Red Russian Tomato is an open-pollinated heirloom indeterminate variety that grows 48 to 60 inches tall and produces medium-sized red globe tomatoes in just 70 to 79 days from transplant. This cold-tolerant cultivar tolerates low temperatures better than many other slicing tomatoes, making it a reliable choice for gardeners in cooler climates or with shorter growing seasons. The plant thrives in full sun with moderate water and slightly acidic soil, reaching maturity quickly enough to deliver a full harvest before frost.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
60in H x ?in W
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High
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Red Russian Tomato stands out for its impressive cold tolerance in a crop where heat-loving varieties dominate. As an open-pollinated heirloom, you can save seeds from your best plants year after year, building a strain adapted to your specific garden. The indeterminate growth habit means continuous production throughout the season rather than one explosive flush, and the medium globe size offers the perfect balance between substantial slicing tomato substance and manageable fruit for home canning or fresh eating.
Red Russian Tomato excels as a slicing tomato for fresh eating, sandwiches, and salads where its medium size and red color make it ideal. The indeterminate growth habit and reliable production timeline also make it suitable for canning and preserving, giving home gardeners enough fruit to process while the season unfolds. Its suitability for garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouse cultivation means it adapts to various gardening setups, from backyard kitchen gardens to more intensive small-scale production.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last expected spring frost. Maintain soil temperature between 68 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Transplants will be ready to move outdoors once they develop true leaves and after your last frost date has safely passed.
Harden off transplants by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Transplant outdoors only after your last spring frost has passed and soil has warmed. Space plants 24 inches apart with rows 36 inches apart, planting deep enough to bury the lower stem for stronger root development.
Harvest tomatoes when they reach full red color and yield slightly to gentle pressure. Begin picking fruit approximately 70 to 79 days after transplanting outdoors. For the longest season of production, harvest ripe fruit regularly to encourage continued flowering and development of new fruit throughout the growing season.
As an indeterminate variety, Red Russian Tomato will benefit from removal of suckers (shoots that emerge between the main stem and branches) to direct energy into fruit production and improve air circulation. Prune judiciously to avoid excessive leaf removal, which protects developing fruit from sunscald. Support the tall, vigorous vines with sturdy stakes, cages, or trellises from early in the season.
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“Red Russian Tomato carries the genetic heritage of tomato varieties adapted to cooler growing regions, where heat and humidity are not guaranteed. As an open-pollinated heirloom cultivar, it represents the kind of variety that home gardeners and small farmers preserved by saving seeds generation after generation, particularly in regions where traditional red slicing tomatoes struggled. The specificity of its name points to cultivation history in Russian or Eastern European growing traditions, where cold tolerance was essential for successful tomato production.”