Raspberry-Pink · Golden Stripes · Violet Shoulders · Bears Until Frost

How to Grow Crushed Heart Tomato from Seed
Indeterminate · 1.8–2.5 m · 200–400 g · Three-colour fruit · Disease resistant

A spectacular three-colour tomato: raspberry-pink base, golden blurred stripes, violet-blue anthocyanin shoulders. No other commonly grown variety combines all three colours on a single heart-shaped fruit. Indeterminate, bearing continuously until frost. Sweet, balanced, fleshy. Outstanding for fresh eating, sauces, juices, and ketchup.

3-colourPink · gold stripes · violet shoulders
200–400 gPer fruit · heart-shaped
Until frostContinuous bearing season
ResistantDisease resistance · 1–2 stems
Crushed Heart tomato raspberry pink golden stripes violet shoulders heart-shaped fruit
SALE
−40%
SKU: To232 · Oreshka Seeds
Tomato Crushed Heart
10 PCS fresh seeds · Mid-season indeterminate · Disease resistant · Solanaceae
€4.25 €7.08

10 seeds per pack · Ships worldwide in 2–3 days

Detailed Buy

The variety

What is Crushed Heart — The Three-Colour Tomato That Bears Until Frost

Crushed Heart (To232) is a mid-season indeterminate tomato producing heart-shaped fruits (200–400 g) in a three-colour combination that is genuinely unusual among available varieties. The base colour is raspberry-pink — a warm, saturated pink-red with blue undertones distinct from standard tomato red. This is overlaid with golden blurred stripes running vertically down the fruit. The shoulders carry distinctive anthocyanin (violet-blue) colouring that contrasts dramatically with the pink-gold body. The plant itself reaches 1.8–2.5 m in a greenhouse and bears fruit continuously until frost — an indeterminate that keeps producing through summer and into autumn without the harvest concentration of determinate varieties.

The flavour is sweet and balanced — not purely sugary but a harmonious sweet-acid profile with fleshy, dense texture. Resistant to major diseases. Suitable for fresh consumption, juices, sauces, tomato pastes, and ketchup. Train to 1–2 stems with mandatory side-shooting and garter.

Raspberry-pink + golden stripes + violet shoulders — three pigment systems on one fruit: Each colour element in Crushed Heart has a different pigment origin. The raspberry-pink base is produced by lycopene (the standard red tomato pigment) modified by slight anthocyanin content in the flesh. The golden blurred stripes arise from areas of higher beta-carotene and lower lycopene concentration in the skin — the same mechanism that creates stripes in varieties like Tigerella. The violet-blue anthocyanin shoulders are produced by anthocyanins concentrated around the stem attachment area — a trait from wild tomato ancestors that has been retained and emphasised in modern breeding. No single gene controls all three; Crushed Heart is a carefully selected complex.
Oreshka Seeds — Expert Note

Disinfect seeds before sowing. Pre-germinate 3–5 days. Indeterminate — 1–2 stems, mandatory suckering and garter. Bears until frost. Disease resistant. About our collection →

Quick facts

Crushed Heart Tomato at a Glance

SeasonMid-season · bears until frost
Fruit200–400 g · heart-shaped · 3 colours
Height1.8–2.5 m greenhouse · indeterminate
DiseaseResistant · low intervention
LightFull sun · greenhouse preferred
TasteSweet · balanced · fleshy

Growing guide

How to Grow Crushed Heart Tomato from Seed — Step by Step

  1. 01
    Disinfect Seeds Before Sowing
    Mandatory per variety specification. Options: potassium permanganate pale-pink solution (20 min), 3% hydrogen peroxide (10–12 min), or Fitosporin-M as directed. After disinfection, rinse thoroughly in clean water. Disinfection destroys surface pathogens that cause damping-off — particularly important for a long-season indeterminate where each seedling is a significant investment.
  2. 02
    Pre-Germinate 3–5 Days — Sow Only Sprouted Seeds
    After disinfection, wrap seeds in a damp cloth at 20–22°C for 3–5 days until root tips appear. Select only sprouted seeds for sowing — discard unsprouted seeds after 5 days (low viability). Sow immediately 1 cm deep in individual 7–9 cm pots at 22–26°C. Handle pre-germinated seeds gently — the emerging root tip is fragile.
  3. 03
    12+ Hours Light — Transplant at Second Leaf Pair
    Minimum 12 hours light per day — grow lights needed in northern winters and springs. When the second pair of true leaves appears, transplant into individual larger pots (пикировка) and add complete mineral fertiliser. Continue feeding every 2 weeks. Harden off 7–10 days before planting out — never expose to below 10°C during hardening.
  4. 04
    Plant Out — Tall Stakes, 1–2 Stems from Day One
    Plant after last frost, soil 15°C+. Space 60–70 cm. Bury stem deeply. Install 180–200 cm stakes or greenhouse wire system at planting. Begin 1–2 stem training immediately — keep the main stem and optionally one first side shoot, remove all others weekly when finger-length. At 1.8–2.5 m eventual height, getting ahead of side-shoot growth is essential. Tie in both stems as they grow.
  5. 05
    Feed High Potassium — Water Consistently
    Switch from balanced to high-potassium tomato feed once first fruits set. Feed every 10–14 days. Water consistently — irregular watering causes cracking and blossom end rot in the large 200–400 g fruits. Mulch generously. Pinch growing tips in August, 2 leaves above the highest truss, to redirect energy into ripening the existing fruit load before frost.
  6. 06
    Harvest — Three Colours, Bears Until Frost
    Ripe fruits are unmistakeable: raspberry-pink body with golden blurred stripes and violet-blue anthocyanin shoulders. Harvest when fully coloured for best flavour. The indeterminate habit produces new trusses continuously — harvest regularly to keep production going from midsummer until October frosts outdoors (longer under glass). Outstanding fresh in salads, and exceptional processed into sauce where the fleshy, low-seed flesh gives a rich, naturally pink-hued tomato product.
Pro Tip — From the Oreshka Collection

Crushed Heart's raspberry-pink flesh — different from the orange-red of standard tomatoes — produces a visually distinctive pink tomato sauce that is remarkable on the plate. For pink tomato passata: process fully ripe Crushed Heart fruits without roasting (roasting deepens the colour towards red). Blanch, peel, seed, and blend raw, then simmer for 15–20 minutes to concentrate. The resulting sauce retains the raspberry-pink hue and the naturally higher anthocyanin content — which research suggests may have higher antioxidant activity than standard red lycopene. Serve over white pasta or light-coloured grains where the pink colour reads dramatically. Freeze in portions and the colour holds beautifully through freezing and reheating.

Compare

Crushed Heart vs. Black Krim vs. Tigerella

Feature Crushed Heart
To232 · Oreshka Seeds		 Black Krim
Dark anthocyanin variety		 Tigerella
Red-orange striped variety
ColourRaspberry + gold stripes + violet shouldersDeep red-black · anthocyanin overallRed with orange stripes
Fruit size200–400 g · large heart150–300 g · irregular50–80 g · small-medium
FlavourSweet balanced · fleshyRich · complex · slightly smokySweet-acid · fresh
SeasonUntil frost · indeterminateIndeterminateIndeterminate · early
Disease resistanceResistantStandardStandard
Best useFresh · pink sauce · juice · ketchupFresh · gourmetFresh · salads · snacking

Avoid these

Common Mistakes When Growing Crushed Heart

Skipping seed disinfection

Damping-off (seedling collapse from fungal/bacterial pathogens) is the primary early-season failure with large-fruited indeterminate tomatoes. The 10–20 minute disinfection step is specified in the variety description for good reason — do not skip it. Potassium permanganate solution (pale pink, not dark purple) or 3% hydrogen peroxide are the most accessible options.

Undersizing the stake for a 2.5 m plant

Crushed Heart reaches 1.8–2.5 m in a greenhouse — standard 120 cm tomato cages are insufficient. Use 180–200 cm solid stakes or a greenhouse wire system. A plant this tall loaded with 200–400 g fruits exerts significant weight on any support. Plan the support system at planting, not when the plant is already tall and difficult to stake without root damage.

Allowing more than 2 stems

Without consistent weekly suckering, Crushed Heart rapidly becomes a multi-stemmed bush at 1.8–2.5 m — unmanageable and producing smaller fruits of lower quality. 1–2 stems is specified as the required training system. Check for new side shoots every week; remove at finger-length. At this plant height, each unremoved side shoot becomes significant very quickly.

Not pinching tips in late summer

Without tip-pinching in August (2 leaves above the highest truss), Crushed Heart continues producing new growth that cannot ripen before frost. Pinch both stems — all fruit below will ripen before autumn cold. Unpinched plants often have trusses that fail to ripen, which wastes the late-season potential of this variety's long bearing habit.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Crushed Heart different — what are the golden stripes?
Three distinct pigment systems on one fruit: raspberry-pink base (lycopene + slight anthocyanins in flesh), golden blurred stripes (higher beta-carotene, lower lycopene in skin), violet-blue anthocyanin shoulders (concentrated anthocyanins at stem area). No other commonly grown variety combines all three. A complex breeding selection that produces genuinely distinctive fruits visually and nutritionally.
What does Crushed Heart taste like?
Sweet and balanced — harmonious sweet-acid profile with fleshy dense texture. Not purely sugary like Japanese Tomato but a more complex flavour. Excellent fresh in salads where the balance is interesting, and outstanding cooked where acidity brightens sauces. The raspberry-pink flesh produces a distinctively coloured pink sauce that is remarkable on the plate.
Why is it called Crushed Heart?
The name refers to the heart shape with a slightly flattened, 'crushed' cross-section — wider than a standard pointed heart, with an oval profile suggesting a heart gently compressed. Common naming convention in Eastern European tomato breeding where shape-descriptive poetic names are standard. The three-colour visual complexity matches the richness the name implies.
Does Crushed Heart bear until frost?
Yes — specified as an indeterminate variety bearing until frost. Produces new trusses and fruit continuously from midsummer until the first hard frost kills the plant. Under glass, production extends significantly into autumn. Tip-pinch in August to focus energy into ripening existing fruit before cold arrives.
How tall does it grow?
1.8–2.5 m in greenhouse conditions; 1.5–1.8 m outdoors. Requires solid 180–200 cm stakes or greenhouse wire system. 1–2 stem training with mandatory weekly suckering is essential at this height. Plan support at planting.
Why must seeds be disinfected?
To destroy surface pathogens causing damping-off (seedling stem collapse) — specified in the variety description. Options: pale-pink potassium permanganate solution (20 min), 3% hydrogen peroxide (10–12 min), or Fitosporin-M. Rinse thoroughly after treatment. Each seedling of a long-season indeterminate represents significant growing time — disinfection is 15 minutes that protects the whole season's investment.

Three Colours on One Fruit — Raspberry Pink, Golden Stripes, Violet Shoulders

10 fresh seeds · Indeterminate · Bears until frost · 200–400 g · Disease resistant · Ships worldwide

Buy Seeds — €4.25 → Sale −40% · SKU To232 · 10 PCS · Crushed Heart Tomato · Oreshka Seeds