Tomato, Minusinsk Lion (Organic)
Solanum lycopersicum. Red. 65-70 days. Indet.
Another great Siberian tomato, Minusinsk Lion holds the perfect balance of giant fruit size and early ripening. These large red slicing tomatoes are definitely a surprise as we have seldom seen a tomato variety that produces so much so fast. Minusinsk Lion is not as early as a lot of excellent tomatoes out there, but its earliness is quite impressive relative to its size and productivity in our outdoor growing conditions. Classic tomato flavor is rich and sweetly balanced. Fruit average 1 lb and occasionally get much bigger. They slice up perfectly for the ultimate sandwich tomato, and are resistant to blossom end rot. Variety namesake is Minusinsk, which according to Wikipedia, was an “intellectual haven for those anti-tsarist political activists and revolutionaries who had been exiled from European Russia in the 1880s.” Nowadays, there is an annual “Tomato Day” festival held in Minusinsk, where a contest is held to crown the “Minusinsky Champion,” the largest tomato of the year. Thank you to Croatian Seeds Store for turning us on to these great tomatoes. Aka, Minusinskiy Lev.
Sow indoors in flats with good potting soil as early as February, but no later than April. Keep warm and well-watered. Up pot seedlings into 4” pots once they have two true leaves. Transplant into the garden once danger of frost has passed.
Seed Saving
Collect seeds from ripe fruit by squeezing into a jar and add 25% more water. Wait a few days for mold to form. When seeds sink and gel-sac is gone, stir, add water, then decant and rinse to clean. Dry thoroughly. Tomatoes are mostly self-pollinating; isolation is not usually needed for seeds to be true to type.
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