Hungarian Heart

Family: Solanaceae Vegetable

Sink your senses into Hungarian Heart’s rich, warm aroma and its famously heart-shaped presence—meaty slices with a velvety, seed-studded interior and a balanced, sweet-tang finish.

The fruit ripens to a deep, rosy-red that feels almost satin-smooth, delivering exceptional body for bold slicing and show-stopping fresh salads, plus luscious sauce potential when you want tomato flavor with substance. For gardeners who love a statement harvest, this 85-day oxheart brings reliable performance and a romantic, heirloom-like silhouette to the bed.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 85 DaysHabit: Determinate

Botanical illustration of Hungarian Heart

Planting schedules and alerts are optimized for Columbus (Zone 6b).

Crop Dates

Milestone	Date
Start Indoors	Mar 7th
Last Frost	Apr 25th
Transplant / Sow Outdoors	Jun 20th
Harvest Begins	Sep 13th
Harvest Ends	Oct 16th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	85
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Determinate
Support Needed	Cage
Planting Depth	Deep
Germination Temp (°F)	75
Min Soil Temp (°F)	60
Min Night Temp (°F)	50
Harden Off (days)	10

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Hungarian Heart is an oxheart built for the knife: the flesh is meaty and satiny, so it won’t collapse into a puddle on your plate. Use its balanced sweet-tang to carry bold dressings and reductions—this is tomato with body, not just acidity.

Best Uses

thick slicing on sturdy bread—juicy but not watery
caprese-style salads with balsamic and slick dressings
slow-cooked tomato sauce that clings and reduces
grilled tomato stacks where flesh stays intact

Flavor Profile

meaty, velvety slices with seed-studded interior balanced sweet–tang acidity warm, rosy tomato aroma tender flesh that holds its shape

Kitchen Pairings

burrata balsamic vinegar garlic olive oil black pepper aged pecorino

Frequently Asked Questions

What pest or disease most commonly affects Solanum lycopersicum (Hungarian Heart/oxheart tomatoes), and how can I stop it?

Watch for early blight (dark, concentric spots) and leaf spotting, which are common on Solanum lycopersicum in warm, humid spells. Remove and discard infected lower leaves, water at the soil line (not overhead), and keep plants well spaced for airflow. If problems persist, spray a labeled fungicide for tomatoes according to label intervals, starting at the first signs of spotting.

How often should I water Hungarian Heart tomatoes during the main growing phase?

During fruiting, keep soil consistently moist but not soggy—aim for about 1–2 inches of water per week, delivered in deep soakings. Water when the top 1 inch of soil dries out, and use mulch to reduce swings that cause cracking and blossom-end rot. Avoid frequent light watering, which encourages shallow roots and more stress during hot weather.

How do I know when Hungarian Heart tomatoes are ready to harvest?

Harvest when the fruit is fully colored (typically deep red), feels firm but not hard, and reaches the expected size for an oxheart shape. The blossom end should be firm with no dark, sunken rot, and the fruit should detach with a gentle twist once mature. For best flavor, wait until the fruit is ripe on the vine rather than picking early.