Solanum lycopersicum
Origin: Ukraine
Improvement status: Landrace
Seeds per packet: ~30
Germination tested 12/2023: 92%
Life cycle: Annual
EFN INTRODUCTION. 'Bukovinskij' (or 'Bukovinskii Mestnyi') is a lovely tear-drop-shaped tomato from Ukraine, likely from the mountainous Bukovinsky Pass region in southwestern Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains. This is one the largest pear-shaped tomatos we've seen, and one of the most crack resistant and best tasting, with rich red flesh. Many of the world's best-tasting tomatoes hail from Ukraine, so we shouldn't be surprised to have stumbled on this one. We got our stock seed from the USDA's National Plant Germplasm System, which labels it 'Bukovinskii Mestnyi' (meaning "Bukovinsky Local"), though the original records state that it was simply called 'Bukovinskij', so that's the name we're using.
Ironically enough, this tomato was donated to the USDA in May 1962 by the legendary Vavilov Institute, the national agricultural institute of the USSR, just a few months before the Cuban Missile Crisis. We always find it equal parts astounding and heartening that even as the US and the USSR were approaching the most dangerous low point in their Cold War relationship, agricultural scientists on both sides were still collaborating with each other for the benefit of humankind. So this tomato is not only a delicious heirloom, it's also an important object lesson for us all!
Our seed was grown by our dear friends Mud Forte and Harry Matthews in Sicklerville, NJ.
GROWING TIPS: Grow as any other tomato. This one is indeterminate, so it's wise to provide a trellis.
