX this summer. Made a couple of crosses with it which are fattening up too. It has 8 fruit on it, as we wait and hope that all plants survive to ripen their load!
I had planned to grow EM Champion too, but when planting time came I couldn't find the seeds.

Tore the house apart and went through every seed box, card and letter for three days, and finally could delay planting no longer.
Desdemona Heart must be the same Serdtse Desdemony, I think? Which I got from Marina some years ago. It was good but I was more impressed with Zolotye Kupola and Rozoviy Flamingo.. it was a good year for hearts! But my farmer friend saved the seeds of SD and has grown it again the past two years - her DH the chef is especially fond of it. So it must be good.
Serdtse Desdemony literally translates to heart of Desdemona, so I suspect you're correct. I've found quite a few Russian varieties that are probably just translated forms of Western varieties and visa versa.
I'm having a rough tomato season this year too unfortunately. We lost my mother earlier in the year which turned things upside down for a while and then went through a terrible wet spell that made this a bad late blight year. I am trying to get a crop and save from the Datlo that you shared with me. I didn't get to do my breeding experiments that I wanted to, but hopefully I'll at least have some seed to try again in a better year.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:55 pm
by bower
[mention]OhioGardener[/mention] I'm so sorry for your loss, Debbie.

I really hope your weather turns around, and enjoy some peaceful times in the garden. Tomatoes are so high maintenance when they don't like the weather, but I hope they do give you a crop in spite of it.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:06 pm
by HL2601
I am so sorry as well Debbie. I hope you can fund refuge in the garden. My Premus seeds are thriving by the way! Thank you again for those!
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 11:46 pm
by Julianna
I am sorry for your loss, Debbie!
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:17 am
by Julianna
OhioGardener wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:59 am
Sorry I didn't see this until now. I've had a lot of personal things going on this year.
I have some extra seeds of Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart. I haven't looked recently, but last year the Heritage Food Crops Research Trust in New Zealand was the only source and USDA shut down small seed lot permits for tomatoes shortly after I acquired them. The variety was originally acquired by HFCRT from Amishland Seeds and were described to me by the owner of that company as coming from a customer, but they discontinued them and no longer have seeds. I sourced it directly from HFCRT along with Goldenlight since it consistently tested so high in tetra-cis-lycopene. Feed free to message me.
If the offer is still there, I would be interested! My plant failed.

I had a weird season and had about 30% failures. This has never happened before in 20+ years.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:12 am
by wykvlvr
@Julianna Our season is over and I just picked the last tomato off the Dwarf Pink Passion plant. (it has actually been living inside for a few weeks) I have been informed I HAVE to repeat this one. Not huge tomatoes but just the right size for a single serving salad when cut open or to just eat off the vine...
EM Champion was in one of my buckets and none of those plants did well this year. But unlike the other bucket plants I did get a couple of tomatoes so we will try it again next year.
Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart ran out of time but had a nice set of young tomatoes on it when I lost it to the second freeze (covered lightly the first one, second one was colder and the cold lasted longer plus we got about an inch of snow) So next year I will see if I have seeds left and will start it inside earlier.
For me the best surprise this year and one I will repeat again is not an oxheart but rather gave me small saladette sized valentine heart shaped tomatoes. I got the seeds from Heritage Seeds under the name of Black and Red Boar and wouldn't you know it they don't have it listed right now. I LOVE a good dark tomato and these were very yummy
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 11:41 am
by OhioGardener
Julianna wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:17 am
If the offer is still there, I would be interested! My plant failed.

I had a weird season and had about 30% failures. This has never happened before in 20+ years.
You're welcome to PM me. I also have seeds from some of the other tetra-cis lycopene varieties that tested high in the trials.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 11:43 am
by Nan6b
MMMM SPOILER ALERT!
julianna, I'm sending Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart into the MMMM. Are you participating? Just put it on your wish list. Or if you're not in the MMMM, PM me.
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 12:04 pm
by wykvlvr
Nan6b wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 11:43 am
MMMM SPOILER ALERT!
julianna, I'm sending Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart into the MMMM. Are you participating? Just put it on your wish list. Or if you're not in the MMMM, PM me.
sounds like I need to add it to my list just to be sure I have seeds...
Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 12:31 pm
by Tormahto
Nan6b wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 11:43 am
MMMM SPOILER ALERT!
julianna, I'm sending Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart into the MMMM. Are you participating? Just put it on your wish list. Or if you're not in the MMMM, PM me.
Don't worry, Nan. The cat's out of the bag on AYOO. It happens with a few varieties every year.
But, since you want the swap to be a mystery, if AYOO is on your wish list, I'll make sure it remains a mystery whether you receive it, or not.

Re: For the love of hearts...
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 7:32 pm
by Julianna
wykvlvr wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:12 am
@Julianna Our season is over and I just picked the last tomato off the Dwarf Pink Passion plant. (it has actually been living inside for a few weeks) I have been informed I HAVE to repeat this one. Not huge tomatoes but just the right size for a single serving salad when cut open or to just eat off the vine...
EM Champion was in one of my buckets and none of those plants did well this year. But unlike the other bucket plants I did get a couple of tomatoes so we will try it again next year.
Amish Yellowish Orange Oxheart ran out of time but had a nice set of young tomatoes on it when I lost it to the second freeze (covered lightly the first one, second one was colder and the cold lasted longer plus we got about an inch of snow) So next year I will see if I have seeds left and will start it inside earlier.
For me the best surprise this year and one I will repeat again is not an oxheart but rather gave me small saladette sized valentine heart shaped tomatoes. I got the seeds from Heritage Seeds under the name of Black and Red Boar and wouldn't you know it they don't have it listed right now. I LOVE a good dark tomato and these were very yummy
My AYOO started out well and then just declined and died. I had the same scenario for several plants. EM Champion though did great! And I had a lot of white oxhearts and they were tough and mealy lol. Go figure!