Habitat gardener,
our Agricultural organisations are still quite poor and that's why it is still too expensive to them to develop and re-produce enough stock for hybrids. And I like this fact very much. We had missed the massive impact of hybrid industry even in 1970/80s, but now they breed only at least 40-50% of hybrids for industrial gardening and farmers which is fairly good for amateur gardeners who own dachas and still prefer OP varieties.
Before 1970s there were more than 80% of all Soviet vegetable varieties bred only by the State agricultural organisations. Later on more non-commercial vareities have been born in all parts of USSR including Siberia. And in 1980s we knew at least a thousand of non-commercial OP tomato varieties existed.
And yes, Carolyn, I like Orange Minsk as well very much, but don't call this variety a heirloom, because I don't know its history. In more than 50% of all cases I know this is just an old CV from some Soviet Institute or AES improved by a local gardener. And it should be really something extraordinary if somebody would like to keep the same variety for 20 years or more here. That's why I don't call a heirlooms most of local varieties in my seed collection but name then "non-commercial OP varieties". That's much more fair!
It's a good example about comming from dacha with armloads of flowers in Saturday evening or Monday morning. And for example, for September 1, a very special day for children at school starting a new school year more than a half of all bouquets are usually made from dacha's flowers (asters, gladiolusli etc.)
